Freud's 1895 "Irma" dream-the first he ever submitted to a detailed analysis, the dream he used as the "specimen dream" in The Interpretation of Dreams-seems to have contained both images of his 1923 cancer as well as a reasonable "theory" as to its etiology. In this paper, four possible explanations are discussed. There is reason to think that some dreams reflect biological states and that dreams may eventually be used to help in early diagnosis of physical illnesses. The "Irma" dream is seen, in part, as a warning "sent" by Freud's body. This helps explain Freud's fascination with the dream. From this angle (and there are many other angles), Freud's theorizing about dreams represented his attempt to become conscious of that which would eventually kill him. The discussion section focuses on how connections between dreams and disease states have been, and might further be, studied.

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