Letter from Sigmund Freud to Ernest Jones, July 1, 1928

1 July 1928
Semmering

Dear Jones,

We had your1 dear wife here with us and were very delighted with her visit despite the sad history of the preceding period. She was so cordial, unaffectedly natural. I did not speak to her about her bereavement; on such occasions I feel only my impotence. But I heard that she spoke about it freely with the women and expressed her undiminished grief.

The lateness of spring has afforded us a particularly beautiful time here. We are glad to be up here and are thinking of staying on for the whole of July and August. You will only understand this last remark when I divulge a little secret to you, which, however, should remain a secret.

Pichler's efforts to make a better prosthesis for me caused me much suffering last year, and the result is not very satisfactory. So, in the end, I yielded to pressure from all sides to turn to someone else. This was not easy for me, as it basically means turning away from a man to whom I already owe four years' prolongation of my life. But I could not continue. Last week Prof. Schroeder of Berlin sent his assistant here to examine me, and promised that he would make something better for me in about four weeks. We arranged that I should go to him in Berlin in September, under the pretext of visiting my children there. Discretion, please!2

Cordially yours,

Freud