Page:Jung - The psychology of dementia praecox.djvu/140

116 double—twenty-five francs—it doesn't go any further, no one can earn more than twenty-five francs—snail museum clothing is the highest clothing—the others wish to bring together the learned world always with astronomy and everything possible.

The content of this idea "professorship" coincides with the two above analyzed ideas. "Professorship" is nothing but a further symbolic designation for the grandiose idea that the patient is the best tailoress. Through sound similarity "doubloon" is here replaced by "double," both expressions apparently have the same value for the patient. A doubloon corresponds to the value of twenty-five francs, and here it is clear that it means the highest day's wages that can be earned by labor. The expression "snail museum clothing" is a symbolic designation for the product of her art which she takes as the highest order of dress. It is explained as follows: The museum is a place of rendezvous for the intellectual gatherings of Zurich; the house "To the Snail," a prominent guild hall, stands near the museum. These two presentations fuse together, forming the singular idea "snail museum clothing," which, as the patient says, designates also the highest type of clothing. Her manner of speech, too, is interesting; patient does not say "I make," but "I am the snail museum clothing, it emanates from me." She "condenses" or identifies herself also with this object, in so far as she treats with the same value the "I am" and "it emanates from me." The "I am" seems to be nothing but a reinforcement of the "I have" or "I make."

The three ideas thus far analyzed are technical terms which in brief designate (as it seems to the patient) in a pregnant manner an abundance of ideas and relations. Whenever she whispers to herself she simply repeats these terms and nods affirmatively, without adding any further explanations. The origin of these technical terms is unknown; some according to the patient come from dreams. Probably these expressions originated on some occasion spontaneously and on account of their strangeness were quite obvious to the patient, just as philosophers occupying themselves with obscure ideas readily play with obscure words.

4. Summit: sublimest sublimation—I am self satisfied club-house "To the Plate"—the fine learned world—world of art—snail museum clothing—my right side—Nathan the Wise am