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8 December 1907,
Vienna, IX. Berggasse 19
Dear friend and colleague,
In spite of the trouble you seem to be having with your “complex,” you have delighted me with really interesting news. I can offer you nothing comparable in return. The Congress in Salzburg in spring 1908 would make me very proud; but I suppose I should be in the way and that you will not invite me. Dr. A—– has sent (though not to me) an enthusiastic and, I believe, astute account of your performance at the Zürich society. Your Englishman appeals to me because of his nationality; I believe that once the English have become acquainted with our ideas they will never let them go. I have less confidence in the French, but the Geneva people must be thought of as Swiss. Claparède's article on the definition of hysteria1 amounts to a very intelligent judgment on our efforts; the idea of the building of several storeys comes from Breuer (in the general section of the Studies),2 the building itself, I believe, ought to be described rather differently. Claparède would know more about its plan if he had questioned the patients rather than the good-for-nothing authors. Still, his paper is a step forward; the rejection of “suggestion” was necessary. I hope he will learn, as a result of your visit, to take account of a good many things that he still very noticeably neglects.