Raymond De Saussure (1894-1971)

It is always a difficult task to write about a respected colleague and good friend of many years who is no longer alive. In the case of Raymond de Saussure it is particularly sad, since the last few times I saw him he suffered such intense pain. The last time, a few months before he died, was at the Vienna Congress. He was at a reception given to the membership by the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. In spite of his pain he wanted to sit next to some old friends, to take leave, as it were, forever. Some time before, he had told me that he was suffering from a fatal illness, but he also seemed to express his determination to stay and perform his duties to the end. Such devotion to his duties as an analyst was characteristic of his personality; it dominated his activities for as long as I knew him.

Our exchange at the reception of the Vienna Society reminded me of the first time I had met him and talked with him: in the mid-1920s in Paris. At that time we spoke very little about personal matters, but were concerned with problems of starting psychoanalytic education in Paris. He was exceptionally well suited to play an important role in this endeavour. His personal charm and manners endeared him to all who met him. In addition, he was a member of a family of famous scientists, starting with Horace Benedict de Saussure who in the 18th century was the first man ever to make important scientific experiments on the summit of Mont Blanc. Raymond de Saussure was the son of the famous linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure. Moreover, even as a young psychiatrist he had an extensive knowledge of French psychiatry, as well as the advantage of having undergone a psychoanalysis with Freud before coming to Paris, where he met a number of younger psychiatrists who were interested in psychoanalysis. He worked for some time in the psychiatric hospital Sainte-Anne and published a paper in collaboration with Dr Henri Claude, Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical Faculty of Paris.

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