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Vienna, May 30, 1893
Dearest friend,
I am well again, for it is once again a pleasure to write to you.
I know of no such thing as a department of residential health in Vienna.
The fact that you are inundated with patients demonstrates that on the whole people do know what they are doing. I am curious to know whether you will confirm the diagnosis in the cases I sent to you. I am now making this diagnosis very often and agree with you that the nasal reflex is one of the most frequent disturbances. Unfortunately, I am never sure what to do then. The tie to sexuality too is becoming ever tighter; it is a pity we cannot work on the same cases.
Recently I too encountered something like crossed reflexes. Furthermore, a short time ago I interrupted (for one hour) a severe migraine of my own with cocaine; the effect set in only after I had cocainized the opposite side as well; but then it did so promptly. I see a good possibility of filling yet another gap in the sexual etiology of the neuroses. I believe I understand the anxiety neuroses of young persons who must be presumed to be virgins and who have not been subjected to abuse. I have analyzed two cases of this kind; it was a presentient dread of sexuality, and behind it things they had seen or heard and half-understood — thus, the etiology is purely emotional but nevertheless of a sexual nature.
The book I am sending you today1 is not very interesting. The hysterical paralyses, shorter and more interesting, will appear at the beginning of June.
My family is going to Reichenau tomorrow. I have already enlisted the first pupil from Vienna for the therapeutic polyclinic. Are things working out with the blond youth from Danzig?