ABSTRACT
In terms of Sigmund Freud's biography, the most interesting thing about the photograph is that he is seen among his scientific mentors and his peer group. The air of the photo is suffused with voices questioning the status and scope of science. In that respect, they echo Freud's own experiences that year. Like it or not, the philosophical questions never go away, and, though he was no philosopher, Freud was forced to philosophise. Freud's peripheral position in the photo may have been self-chosen. Freud's own temptation came at university under the influence of Franz Brentano and threatened briefly to side-track him into working on a doctorate in philosophy. Freud's work on infant hemiplegia might have given him and Leonowa a common topic. Freud's resounding phrase "mysteries of nature" might serve as a rallying cry for the whole community of scientists and doctors in this photograph, dedicated as they were to investigating the natural world.
