ferenczi_my friendship with miksa schachter
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My Friendship with Miksa Schachter
Sandor Ferenczi
I first met Miksa Schachter in 1898 under unusual circumstances. I was a junior
physician at the Rokus Hospital. While I wanted to become a neurologist, Kalman Muller's
malice chained me to the VD ('prostitutes') department for more than a year. I had
requested many times to be liberated from duties that were so alien to me. All in vain - the
hospital director, who was so strict with his subordinates, turned down all my requests. As
I had no chance to perform psychological experiments, I had begun to experiment on
myself. I had tried to explore the so-called `occult' phenomena, amongst others. It
happened once that, following a dinner with friends, I walked through the permanently
locked gates of the `Little Rokus' 1 well after midnight. I went to the junior physicians'
room and engaged in `automatic writing', frequently discussed by the spiritualists of the
time; Janet had already published interesting observations on this phenomenon. It occurredto me that it was already very late; I was tired and somewhat aroused emotionally. All
these circumstances favoured the exploration. So I picked up a pencil and, holding it
loosely in my hand, I pressed it against a piece of blank paper. I decided to let the pencil
move `on its own', letting it write whatever it wished. Senseless scribbles came first, then
letters, words (some of them strange to me), and finally whole sentences. Soon I was
having a real dialogue with my pencil - I asked questions and got quite unexpected
answers. Being young, first of all I demanded answers to big theoretical problems, but later
more practical questions occurred to me. Finally the pencil suggested the following: `Write
an article on spiritualism for Gyogyaszat, the editor will be interested'.
I had arrived from Vienna not long before and knew hardly anything about Hungarian
medical journals. I did not know that, while Orvosi Hetilap(Medical Weekly)2 was the
journal of the influential university circles, Gyogyaszat (Therapy)3 was the forum of a
single powerful man - Miksa Schachter. His voluntarily undertaken crusade was to protect
medical justice and ethics from threatening attacks by any antagonists.
The next day I wrote my first medical paper entitled `On spiritualism'.4 I started off
from the phenomenon of automatism which I had observed in myself. My conclusion (
which has been generally accepted since then but is now based on more sound evidence)
was that the so-called occult phenomena do not contain anything supernatural and should
be viewed as manifestations of the functioning of the unconscious. I sent the article toGyogyaszat.
Soon my colleague Lajos Levy5 brought me a message from Schachter: he was willing
to publish my paper and also invited me to visit him. Thus the results of the automatism
experiment led to a turning-point in my life and became the beginning of a long-lasting
friendship.
Translated from Hungarian by Professor Borisz Szegal, Academy of Sciences, Budapest.
British Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol 9(4), 1993
The author
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Sandor Ferenczi 431
I have no doubt that my ignorance of the dynamic relationships in Hungarian medical
life was superficial. Clearly, remarks that I had overheard had informed my unconscious to
know where a young, truth-seeking physician should look for moral support.
I found, however, much more than that in Miksa Schachter: friendliness, warmth, a
hospitable family which became my second home, and - above all - an example. While I
was fully aware that his example was unmatchable, for years my main inspiration was to
emulate him.I remember that talking to my friends outside the medical profession I would speak
enthusiastically for hours describing Schachter's impressive talents, especially his austere
character. In his judgment of others he applied the same strict standards as he applied to
himself. I felt that his personality could be compared to a single piece of perfect marble
free of fractures or faults.
His encouragement stimulated me to write not only scientific articles, but also papers
dealing with social medical issues, which were published in his journal. These papers
lacked independence as I had followed his doctrines to such an extent that some of
colleagues started to call me `the Schachter-boy'.6
Today I think differently, concentrating primarily on my own subject. However, the
experience of working with him, thinking together and supporting each other is
unforgettable. It was truly a period which shaped my character.
I do not intend to present a picture of the Miksa Schachter's character; others will do
that. I would rather present a few observations from that period when we spent so much
time together.
I still hear him talking. His speech was perfect, both in content and form. He never
made any mistakes, even during an intimate friendly conversation or emotional dispute. He
was born a speaker having a pleasant voice, using rich expressions and quiet intonation,
although he always emphasised (usually referring to the `English example') that all hispublic performances were carefully prepared.
Debating with Schachter was always an interesting and exciting experience. He could
suddenly and unexpectedly challenge my assumptions even on those topics about which I
felt myself confident. In order to cope with his arguments I had to concentrate very hard.
His logic might drive me into a corner even when my standpoint was correct. In such cases,
however, he smiled and confessed that, in challenging my position, he was merely sparring
with me.
There were two issues, however, about which he never joked: religion and morals. And
on both issues I held views opposed to his.He was a devout religious man, who retained a strict adherence to ancient Jewish
traditions and rituals. In contrast, neither my family influence nor my natural convictions
stimulated my interest in religion. I viewed (as I still view) religion as an atavistic remnant
of ancient times, whose origin is similar to that of art. We discussed this issue only once;
seeing him deeply upset by the sheer mention of this topic, I always tried hard to avoid it. I
was not disturbed by the many Friday supper prayers, but rather felt aesthetic satisfaction
listening to them. On his side Schachter forgave me my pagan views and never tried to
proselytise me.
I have already mentioned that, at the beginning of our relationship, we worked together
on moral issues. Later, influenced by Freud's pioneering work in psychology, I moved far
away from those issues; the mechanisms of mental functioning became the focus of my
interests. It was natural that through these interests
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432 British Journal of Psychotherapy
independence developed. Thus I had to realise that lies related to sexual problems are
damaging to mental health, as well as disturbing the understanding of its mechanisms.
Schachter was not keen to see such adventurous interpretations of sexual topics and tried
to avoid them. However, seeing my insistence on these principles, he did not prevent me
from publishing them in Gyogyaszat. This again demonstrates Schachter's character:
though conservative himself, he never obstructed liberal progress.
I discovered the kindest, most loving features of Schachter's personality whileaccompanying him once to Corfu7. It is well known that, while travelling, even friends
quarrel; but on the contrary, our friendship became even stronger after spending long
hours in each other's company.
One could really admire his gentleman's style and tact, which characterised his behaviour
with foreigners and bearers of high rank. Schachter was a truly honourable representative
of the Hungarian medical profession abroad. On his arrival in Corfu - he had visited the
island so many times - members of the city's aristocracy wasted no time visiting him.
Local painters and merchants and members of the synagogue also greeted him with
pleasure because he was such a generous customer and benevolent supporter. Schachternever missed a chance to visit the synagogue and extended considerable charity there. I
witnessed his generosity which greatly exceeded his modest resources. He always returned
from Corfu sun-tanned, carrying baskets of freshly picked oranges. He seemed as full of
vitality as those fruits ripened by the sun of the Ionian Sea. For several months Schachter
drew energy from this reserve which he accumulated in his body and his soul at Corfu.
Together with his loving family, Corfu was Schachter's main source of vitality.
Fate brought us together for the last time under quite different circumstances. I was
resting in the Sanatorium in Semmering when my poor, already very sick friend arrived,
sent by his physicians. For the first few days, the weather was nice and sunny, and
Schachter became somewhat more optimistic. However, the weather changed, snow
storms raged for days. Schachter became more and more depressed and, knowing his fate,
insisted on returning back home. Finally he departed.
The Institute's head physician affectionately called him `that antique character'. He spent
many hours with Schachter every day enjoying and admiring his wise, original thoughts
and conversation, his loftiness which was undamaged by the disease.
I was still in Semmering when the news of his death arrived.8 But that I, that we, have
really lost him forever - this I am still wholely unable to believe.
NOTES
1An annexe to the main building of the Rokus Hospital, Budapest.2 Orvosi Hetilap,founded by Dr Lajos Markusovszky in 1857,was the first journal of Hungarian
medicine. Later it became the organ of ruling medical community and was famous for its
conservative attitude greeting psychoanalysis with harsh criticism. For years, it published no writings
on psychoanalysis at all. It published a few short papers and neurological case studies by Ferenczi.3 In 1861 Gyogyaszat wasset up by Dr Imre Poor, who left the editorial board ofOrvosi Hetilap.
Miksa Schachter became the owner and editor-in-chief ofGyogyaszatin 1886,and deeply influenced
medical thinking and public life for more than 30 years.4Published under the title 'Spiritualism' in Gyogyaszat on 23 June 1899 (pp. 477-479).5 Lajos Levy, internist and later a psychoanalyst, was a founding member of' the Hungarian
Psychoanalytical Association established by Ferenczi in 1913. He was later Ferenczi's
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attending physician. At the turn of the century, he worked as assistant physician at the Internal
Department of the Rokus Hospital, where Ferenczi also started his medical career. Later Levy became
one of the editors at Gyogyaszat,where he wrote articles to provide introductions to the main topics
of the thematical issues of the journal. He undersigned his writings with lambda (.l).According to
Schachter's last wish, the editorial work of Gyogyaszatwas continued by Sandor Szenasi, Mihaly
Mohr and Lajos Levy.6 As well as papers on neurology, psychiatry and psychology, Ferenczi's writings and reviews
characteristic of his preanalytical period were articles that also reflected Schachter's interests: medical
ethics and severe anomalies in the functioning of the hospital medical system.7 Schachter loved Corfu. His old disease and bad wintertime physical condition were `cured' by
the climate of Corfu (he suffered a kind of lung damage when falling from horseback during military
service). From 1900 on, he and his family went to Corfu thirteen times until the outbreak of World
War One. It was an honour for friends to be taken there. Ferenczi accompanied him to Corfu once, in
1913.8 Schachter's death was caused by recurrence of his old disease due to the strain of work during
the war; according to Lajos Levy, the diagnosis was the rapid onset of diabetes and parenchymal
nephritis on the base of a deteriorating physical condition. (In Gyogyaszat, Vol. 57(18), 6 May 1917).