Hirschfeld was consulted by a woman whose husband compelled her at frequent intervals to have relations with a man in his own house. He would invite a business associate for dinner and then leave his wife to explain that he had been suddenly called out of town. The guest and his wife would dine together. Wine would flow freely and she would coquettishly goad the man into making advances to her. Concealed in the next room, the husband would watch thru a peep hole the proceedings which ended with a passionate scene. It was only after beholding that humiliating sight that the masochistic husband could enjoy his wife's embraces. A man who consulted me confessed to me that he was absolutely impotent with his own wife or with any unmarried woman. It was only with married women that he felt perfectly virile. The thought of his mistress in her husband's arms was the only thing that could arouse him physically. Many neurotics of the masochistic type have dreams of being school children punished by a masculine female teacher. Those dreams, be they night or day dreams, are always associated with erotic thoughts. Remember Jean Jacques Rousseau enjoying viciously the spankings which mademoiselle Lambercier gave him when a child. Masochists, male or female, are often very anxious to perform menial or disgusting tasks for the person they love, thus placing themselves in a subordinate, protected, position and at the same time, claiming a great deal of credit for their devotion. =Masochistic Fancies.= The male masochist, eager to place himself in the position of safety toward his mate, not infrequently imagines himself to be an animal and asks to be treated as such. Greek antiquity has bequeathed to us the story of Aristotle the philosopher, allowing a prostitute to ride on his back, whipping him like a horse, while he would crawl about on all fours. Medical literature contains many descriptions of establishments where male masochists are submitted to voluntary torture thru various appliances. The ascetics who in the Middle Ages whipped themselves, wore hair cloth studded with sharp nails, etc., to manifest their love to God or the Virgin, the Russian Skooptsy who mutilate themselves to please God, are religious examplaries of masochistic love. The Christian ideal of suffering and renunciation as a means of conquering everlasting happiness is also purely masochistic. Suffering, be it physical or mental (remorse), assures to them in the end, well-being (glandular well-being) and enables them to reach Heaven (will-to-be-above). =Are Women Masochistic?= I denied in the preceding chapter the frequently heard assertion that sadism in a typically masculine trait. I would deny quite as emphatically that masochism is peculiarly feminine, a view held by many sadists, as an attempted justification of their cruel perversion.