Page 42 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Heroes & Villains

SIGMUND FREUD

In hysterics severe cough, paralysis, Freud later wrote that, “the study
hallucinations and impaired
on coca was an allotrion” (an idle
Victorian beliefs about speech, and was invited to pursuit that distracts from more
‘the ladies’ disease’ talk about her symptoms serious responsibilities).
while under hypnosis. In the During this self-analysis, he
A common diagnosis during the Victorian period, course of this ‘talking cure’ also confirmed that he recalled
‘hysteria’, according to one physician in 1859, (a phrase coined by Anna-O childhood sexual feelings for his
affected a quarter of all women, while another
made a 75-page list of supposed ‘hysteria herself), her symptoms mother, seemingly giving credence
indicators’ and still called it incomplete. Symptoms appeared to improve, leading to his controversial Oedipal theory,
ranged wildly, from fainting, anxiety, irritability, Freud to believe that illness which he began exploring in 1897.
increase in sexual desire and loss of sexual desire, couldbealleviatedbysimple Freud initially seemed obsessed
to increased and decreased appetite, cramps, and, ‘free association’; talking with the idea that most of his
according to historian Rachel Maines, “a tendency freely about whatever ideas patients had suffered sexual
to cause trouble.”
While Ancient Greeks believed the condition was or memories occurred to the trauma at some point in their lives
the result of a ‘wandering womb’, or the retention patient to uncover repressed – and those who were reluctant
of poisonous female semen not released through thoughts and unmet needs. Freud to talk about this alleged abuse
regular intercourse, the Victorians simply believed Freud developed this idea further, once treated were displaying signs of ‘resistance.’
it to be a ‘women’s issue’, often treating it through claiming that dreams too were He later changed his mind (as he
cold, high-pressure showers or, in particularly representative of the unconscious the famous Czech was liable to do) and decided that,
extreme cases, forcibly admitting women into composer Gustav
asylums and giving them hysterectomies – the term mind.By1896,Freudhad in fact, these were just fantasies –
hysteria stemming from the Greek word for uterus. abandoned hypnosis and used Mahler for ‘infantile wishes’ as described in his
A more common treatment was pelvic massage, theterm‘psychoanalysis’torefer impotency notorious Oedipus theory. The gist of
where doctors would administer a ‘hysterical to his style of work. that theory is that young boys harbour
paroxysm’, or orgasm, which was something of a But despite this ‘talking cure’, Anna- repressed desires to possess their mothers
money-maker for the medical establishment during O’ssymptomseventuallyworsened,so and replace their fathers, while girls feel desire
the Victorian era. Freud deduced that her illness was the result of for their fathers and jealousy toward their mothers.
With so many – and often contradictory –
possible symptoms, hysteria was considered a repressed resentment she felt over her father’s This is compounded by the boy’s alleged castration
catch-all diagnosis, but today we know its causes illness. Like the many women locked up for anxiety, and the girl’s supposed penis envy.
range from premenstrual cramps and anxiety hysteria, Anna-O was also institutionalised. Sadly It’s surprising this theory didn’t meet more
through to epilepsy and more serious mental health for her, many doctors today agree that she was opposition, and Freud could count some of society’s
issues such as schizophrenia. And while the term actuallyexhibitingsignsofepilepsy. most respectable figures among his followers,
may sound antiquated – if not preposterous – ItwasalsoaroundthistimethatFreudappeared giving him authority with the masses. Marie
today, the American Psychiatric Association didn’t
drop the expression until the 1950s. togiveupwhathadbeena12-year-longcocaine Bonaparte (a great-grand-niece of Napoleon), for
addiction, having extolled the virtues of the drug example, helped to establish his theories in France.
–“amagicalsubstance”–in1884inapapercalled It seems that at some point she gave serious
‘Uber Coca.’ Curiously, this was also the year that consideration to sleeping with her son and wrote
Freud’s father died. Around three decades later to Freud for his advice. “It’s not always harmful,” he
he himself underwent treatment for an array of replied. Although whether that was his true belief,
psychosomatic disorders where he came to realise or he was driven by a desire to keep a wealthy
the strong hostility he had felt towards his father. and influential follower happy, is up for debate.
Defi ning moment
Josef Breuer and ‘Anna-O’ 1880
In November 1880 Breuer, a respected Austrian physician,
began working with a patient known as ‘Anna-O’, who was
suffering from “paralysis of her limbs, and anaesthesias, as
well as disturbances of vision and speech.” Breuer found
that when she spoke to him about her problems some of her
symptoms decreased – when Freud, his protégé, heard of the
work he was extremely interested and began working on the
case. The belief that talking about problems could cure some
physical aliments was a ground-breaking one that would be
Timeline published in the pair’s 1895 book, Studies On Hysteria.

1856
O Freudisborn O The family separates O An apt pupil O University O A fatal addiction O In defence of drugs O Marriage
The future psychiatrist Freud is separated Nine-year-old Freud Freud begins studying Freud begins smoking He publishes a paper After a four-year
is born with a caul, from his beloved joins a prominent medicine at the tobacco aged 24, called ‘Uber Coca’, in courtship and more
a harmless piece of playmate and high school and University of Vienna; quickly moving on which he extols the than 900 love
membrane covering older half-brother excels in languages because of his interest to cigars, believing it virtues of cocaine as letters, Freud marries
his face, which occurs John, as his half- including Hebrew, in neurophysiological helps him work better. an anti-depressant and the Jewish Martha
in fewer than one in brothers emigrate to Latin, English and research and philosophy He was soon smoking anaesthetic. He himself is Bernays. The couple
80,000 births. His Manchester. The rest Greek, eventually it takes him a full nine 20 cigars a day and an avid user of the drug, go on to have six
mother sees this as a of the family moves to graduating with years to complete his would never be able but eventually gives it up children in their
positive omen. Leipzig, Germany. honours in 1873. studies at the university. to fully quit the habit. in 1896. 53-year marriage.
1856 1859 1865 1873 1880 1884 1886

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