Sigmund Freud's Final Years and Descendants

Sigmund Freud: Exile, Illness, and Death

In 1938, after the annexation of Austria by the German Nazis, Freud, who was Jewish, and his family escaped to England with financial help from his patient and friend, Marie Bonaparte. At the border crossing, Freud was required to sign a statement claiming he had been treated with respect by the Nazi regime, despite having suffered house arrest.

Freud was suffering from oral cancer and had undergone 33 surgeries since 1923. The first operation in 1923 involved a biopsy to address a papillary proliferative leukoplakia in the right anterior palatal arch.

Freud died in 1939 from a morphine overdose injected by a friend at Freud's own request. He could no longer bear the pain caused by the cancer in his mouth. ^[2]

Freud's Descendants

His daughter Anna Freud became a prominent psychoanalyst, particularly known for her work in child psychology and development. Sigmund Freud is the grandfather of painter Lucian Freud and writer Clement Freud. He is also the great-grandfather of journalist Emma Freud, fashion designer Bella Freud, and public relations executive Matthew Freud.