Reich. Rosenfeld also aimed some of his shafts at “Reichians”:
The form in which orgone theory is handed around is often very funny.
Thus, I was talking to Bill Steig, who said: “A new Bulletin [Reich’s Orgone Energy
Bulletin, which began appearing in 1949] has just come out. Very exciting. Reich
says that light doesn’t come from the sun.
It turns out that this is merely an account of the diffusion of light through
the atmosphere, by the excitation of the orgone through solar energy. But the form
in which this news comes—“Stop the Press. Light doesn’t come from the sun!”—
is undeniably fun.
Or must I suppose that to the degree I find such things funny, to that
degree I am still resisting and looking for a way out?^23The diffusion of Reich’s concepts by these and other writers remains a largely
untold story. With the exception of Steig, Reich devoted little attention to such persons.
Caught up in his scientific and practical tasks, he concentrated his energies on relationships
that could be of more immediate help to him. Reich often utilized his physicians to defend
himself against attacks. On one occasion in 1948, New York State medical officials were
investigating Reich for practicing medicine without an American medical license. Willie,
Cott, and Ilse went to see the appropriate officials, stating that Reich was not engaged in the
practice of medicine but in research and the teaching of a new discipline. They succeeded
in quieting the officials. Some of Reich’s supporters, however, shared this official concern.
Willie, for example, clearly felt Reich should have gotten a license and that he was inviting
trouble by not doing so^24. He himself went to considerable pains to acquire a Maine license
so that he could practice in that state when he spent summers in Rangeley. At the same time,
he was eager to help Reich against harassment.
The continuing attacks against orgonomy, especially as reflected in the hospital inci-
dent,further reports of an investigation by the American Psychiatric Association, constant
rumors about Reich’s insanity and malpractice with patients, all were beginning to form a
clear and present danger to orgonomy. The danger became more acute when in 1947, as we
shall see, the FDA launched its investigation of the accumulator. These various threats, and
especially the FDA investigation, led Reich to feel the need to establish a medical organiza-
tion that could represent his viewpoint accurately, fight the attacks, and spare his energies
for research tasks.
Hence,in 1948,Reich encouraged the development of the American Association
for Medical Orgonomy (AAMO), and by the end of that year such an organization was
formed. The board of directors appointed by Reich consisted of Baker, Cott, and Willie.
Twenty-one physicians became members of AAMO, as well as Ola Raknes, the Norwegian
psychologist. Nic Hoel (now Waal) of Norway, who had resumed contact with Reich, and
Walter Hoppe from Israel were members of the original group.
Willie was elected the first president of the Association. In his own remarks about
324 Myron SharafFury On Earth