Semon Richard - Forgotten ideas, neglected pioneers : Richard Semon and the story of memory

T he undertaking and completion of this book has been made possible by help from numerous individuals and institutions. My research was initially supported by a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, and then by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. I also gratefully acknowledge the support my research received from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Grant No. A8632 awarded to Endel Tulving. Work on the book was initiated during my stay at the Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, in 1978: I thank all of the members of the department who made my time at Oxford so enjoyable.

The staff at the Bodlean Library, Oxford, and Robarts Library, University of Toronto, frequently aided my efforts by locating materials that were difficult to find. The Bavarian State Library in Munich permitted me to inspect and make copies of letters written from Ernst Haeckel to Richard Semon. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Professor Huldrych Koelbing and the rest of the staff at the Institute of the History of Medicine in Zurich. Professor Koelbing gave me access to the Institute's collection of letters written from Richard Semon to August Forel, and encouraged my research in a spirit of scholarship that I will always remember fondly Mrs. Majorie Semon graciously assented to spend an afternoon with me discussing what she knew about the Semon family, and also permitted me to reproduce her photographs of Sir Felix Semon.

Many of the source materials for this book were in German. Agnes Kocsis aided my work by doing excellent translations of the numerous (and frequently illegible) letters written by Semon to Forel, and by Haeckel to Semon. The other translations from the German are my own, but it should go without saying that I am responsible for all of the translations in this book. I also extend my thanks to Hugo Stckel of the International Summer Courses in Mayrhofen, Austria, a master teacher who vastly improved my ability to read German during a delightful month in his summer course.

My ideas about the book have developed and changed during the course of conversations with numerous colleagues: I thank them collectively because the list is a long one. Part or all of the manuscript has been read and commented upon by Eric Eich, Lawrence Erlbaum, John Furedy, Agnes Kocsis, Middian Kurland, Michele Stampp, Endel Tulving, and Polly Winsor. Many of their comments and criticisms have helped me to structurally, substantively, and stylistically improve the manuscript. I am, of course, alone responsible for the final contents of the book. Several of my debts should be individually acknowledged. Michele Stampp provided extensive emotional and practical support during the later phases of this project, and also contributed useful comments and questions about the manuscript. I owe many thanks to Lawrence Erlbaum, who has taken a keen interest in the book since its inception; he has been a source of both encouragement and incisive editorial guidance. Endel Tulving has contributed to this project in many ways: By having faith in my ability to complete the book and also do a satisfactory Ph.D. thesis; by aiding my research efforts during the past several years in ways too numerous to list; and by taking the time to carefully read the entire manuscript and discuss it at length with me. I am deeply appreciative of all of his efforts. Finally, I feel somehow compelled to thank Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for his twenty-seven piano concertos. They constituted endlessly interesting contexts for the pursuit of much of the work.

Daniel L. Schacter

Toronto, Ontario