Dr. Karl A. Menninger was one of the earliest supporters of psychoanalysis in America and, together with his father, Dr. C.F. Menninger, founded the internationally famous Menninger Clinic.  Dr. Menninger is also a prolific letter writer who has carried on a lively correspondence with his fellow analysts and other notables all over the world.

 

This selection of Dr. Menninger’s correspondence begins in 1919, when he opened his first practice in Topeka, and covers the period in which he began the Menninger Clinic and published three major books.  Dr. Menninger’s growing prominence during these years was paralleled by the development of the American psychoanalytic community.  The letters chart this development through Dr. Menninger’s exchanges with such distinguished figures in American psychiatry as E.E. Southard, Adolf Meyer, Abraham Myerson, William Alanson White, Smith Ely Jelliffe, and Franz Alexander.

 

Through his letters, Dr. Menninger is revealed as a keen observer of American society, a formidable combatant in psychiatric disputes, and a witty commentator on current events.  His correspondence provides a vivid picture of the early years of American psychoanalysis and of a pivotal figure in this movement.