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Vienna, March 16, 1896
Dear Wilhelm,
I have not yet really overcome my depression about the schedule of your headaches. I can perhaps take pleasure in the fact that Easter is far away from the date you underlined as the most critical one. Other than that, I see that unfortunately every third day brings you headaches. But just as emperors exert an indubitable influence on the weather, I have been able to have a favorable influence on your headaches by my presence and therefore hope for good weather for our get-together.
Do not think I am throwing doubt on your periods just because the observations made by you and your wife do not appear to be free of disturbing influences. I merely want to hold you back from giving Mr. Enemy, publicus, something that requires him to think—as I unfortunately do constantly—because he customarily takes his revenge for such impositions.
How is R.W.? Very well once again, I hope. Our Annerl is charming; the others for a change are also well.
Science is progressing at a leisurely pace. Today, just as a young poet tends to do, I put this title on a sheet of paper:
(Neurasthenia, Anxiety Neurosis, Hysteria, Obsessional Neurosis)
for I realize that for the time being I am not getting anywhere in my understanding of the common neuroses, nor do I need to retract anything. So I shall set out to do the work and pull things together. Behind it looms a second and more beautiful work:
for which I am allowing myself years of preparation and into which I shall put my whole soul.
I shall bring you one more thing: a case of dipsomania, which resolved itself very obviously according to my schema. I keep returning