ANTEDATING OF "SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY"

[Garson O'Toole]

Freg Shapiro wrote:
> I apologize for the heading in all caps.  I have a reason for it not worth =
> explaining.
>
> "Self-fulfilling prophecy" is widely attributed as a coinage of Robert K. M=
> erton's, and OED's first use is Merton in 1949.  It appears much earlier he=
> re:
>
> 1842 _Provincial Medical Journal and Retrospect of the Medical Sciences_ 29=
>  Oct. 84 (JSTOR)  Thus, suppose a case where there was a strong probability=
>  that death would ensue, were we to announce that probability in the patien=
> t's hearing, the effect produced on his mind may convert probability into r=
> eality; the teacher's words may become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and he b=
> ecome the agent of the patient's death.

Great; impressive antedating! I think the Google Books database has a
slightly earlier instance.

Cite: 1841 February, Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country, Number
134, Volume 23, Religious Authority the Principle of Social
Organisation, Start Page 129, Quote Page 130, Column 1, James Fraser,
London. (Google Books full view)
http://books.google.com/books?id=QpUtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22prophecy+of%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
We say, let the idea of what we want penetrate our rulers and our
people, and it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy of what we shall
have.
[End excerpt]

The footnote on page 129 suggests that the quote may lie within an
article that is a translation of a 1937 German article. Here is the
footnote without diacritical marks (which email transport seems to
scramble).

Grundzuge der Societatsphilosophie. Von Franz Xaver Baader
Herausgegeben von Dr. Franz Hoffmann. Wurzburg, 1837.

Garson

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