Julia Mannheim 1895–1955

On 16 December 1955, Julia Mannheim, a member of the British Psycho-Analytical Society since 1944, died at the age of 60, working, in spite of a painful and malignant illness, almost until her last day.

Her death leaves us with the tragic note of a broken melody—a note which ran throughout her life. so often, on the verge of fulfilment, fate would step in with frustration and she would have to start afresh. This last time, when she was just ready to devote herself to creative work, after a rich experience in therapy and teaching, death intervened to prevent the full fruition of her professional capabilities.

Julia Mannheim's initial studies were languages, aesthetics, philosophy, and psychology. Since she showed a flair for teaching and an exceptional gift for expression, she became at an early age an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Budapest. This position she relinquished to join her future husband, Karl Mannheim, after he had had to leave Hungary. They married in 1921 at Heidelberg, where they soon became part of the cultural élite, in close friendship with such personalities as Friedrich Gundolf, the art historian, Emil Lederer, the economist, and Alfred Weber, the sociologist, all eminent representatives of European New Humanism. It was in keeping with this ideology that both Karl and Julia Mannheim turned gradually from aesthetics and philosophy towards sociology and education.

Karl Mannheim soon acquired fame as a sociologist, and in 1929 was called to the Chair of Sociology at Frankfurt University. Julia Mannheim joined in the work of the well-known paediatrician, H. Homburger, who, inspired by Freud, undertook research into child development with special regard to infantile sexuality. It was in his Child Guidance Clinic that Julia Mannheim took the step from philosophical and psychological interest in psycho-analysis to its practical application, and decided to concentrate on psycho-analysis as her life work.

The carrying out of this decision, ho