REICH, Wilhelm.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Function of The Orgasm. Sex-economic Problems of Biological Energy. Second edition in English of Reich's scientific autobiography, which presents his experiments with "orgone energy". The work is based on Reich's development of Freud's psychoanalysis, in which he promotes "orgastic potency" as displaying the prevalence of life force in the patient and therefore as the key indicator of a person's mental state.It was published from Reich's house in Maine, in which he established the Orgone Institute Press with several colleagues, who also used the house as a research centre for "orgone energy". Reich (1897-1957) was a radical Austrian psychoanalyst and deputy director of Freud's outpatient clinic in Vienna. Reich emigrated to America in 1939 and in 1941 was arrested for selling his "orgone accumulators", an invention he claimed could collect life energy and cure cancer. On 23 August 1956 over six tonnes of his books were burned in New York by the FDA.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.