Introduction:Sigmund Freud fundamentally changed how we understand the human mind. He introduced concepts like the unconscious and the ego to popular culture. Furthermore, he founded the discipline of psychoanalysis despite intense criticism from his peers. Consequently, his personal life contained as many eccentricities as his theories. Explore these fascinating details about the father of psychology.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud openly championed the use of cocaine. Initially, he believed the drug cured depression and indigestion. He even wrote a paper titled “Über Coca” to praise its miraculous effects.
A patient gifted him the famous therapy couch. A wealthy woman named Madame Benvenisti gave it to him. Thus, he did not actually buy the most iconic piece of furniture in history.
He smoked twenty cigars every single day. Unfortunately, he refused to quit even after doctors warned him. This severe addiction eventually led to a fatal case of mouth cancer.
Surgeons performed 33 operations on his jaw. He suffered through these painful procedures over sixteen years. Eventually, doctors removed a large part of his jaw to save his life.
He wore a prosthetic jaw he called “the monster.” This uncomfortable device filled the gap in his mouth. However, it caused him constant pain and made it difficult for him to speak.
Sigmund Freud used his dog Jofi during therapy sessions. The chow chow sat calmly in the room with patients. Freud noticed that people talked more openly when the dog was present.
Remarkably, the dog also kept time for him. Jofi would get up and stretch exactly after 50 minutes. Therefore, Freud knew the session was over without looking at his watch.
The Nobel Committee nominated him 13 times. Nevertheless, he never won the prestigious prize. Albert Einstein even refused to endorse him because he doubted the science of psychoanalysis.
He rejected a $100,000 offer from Hollywood. A famous producer wanted him to consult on film scripts. However, Freud turned down the massive fortune to maintain his professional integrity.
He burned his own papers and diaries twice. Deliberately, he destroyed his personal documents in 1885 and 1907. He wanted to make it difficult for future biographers to write about his life.
His most famous book sold very poorly at first. The Interpretation of Dreams sold only 351 copies in its first six years. It took a decade before it gained any real popularity.
Sigmund Freud possessed a massive collection of antiquities. Specifically, he crowded his desk with over 2,000 ancient statues. He often gazed at these figures while he listened to his patients.
He entered the world with a caul on his head. This rare membrane covered his face at birth. His mother took this as a sign that her son would achieve greatness.
He chose the exact date of his own death. Suffering from cancer, he asked his doctor for a lethal dose of morphine. Thus, he passed away peacefully on his own terms.
Finally, he spoke eight different languages fluently. He mastered German, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. This allowed him to read ancient texts in their original form.
