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My object in reading this paper is to report the cases that came through the Child Department of the Institute of Psycho-Analysis in London over a period of one year. What I have to say is therefore not directly analytic, though I think it is of interest to analysts.
One of the reasons why the Child Department was set up was to provide for the children brought to the Institute for consultation. It was easy to foresee the difficulties and disappointments which this part of the Child Department's work must entail, and which my description of this year's work clearly shows. These cases simply fall into line with the thousands of cases that also assail me in my position as Physician at a Children's Hospital.
Over a period of one year I took trouble over each case, and gave up time deliberately in order to do so, and in order to be able to give this report to the Society.
It will be understood that I am giving an account of the cases that were actually sent to the Child Department in the course of a year, and that I am not including an account of the cases given for analysis to Candidates, which were all taken from other sources.
Some cases never actually came for consultation. For instance, a doctor rang up about his little daughter aged 3½ who had recently started a bad stammer. She was an only child. It appeared that the child had become very attached to an aunt who had looked after her while her mother and father were away. Grief at the aunt's departure did not appear until the child's little girl friend also left the neighbourhood. She then became depressed and started the stammer. Enquiry