February 2008 Update
From
The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust
& The Wilhelm Reich Museum
We thank you for your continual interest and support. For newcomers to our e-mail Update list, none of the names on this list--nor the names of any Museum visitors, conference attendees or bookstore customers--are shared with any other individuals or organizations. If at any time you wish to be removed from this list, please let us know.
All previous Updates, dating from March 2004, available online.
You can access them through the Updates option at the top of this page or via the Quick Links along the left side of the page. These Updates provide the best contemporaneous accounts of the Trust's ongoing activities over the past six years.
Films in the Archives
Audiotapes in the Archives
WR's Plans for Two Film Projects
We Have Speakers Available
Upcoming Seminar in New York
Orgone Energy Bulletin, Volume 2 Available
FILMS IN THE ARCHIVES
Among The Archives of the Orgone Institute are numerous 16mm films documenting various aspects of Reich's work, research, and personal life in Europe and in America. However--as we stated in our Access
Policies and Procedures--the
Countway Library of Medicine's Center for the History of Medicine does not currently
have facilities for viewing films, videos, or DVDs.
The reason: there is little or no demand for such audio-visual capabilities from the
Countway's many other collections. The Archives of the Orgone Institute is a truly
unique collection in terms of the volume, breadth, and diversity of its materials.
This presents yet another challenge in terms of making archival materials accessible
to scholars and researchers--and it's a challenge that we're taking seriously.
The good news is that most of the Archives' original 16mm films have already been
copied onto videos, with several of these videos duplicated onto DVDs.
Some of these visual resources are part of the Museum exhibits, others have been visual elements at summer conferences, and their images were used extensively in our 28-minute biographical video/DVD Man's Right to Know. And, as we mentioned in our January Update, to encourage
and assist those involved in biology, microscopy, bion research, Reich Blood Tests, and orgonomic medicine, we will be donating DVDs of Reich's microscopic time-lapse
bion films and cancer films to numerous researchers.
In addition to their value to scholars and researchers, these 16mm films will be used
significantly in a full-length documentary film about Reich, for which the Trust is now developing a script. For these reasons, we are now in the process of arranging for
all of these 16mm films to be preserved on both video and DVD for easy access, viewing, cataloguing, and use of these historic visual resources.
This will require the physical restoration of what are several extremely fragile films,
some of them dating back to the 1920s. This restoration and preservation work--
for which the Trust will have to incur all costs--will be done by two established,
reputable companies in Maine with whom we have worked before.
AUDIOTAPES IN THE ARCHIVES
For those of you who have visited the Index of the Archives of the Orgone Institute, you've noticed that we haven't
yet posted the listings in the category entitled "Audiotapes". Which we will be doing
in the near future, although--as we mention in the Access Policies & Procedures--
the Countway does not currently have capabilities for listening to audiotapes.
As with film, video, and DVD, the Countway's many other collections present little
or no demand for audio technologies--presenting us with another challenge for which
we need to develop solutions for accessibility.
The Archives' collection of Reich's audio resources is noteworthy, comprising dozens
and dozens of hours of wire-recordings and Sound Scriber discs. Sound Scriber was
a dictation format from the 1940s that recorded sound by pressing grooves into soft
vinyl discs.
All of Reich's wire-recordings and Sound Scriber discs have been preserved onto
magnetic tape, with some of these tapes subsequently transferred to audio cassettes and
CDs. And for years we've sold several of these recordings in the Museum Bookstore:
- "Alone" (cassette)
- "The Source of the Human ‘No'" (cassette)
- "Orgone Therapy: Critical Issues in the Therapeutic Process" (a set of 6 CDs)
- "The Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Practice" (CD)
Reich Speaks of Freud (1967) was based on a transcript of the recording of a 2-day
interview with Reich in October 1952. Numerous other recordings have been played
at our summer conferences at Orgonon. And we are now putting together a plan to
have all of these recordings preserved on CDs for future uses and accessibility.
One of the prominent applications for these audio resources will be in the production
of our full-length documentary film. These recordings of Wilhelm Reich--with students, colleagues, family members, and sometimes by himself--are already proving to be indispensable in our efforts to develop and structure a documentary script. And excerpts
of these recordings will be used significantly in the film itself for authenticity, drama,
and factual accuracy.
WILHELM REICH'S PLANS FOR TWO FILM PROJECTS
Those who are familiar with Reich's life and work know that he loved films, and that
he actually compiled a list of feature films that he felt were relevant to his life and work.
What is not generally known, however, is that in 1956 Reich had written out his ideas for:
- a feature film based on his life, using composite characters with fictional names
- a documentary film that traced the development of his work from psychiatry
and psychoanalysis to orgone biophysics
This information is contained in a thin, but intriguing Archive file entitled "Layout for film on orgonomy" (Box 16, Manuscripts). While Reich's thoughts about a feature
film are admittedly sketchy--a little over a page long, consisting entirely of major character descriptions--his outline for a documentary film about his work is a
substantial document.
What's so impressive is Reich's rigorous organization of the material and the compressed specificity of his wording, which is crucial in any film project. Along with the Archives' film and audio materials, Reich's documentary outline is becoming a valuable resource
in helping us to craft our script.
WE HAVE SPEAKERS AVAILABLE
Are you planning an event or are you part of an organization where you'd like to hear
more about the life and legacy of Wilhelm Reich? Or more about The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust or The Wilhelm Reich Museum? The Trust has available speakers to address your group. For more details, please contact us at wreich@rangeley.org.
THE WILHELM REICH INFANT TRUST IS INVITED TO SPEAK
AT A SEMINAR IN NEW YORK
Saturday - March 15, 2008
Kevin Hinchey--Board member of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust--will join two other presenters from the Trust's 2007 International Conference on Orgonomy for a one-day seminar sponsored by The Institute for the Study of the Work of Wilhelm Reich. Entitled "Going Back to Move Forward", the seminar will feature the following presentations:
- The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust: Managing Reich's Archives & Other Projects
Presenter: Kevin Hinchey
As we move forward into the next 50 years, Kevin Hinchey will provide a brief overview of the Trust's major responsibilities and activities.
- The Troll Circle: The Social Construction of Wilhelm Reich as Pseudo-Scientist
Presenter: Håvard Nilsen, Ph.D.
Dr. Nilsen explores how the view of Reich as a pseudo-scientist with regards to
his bion work could be seen as a social construction process with strong political undercurrents. This fascinating paper includes a discussion of the relationship between Reich and Trotsky.
Håvard Nilsen is a Research Fellow, in the Department of History at the
University of Oslo, Norway.
- Work Democracy, Politics, and the Governance of Society
Presenter: Philip Bennett, Ph.D.
During the same time period that Reich was doing his bion research and enduring the vicious press campaign against it, he began writing on "work democracy," a phrase he coined in 1937. His writings on this topic continued up to the very end of his life. Professor Bennett will explain this concept fully and share some
of the results of his research work in the Archive of the Orgone Institute.
Philip Bennett is a semi-retired college professor, currently teaching in the Graduate School of Education at Fairfield University, in Connecticut.
In addition there will be a discussion of Reich's bion research. The day will conclude with a Panel Discussion moderated by Dr. Harry Lewis.
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2008
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Village Community School, 272 W. 10th Street
(Between Greenwich and Washington Streets), New York, NY. 10014.
Fee: Prior to March 15 - General public: $70; students and those requesting a scholarship: $50. On the day of the seminar - General public: $80; students and those requesting a scholarship: $60.
Please share this announcement with anyone who you think might be interested in
attending this one-day seminar.
ORGONE ENERGY BULLETIN
Volume 2, Numbers 1-4 (1950)
NOW AVAILABLE IN OUR BOOKSTORE: $26.95 (224 pages)
As a follow-up to our bound-Xerox editions of Orgone Energy Bulletin, Volume 1,
Numbers 1-4 (1949), Volume 2 of these invaluable primary resources from 1950 is now available in our Museum Bookstore.
Up until recently these materials--which were banned and burned in the 1950s by
order of a Federal Court--were available only on microfilm from our bookstore.
With an original volume showing up occasionally among used and rare booksellers
or on eBay. We had planned to have all issues of these bulletins available in
bound-Xerox editions by the end of 2007. But our busy schedule last year delayed
these plans.
Reich published the Orgone Energy Bulletin from 1949 to 1953. Its five volumes--
comprising over 1200 pages--are unique resources that provide the reader with an
historic appreciation of the development of Reich's work and the contributions of
his students and colleagues in America and Europe. As well as a fascinating look
at some of the organizational details and activities of the Orgone Institute in both
New York City and Rangeley, Maine.
Below are the contents of Volume 2:
CONTENTS OF ORGONE ENERGY BULLETIN
VOLUME 2 – NUMBERS 1–4 (224 pages)
Volume 2 – Number 1 – January 1950
"Orgonomic Functionalism. Part II
On the Historical Development of Orgonomic Functionalism"
by Wilhelm Reich, M.D.
"Further Experiences with the Orgone Accumulator"
by Walter Hoppe, M.D. – Tel Aviv
"A Short Treatment with Orgone Therapy"
by Ola Raknes, Ph.D. – Oslo, Norway
"Six Clinical Cases"
by Victor M. Sobey, M.D.
ORGONOMIC MOVEMENT
A Correspondence
NOTES
Open House at the Orgone Energy Observatory
Note on Report of the Orgonotic Motor Force
Note on Shipping the Orgone Accumulator
Note on Electroscopic Orgonometry
Cancer Course at Orgonon
Orgone Institute Research Laboratories, Ltd., in Israel
Volume 2 – Number 2 – April 1950
"Orgonomic Functionalism. Part II
On the Historical Development of Orgonomic Functionalism" (Cont.)
by Wilhelm Reich, M.D.
"About Genital Self-satisfaction in Children" (1927)
by Wilhelm Reich, M.D.
Chief assistant physician at the Psychoanalytic Clinic in Vienna
"Self-Regulation and the Outside World"
by A.S. Neill
"Orgone Therapy in Rheumatic Fever"
by William A. Anderson, M.D. – Bloomfield, N.J.
"Some Observations of the Atmospheric Orgone Energy"
by Jakob Baumann – Zurich, Switzerland
COMMUNICATIONS
Critique of an Attitude Expressed by Anna Freud
Psychology and Natural Science
NOTES
Questions and Answers Regarding the Orgone Accumulator
A Note on the Responsibility of the Author
Note on the Orgone Accumulator and Orgastic Potency
A Warning
A Rumor
Note on "Critics" Again
REVIEWS
New Ways in Discipline: You and Your Child Today by Dorothy Walter Baruch, Ph.D.
Volume 2 – Number 3 – July 1950
"Our Biosocial Base of Operation"
by The Wilhelm Reich Foundation
"Orgonomic Functionalism. Part II
On the Historical Development of Orgonomic Functionalism" (Cont.)
by Wilhelm Reich, M.D.
"Wilhelm Reich's Concept, ‘Cancer Biopathy'"
by Helen E. McDonald, Ph.D.
"Orgone Therapy of an Early Breast Cancer"
by Simeon J. Tropp, M.D.
"Orgonomic and Chemical Cancer Research – A Brief Comparison"
"Orgonomy 1935-1950 (I) – A Brief Account"
by Wilhelm Reich
"Orgonomic Literature Ordered from Russia"
NOTES
On Scientific "Control"
Our Policy Regarding Cancer
Heatwaves
A New Orgonomic Periodical
ON THE RECORD
Cancer – "Outside the Domain"
Re. Koestler: The God That Failed
From the Orgone Institute
Volume 2 – Number 4 – October 1950
"Orgonometric Equations: I. General Form"
by Wilhelm Reich
"Meteorological Functions in Orgone-Charged Vacuum Tubes:
Preliminary Communication"
by Wilhelm Reich
"Children of the Future - I"
Report of the Orgonomic Infant Research Center given by Wilhelm Reich
at the Second International Orgonomic Conference - August 25, 1950
"Orgone Therapy of Frigidity: A Case History"
by Charles I. Oller, M.D.
"The Orgone Energy Observatory (1948)"
by Wilhelm Reich
"Wilhelm Reich's Priority in Cancer Tests"
"Correction Regarding a ‘Control' of Reich's Cancer Experiments"
COMING NEXT – VOLUME 3, ORGONE ENERGY BULLETIN
Coming soon will be Volume 3 of the Orgone Energy Bulletin, comprising three issues: January 1951 (No. 1), April 1951 (No. 2), July 1951 (No. 3).
The October 1951 (No. 4) issue is The Oranur Experiment – First Report (1947-1951),
and has been available for years in our bookstore, with excerpts appearing in Selected Writings: An Introduction to Orgonomy (1960).
UNTIL NEXT MONTH
Please share this Update with colleagues, friends, and family who may be interested in the life and legacy of Wilhelm Reich and the good works of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust and The Wilhelm Reich Museum. Thank you again for your friendship and support.
|
