Texts and Documents: Carl Gustav Jung's Curriculum Vitae from the Year 1902

Foreword

Figure 1.

Jung's résumé, 1902. “Lebenslauf. C. G. Jung. med. pract. Burghölzli-Zürich. 27.IV.02. U 106 g. 10.” Courtesy of the State Archive, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland.

Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) wrote the document reproduced here as a part of his doctoral application at the University of Zurich. Writing in his mother tongue, German, the young Swiss was still single at the time and working as an assistant physician at the Burghölzli Mental Hospital in Zurich. His M.D. degree was conferred on 17 July 1902, ¹ based on his dissertation written on his cousin’s purported mediumistic predispositions. ²

Résumés of Jung in his own handwriting are extremely rare. His autobiography—of which he himself in fact wrote only a part—was written when he was already more than eighty years old. ³ For this reason, I consider my discovery in Zurich a very lucky find (Fig. 1). ⁴

A Line-by-Line Transcription of the Original, Retaining Jung’s Spelling

Lebenslauf.

Meine Heimath ist Basel-Stadt. Ich wurde
geboren am 26 Juli 1875 zu Kesswil, Ct Thurgau. 1879 kam
ich nach Basel, wo ich Primarschule, Gymnasium und Paeda-
gogium durchlief u. am 30 März 1895 das Maturitätsexamen
bestand. Ich begann darauf das Studium der Medicin an
der Universität Basel und bestand am 17 Oct. 1896 die
naturwissenschaftliche Prüfung und am 2 Nov. 1897
die anatomisch-physiologische Prüfung für Aerzte, nachdem
ich das Semester zuvor die Stelle eines Unterassistenten für mikro-
skopische Anatomie am anatomischen Institut versehen
hatte. Das Wintersemester 1897/98 arbeitete ich an gleicher
Stelle als Unterassistent für makroskopische Anatomie.
Vom 1 April 1899 bis 30 Sept. 1899 war ich Unterassistent
an der chirurgischen Klinik am Bürgerspital Basel und
vom 1 Oct. 1899 bis 31 März 1900 an der medicinischen
Klinik desselben Spitals. Am 26 Nov. 1900 bestand
ich zu Basel die medicinische Fachprüfung und am
11 Dec. 1900 trat ich die Stelle des II Assistenzarztes
an der Irrenheilanstalt Burghölzli an. Am 1 April 1902
wurde ich zum I Assistenzarzt ernannt, welche Stelle
ich gegenwärtig inne habe.

C. G. Jung. med. pract.
Burghölzli-Zürich.
27.IV.02.

A Translation of the Text

Curriculum vitae

My home is Basel-City. I was born on 26 July 1875 in Kesswil, Canton Thurgau. In 1879 I came to Basel, where I completed primary school, Gymnasium, and Paedagogium & passed the Maturität examination on 30 March 1895. Thereupon I began the study of medicine at the University of Basel and passed the natural sciences exam on 17 Oct. 1896 and the anatomical-physiological exam for physicians on 2 Nov. 1897, after I had taken the post of junior assistant for microscopic anatomy at the Anatomical Institute the previous semester. During the winter semester 1897/98 I worked at the same place as a junior assistant for macroscopic anatomy. From 1 April 1899 until 30 Sept. 1899 I was a junior assistant at the Surgical Clinic at Citizens Hospital in Basel and from 1 Oct. 1899 until 31 March 1900 at the Medical Clinic at the same hospital. On 26 Nov. 1900 I passed the advanced examination in medicine in Basel and on 11 Dec. 1900 took on the post of second-level assistant physician at the Burghölzli Mental Hospital. On 1 April 1902 I was named first-level assistant physician, which is my current position.

C. G. Jung. pract. phys.
Burghölzli-Zurich.
27.IV.02.

Discussion

At first glance, this document does not appear to contain anything special. In curt, sober language, its author sketches out his career: where he comes from, schools attended, and university studies completed up through his first job as a physician. Thousands of very similar pieces of paper must exist in the dossiers of degree candidates at universities all over the world. If it were not for the fact that it describes the career of a physician who would one day...