ABSTRACT
More than ten years have passed since I first attempted to trace the aetiology of manic-depressive disorders on psycho-analytical lines. 2 I was quite aware at the time of the shortcomings of that attempt and was at pains to make this clear in the title of my paper. But we should do well to remember how very little had been written as yet on any psycho-analytical subject. And in especial there were very few earlier works in existence on the circular insanities. Private psychotherapeutic practice offers little opportunity for the analysis of cases of this kind, so that it was not possible for any single analyst to collect and compare sufficient data on this subject.
