Mildred Edie Brady

Mildred Brady's The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich, The New Republic, May 26, 1947.

Mildred Edie Brady (June 3, 1906 - July 27, 1965) was a freelance writer for The New Republic who is mostly known for writing the May 26, 1947 article The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich^[1] (with the subhead, "The man who blames both neuroses and cancer on unsatisfactory sexual activities has been repudiated by only one scientific journal") about psychiatrist William Reich's controversial "cosmic energy" research.

Brady wrote: "Orgone, named after the sexual orgasm, is, according to Reich, a cosmic energy. It is, in fact, the cosmic energy. Reich has not only discovered it; he has seen it, demonstrated it and named a town—Orgonon, Maine—after it. Here he builds accumulators of it, which are rented out to patients, who presumably derive 'orgastic potency' from it."^[1]

Brady argued that the "growing Reich cult" had to be dealt with.^[2] Reich came to believe that Brady was a Stalinist acting under orders from the Communist Party, a "communist sniper," as Reich called her.^[3]

The article's reception contributed to a downturn of Reich's reputation which ultimately led to his conviction and imprisonment.

Mildred Brady later worked as editorial director and senior reporter of Consumer Reports (1958-1965). She died of a heart attack.

She was the mother of writer Joan Brady (born 1939).

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Bradley, Mildred (May 26, 1947). "The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich". The New Republic. http://www.joanbrady.co.uk/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=98. Retrieved August 14, 2011. 
2. ^ Sharaf, Myron (1994). Fury on Earth: A Biography of Wilhelm Reich. Da Capo Press, p. 361.
3. ^ Sharaf, p.367.

Persondata
Name	Brady, Mildred Edie
Alternative names
Short description	American journalist
Date of birth	June 3, 1906
Place of birth
Date of death	July 27, 1965
Place of death