I have been disinclined to jump into the discussion on Pound's
mental health since I have no particular wisdom or insight on the subject to
offer.
        However, I am dubious about the bipolar disorder diagnosis. That is
another label for manic-depression. I know one manic depressive personally,
and for that reason have been treated to anecdotes about others. On the
basis of that slight, amateur acquaintance, I cannot see how the diagnosis
fits Pound.
        He was somewhat obsessive about economic reform, but that would tend
to the diagnosis of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. And that disorder
normally manifests itself in physical behaviour together with paranoid types
of worries.
        Pound's belief in Jewish conspiracies and the like does not really
support a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder in my view. Perhaps Tim
has information on this, but I have not heard any reports of compulsive
behaviour of the sort associated with this disorder.
        As for bipolarism, where is the evidence that Pound ever had a
depressive phase? I have read thousands of letters from Pound's youth to his
very old age--as Tim has also. I cannot recall any instances that are
vaguely depressive. He gets angry frequently, occasionally confesses
frustration, but I am unaware of any extended periods of inactivity such as
one would expect from one suffering from bipolarism. A very common result of
the derpressive phase of this disorder is suicide. Pound never indicated the
least desire to end it all, and so far as I am aware, never made any effort
to harm himself. Indeed, he seems to me to have been an extraordinafily
irrepressible individual.
        I have only the greatest admiration for Tim Redman's thoroughness,
carefulness and acumen, but I would urge him to consider this diagnosis very
carefully. Surely some of the psychiatrists at St. E's would have been able
to diagnose this rather common disorder if Pound had suffered from it. It is
some time since I have read Torrey's book, but I don't think either he or
the staff at St. E's ever made such a diagnosis.
        Since Tim is not yet committed to his diagnosis, I thought it worth
passing on these observations while there is still time for him to reconsider.