Citation

Stohr FO. South African Medical Journal 1927; 1(17): 438-442.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1927)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Here is an actual case to illustrate these points. The patient was a marri ed woman approaching 40 , with a hysterical symp tom. . She proved to be an ex cellent pa tien t-that is to say. s he · followed the rul e o f say ing everything that came into her mind. One has to try to do th at da y af ter day to realize how hard it is. Af t er th e first dozen sittings the sympt om disappeared , but in its pla ce she found her-. s elf obsessed by the word " Sui cide." She would sooner hav e had the symptom th an be haunted by this word. It was clear from the fir st sittings th at the woman had a d ea th-wish against her husband. As she was at the sam e time a devoted wife, it was na tur al that th e wish sho uld be deeply unconscious , b ut it was from the first discoverable in her dreams. Then she would tell about the good t imes she had before her marriage. wish that her husband ca red more f or going out. regr etted they were so poor. Gradually she came to adm it that her married lif e was not perfect ly satisfacto r y. One su pposed all this w hile that " su icide " meant. " I would rather die than No doubt it did mean that. b ut it turned out to me an more. One day she cam e in for her hour a nd began: " I\·e remembered some thing that I h ad quite forgotten. though it on ly ha pp ened a few y ear s ago. I was travelling on a ship. and made th e acquain t- ance of a verY well -dr essed. attractive woman. All the men were ·runnin!; a ft er her. One dav she.· to ok me to her cabin anrl shO\Yed me heaps of beautiful clothes and jewel s. They had a ll been given her by a m an who was in love with her. Vlhen I asked h er what had heconw o f the man. she answered. 'Hf' bored me. so I told him to go hack to his ''"i fe. and one night he fell into the sea.' "-" Now do you see the meaning of ' suicide ? '" - " It must mean a wish to be like that woman."-" Yes-in what way ? "- "Having men about me , and being gay , and having lots of things."-"...