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The frequent fantasy of a bone in the penis has not been the subject of a special psychoanalytic investigation. We owe a debt of gratitude to Hermann for collecting clinical and anthropological ('magic bone') material about this fantasy. Hermann is of the opinion that the fantasy of the penis-bone is not only a symbol of the phenomenon of erection; he connects this fantasy with the fact that many animals, especially the phylogenetic ancestors of man, the anthropoides, actually had such a bone. He believes that the unconscious idea of castration may be connected with the fact that man, phylogenetically, has lost the penis-bone. A somewhat confusing supplement compares the fantasy of the penis-bone with the 'holistic' unconscious equation penis = (penis-bone =) organism; after having had the fantasy that the penis represents the whole body, insight into the true nature of the penis is disappointing. The penis appears as bereft of its totality, as 'castrated'. The reviewer has the impression that Hermann takes secondary fantasies in the realm of the castration complex as the primary cause of the idea of castration.