A married woman in her early thirties sought medical and then psychoanalytic help for the disabilities arising from scleroderma. Her emotional conflicts were concerned with use of hands in masturbation, anger, petting, and severe childhood traumata suffered from both parents. These were compensated by a strong drive for constructive or healing activity with her hands. 'Her illness recapitulated the death of a relative in the form of a slow destruction of her own body as if to expiate her guilt.'