Psychoanalysis in Canada

Dear Dr Hayley,

Doctor George Zavitzianos, one of the distinguished Founding Members of the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society, has raised two points with regard to my recent book (A History of Psychoanalysis in Canada. The Toronto Psychoanalytic Society, Toronto, Canada, 1987).

He states that the book 'erroneously implies that I [Zavitzianos] left Montreal in 1951, which is the year of my arrival here'. Although I did correctly state (page 72) that in 'the following year of 1951 the Club gathered further strength with the arrival of George Zavitzianos …' (my italics), I unfortunately added on the following page that he left Montreal later in the same year rather than, as he did, in 1953. I am grateful to him for drawing my attention to this oversight.

Dr Zavitzianos also writes that I state in the book that 'Dr Bruce Ruddick became the fifth member required for the formation of the Study Group', and he adds that 'Dr Ruddick actually arrived after the sponsorship of the Study Group by the British Society'. Actually I wrote (pages 72 and 73) 'with the expected return of Bruce Ruddick from New York… there was the prospect of an increase in the number of qualified psychoanalysts in Montreal to five …' (my italics). However, I went on to recount that this expectation was not fulfilled and the prospect was not realized until Ruddick's actual return to Montreal in September of 1952 (page 74). By that time Prados' election to associate membership of the British Psycho-Analytical Society in January of that year (page 73) had brought the number of Montreal analysts to five and was followed by the 'transfer of the Canadian application for sponsorship [of the Study Group status] to the British Society' (page 73) as Zavitzianos correctly states.

I hope this clarifies the points which Dr Zavitzianos has raised.

With warm regards Sincerely