As this issue goes to press, the tragic news reaches us of the sudden death of Dr. Otto Fenichel. It would be difficult to exaggerate the loss that this means for psycho-analysis not merely in America but in every part of the world. Fenichel was still young enough for it to be possible to hope that he would take a leading part in the task of reconstruction and bridge-building which lies ahead of our science during the next few years. His qualifications for such work were remarkable: he was at once energetic and cautious, he was erudite but lively, and above all he was firmly based in the traditions and fundamental principles of Freud's scientific outlook. He had moreover the additional advantage of wide contacts in the psycho-analytical world, having spent many years not only in Vienna, but in Berlin, Prague and recently in the United States. We shall include an appreciation of his work in our next number.