OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 23380, 25 September 1939, Page 9

OBITUARY

<B> DR SIGMUND FREUD FAMOUS AUTHORITY ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, September 23. The death has occurred at his home at Hampstead of Dr Sigmund Freud, the famous psycho-analyst, aged 83 years. '* . Dr Freud, who was a Jew, was driven from Austria by Nazi terrorism and found refuge in England. He was born in 1856 at Freiberg, Moravia, and took his doctorate of medicine in the University of Vienna in 1882. Three years later he began to teach nervous pathology, and from 1902 held the title of extraordinary professor on'that subject in Vienna. In 1903 he founded the Vienna Psycho-analytical Circle, and by 1906 branches were established in other countries. In 1908 his influence spread

rapidly, and the first psycho-analytical congress was held at Salzburg. In 1909 he visited the United States, and on his return the International Psychoanalytic Association was formed. Dr Freud completely revolutionised the study of the human mind and did more than any man living or dead to popularise the study of psychology. His most important work was ‘ The Significance of Dreams,’ which was published in Vienna in 1900. This book embodies some of his most startling theories and discoveries, among them the claim that the interpretation of dreams is an important factor in psycho-analysis. The revolutionary and “ advaiiced ” nature of some of his theories aroused great hostility. In fact, it is almost true to say that he shocked the world into the realisation of the importance of psycho-analysis in everyday life. It was ho who was responsible for tolling the world about its “ complexes ” (inferiority, superiority, etc.), and he was directly responsible for the great interest in "psycho-analysis displayed to-day not only by scientists, but by ordinary men and women all over the.world. Dr Freud made the discovery that many neurotic affections, such as hysteria, were due to a conflict between the conscious and the unconscious parts of the mind, the conscious endeavouring to act in donformity with social training and the restraints of civilisation, while the unconscious was endeavouring to find an outlet for primitive tendencies which had been suppressed, or partially suppressed, by the patient. By gradually bringing the suppressed material, into consciousness so that the patient understood his mental conflict the symptoms were found to disappear.

COMMANDER J. M'MILLAN

LONDON, September 2-L The death, has occurred of Commander John M'Millan, chief of staff In tli'e Salvation Army. ,