You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
427A
Berlin-Grünewald
26 December 1923
Dear Professor,
The Old Year shall not come to an end without your receiving once more a direct sign of life from me. For on such an occasion one does feel that our circular letters do not make personal correspondence entirely superfluous. This letter takes a whole load of good wishes with it, and also the sincere offer to put at your disposal, dear Professor, all my tried and tested optimism for 1924!
There are scarcely four months left before the Congress.1 If I had followed my own sentiments, I should have loved to have come to Vienna for a short visit during these holidays, in order to see for myself how you are doing. You will surely not think that it was out of indifference that I have not done so. As I know that you are not yet free from symptoms, and that visitors will be many at Christmas time, I preferred to refrain and am waiting for a more favourable moment.
I am making a short journey on 5 January to Hamburg, to give a lecture there,2 which could not take place a short time ago because of the political situation. Interest is increasing in H., and I also hear favourable reports of the small circle in Leipzig.
I recently heard from Dr Weiss in Trieste3 that a distinguished psychologist, Prof. Benussi in Padua,4 who specializes in hypnosis and suggestion, would like to come into closer contact with us. He would like to be invited to the Congress. I am writing to him today in order first of all to make nerve-contact.5 I have in the background similar plans to those I mentioned in the circular letter with regard to Spain.6
Now yet another question! We have in our psychoanalytic circle a woman colleague who works in the polyclinic and is liked by everyone. She is, with her child, in a very difficult situation, and after a long struggle has agreed to accept financial support. As once before in a similar case you gave us money from a fund, I suggested to the lady in question that I would write to you about it. That was only to