Holland presents a lucid account of the evolution of Freud's thought with respect to the etiology of the neuroses in general and hysteria in particular. When Freud revised his theory of the effects of seduction in childhood, he did not deny that seduction might have occurred; he simply determined that there was not a direct correlation between sexual abuse in early childhood and the onset of hysterical neurosis in adults. He insisted upon the crucial role of fantasy and unconscious conflict in either the presence or absence of actual seduction. Thus the author presents a critical review of some of Masson's writings on Freud's changing theories.