As Mike Palij writes, Wikipedia's entry on Edward Bernays reports that >Trotter, who was a head and neck surgeon at University College >Hospital, London, read Freud's works, and it was he who introduced >Wilfred Bion, whom he lived and worked with, to Freud's ideas.
I'm not familiar with this historical material, but though Trotter expressed positive opinions of a number of Freud's ideas, he was by no means an uncritical admirer. In relation to "the chief doctrines of the Freudian psychology", Trotter wrote: "...here it is desirable to say a few words as to the general validity of Freud chief thesis. However much one may be impressed by his power as a psychologist... one can scarcely fail to experience in reading Freud's works that there is a certain harshness in his grasp of facts and even a trace of narrowness in his outlook which tend to repel the least resistant mind and make one feel that his guidance in many matters - perhaps chiefly of detail - is open to suspicion. He seems to have an inclination for the enumeration of absolute rules, a confidence in his hypotheses which might be called superb if that were not in science a term of reproach, and a tendency to state his least acceptable propositions with the heaviest emphasis as if to force belief upon an unwilling and shrinking mind were an especial gratification..." (Instincts of the Herd in War and Peace, 1916, p. 76) Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
