Freud's Free Clinics

1918–1922: SOCIETY AWAKES
a bemused air. In photographs, taken either as solo portraits or with medical
or psychoanalytic friends, Eitingon’s small frame and impeccably tailored
suit put him at a slight remove from the group. Eitingon grew up in
Germany, pursued a degree in philosophy at the university in Marburg, and
then studied medicine. His family stood out, even among the rich fur merchants
of Galicia, as powerful international traders with businesses spread
throughout Russia, Poland, England, and Germany. In 1905, when he was
twenty-four years old, Eitingon became a psychiatrist at the famous
Burghölzli Clinic in Zurich. Two years later Carl Jung, who was still friendly
with Freud and was Eitingon’s dissertation director at Burghölzli, suggested
he learn psychoanalysis. From 1907 forward Freud, who had cultivated
passionate and generally disappointing relationships with men like Josef
Breuer, Sándor Ferenczi, and even Jung, took to Eitingon with less ardor but
great friendship. For the next fifteen years Max used his extraordinary
wealth to provide indigent people with access to mental health treatment. By
1919 he had assumed many of the IPA’s large debts first underwritten by von
Freund. Even earlier, in 1910, Eitingon had financed the rudimentary independent
psychoanalytic service that, after the 1918 Budapest congress, would
serve as the blueprint for the Poliklinik. As an enterprise the Poliklinik was
expensive from the beginning and after an initial outlay of about twenty
thousand marks (roughly five thousand dollars) in the fall of 1919, the clinic
saw its budget climb steadily along with the dramatic inflation of the
German currency. Nevertheless, Eitingon announced, in an early December
letter to Freud, that suitable premises had been found to house the clinic.
Abraham, who was increasingly impressed by Eitingon’s administrative capabilities,
soon agreed that the Berlin society would rent the space if the
price were within their means.
By November 1919 Abraham announced to Freud that “Berlin is clamouring
for psychoanalysis” and regarded the Poliklinik as a fait accompli. “Eitingon
will certainly be keeping you up to date with the business of our polyclinic.
The plan is soon to become a reality.” 31 On July 19 Eitingon’s proposal
to found a Poliklinik was passed unanimously by the Berlin society and on
July 26 they were already discussing its implementation. On September 19
Simmel presented the Board with plans for publicizing the Poliklinik, and on
September 26 Eitingon, Simmel, and Abraham were formally elected as the
Clinic Committee. 32 The Berlin analysts grew ever more animated as they described
to Freud the details of various preparations. “Things are good in our
group. Enthusiasm is great and achievements much better than they were,”
Abraham wrote. “Your appeal in Budapest fell on fertile ground. The poly-
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