In August 1932, Ferenczi was already manifesting symptoms of his fatal illn
ess, pernicious anemia. This was diagnosed between September 20 and October
2 of that year, less than a month after the Twelfth International Psychoan
alytic Congress in Wiesbaden. Despite seemingly successful treatment with i
njectable liver extract, he underwent an acute psychotic episode in March 1
933, triggered by the neurological symptoms of his illness. These facts sub
stantiate the subsequent claim of Freud and Jones that Ferenczi suffered fr
om paranoia near the end of his life, but they do not support the commonly-
held view that the writings and experiments in psychoanalytic technique of
his last five years were symptomatic of a progressive mental illness.