Page:The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis II 1921 3-4.djvu/6

 260 MICHAEL JOSEPH EISLER subjects, and so on, — to new volumes: he would as it were make cleaner what was already clean. His attitude towards money was entirely rational; at one point only could anal erotism be detected: he disliked soiled notes and either passed them on to his wife, or despite his thrift spent them without adequate cause. He enjoyed memorizing passages that suited him; and even though he failed to understand genuine lyrical verse, he thoroughly appreciated the emotional variety, partly because it was rhymed. Moreover he kept a sort of diary, in which actual dates of general importance were noted; he had no talent whatever for personal outpourings. In addition to copying, he liked drawing up accounts and balance sheets. Everything connected with this business of writing was kept in perfect order, it was all at his fingers ends, and created an immense impression in his simple surroundings. Sublimated anal erotism evident in all this was further betrayed by a material interest in the physical processes of life, 1 and also by his efforts in diverse ways permanently to estabhsh himself. Most particularly did biological questions stimu- late his interest, and especially that of evolution. Information in this field had been gleaned partly from popular literature, and partly by unofficial visits, facilitated by the staff, to appropriate scientific institutions. The earliest incitements in this direction dated from boyhood, the child's impressions of the farmyard, and could be traced back step by step to typical infantile curiosity. Rearing of domestic animals and still more of fowls had had a par- ticular fascination for him. He related how for a time, as a boy, he had really cared about the business of hatching, to which interest numberless hen's and bird's eggs had been sacrificed. Later each time he had changed his calling, he had seriously thought of taking to the country and carrying on fowl breeding on a large scale. To all appearances this desire was so strong in him that he was sure one day to realise it. In the meantime he had to be content with pet singing birds, of which he kept several in the house, and which he fed and looked after himself The remainder of his ornithological hobbies found play in neighbouring woods. At the time of the analysis, for several weeks, he would visit the habitat of a wood-pecker and watch it with obvious enjoyment, knocking in order to entice its insect prey. All the • Cf. Ernest Jones: 'Anal-erotic character traits.' Papers on Psycho- Analysis, 2nd. Ed., p. 664.