Letter from Karl Abraham to Sigmund Freud, May 28, 1912

126A

Berlin
28 May 1912

Dear Professor,

Following your suggestion, I shall add two pictures to the Amenhotep—who is now with Rank in the form of a manuscript—the king himself with his consort, and his mother. I hope Heller will have no difficulty in obtaining permission to reproduce the two pictures from Breasted's History of Egypt.1

I am pleased to hear about some innovations in the . I have a few charming contributions for the “Children's Corner”, which I am sending to Stekel as soon as I can.2 I rested for once a bit around Whitsuntide. In the next seven weeks, until we go on holiday, there is still a great deal of work to be done, as the practice constantly remains at the same high level I described in my last letter. On 19 July we are going to Kurhaus Stoos above Brunnen (Lake Lucerne). I shall then have the opportunity to visit Zurich again after five years.

On the question of melancholia, which you touched on in your letter, I can report that I have for some time past had a particularly instructive case of “cyclothymia” under observation. In this patient everything lies unusually close to consciousness, and she is particularly aware of her own inability to love. Physically as well as psychologically she is thoroughly “intermediate stage”,3 very masculine in physical appearance, manner, voice, movements, etc., as well as in her thinking and feeling. The mixture of male and female in her is such that she is too masculine to love men; but she also fails to achieve full transference onto women. Thus she never reaches a satisfactory attitude either to a man or to a woman. Reaction to this: vivid substitute gratification in phantasy (prostitution phantasies) and masturbation, which are, however, not sufficient. Hence, repeated lapses into depression, alternating with rapid manic exaltation. I am really quite stuck in this case. The patient lacks the type of transference usually met with in neurotics.