Psychopathia sexualis: With especial reference to contrary sexual instinct: A medico-legal studyKrafft-Ebing, R. von (Richard)
Science
Psychopathia sexualis: With especial reference to contrary sexual instinct: A medico-legal study
Krafft-Ebing, R. von (Richard)
Paraphilias
Case 67. Student, Z., aged 23; comes of a tainted family. Sister was
insane; brother suffered with hysteria virilis. The patient, peculiar
from childhood, has frequent attacks of hypochondriacal depression,
tædium vitæ, and feels that he is persecuted. In a consultation on
account of mental trouble, I find him a very perverse, hereditarily
predisposed man, with neurasthenic and hypochondriacal symptoms. A
suspicion of masturbation is confirmed. Patient makes interesting
disclosures concerning his vita sexualis. At the age of ten he was
powerfully attracted by the foot of one of his comrades. At twelve he
became an enthusiast for ladies’ feet. It gave him a delightful
sensation to revel in the sight of them. At fourteen he began to
masturbate, thinking, at the same time, of the beautiful foot of a
lady. From this time on he was taken with the feet of his
three-year-old sister. The feet of other females that attracted him
induced sexual excitement. Only women’s feet—no other part of
them—interested him. The thought of sexual intercourse with women
excited his disgust. He had never attempted coitus. After his twelfth
year he had no interest in the feet of male individuals. The style of
covering of the female foot is indifferent to him; it is only
necessary that the person seem to be sympathetic. The thought of
enjoying the feet of prostitutes was disgusting to him. For years he
had been in love with his sister’s feet. If he could but obtain her
shoes, the sight of them powerfully excited his sensuality. Kissing or
embracing his sister did not have this effect. His greatest delight
was to embrace and kiss the foot of a sympathetic woman, when
ejaculation would result with a lively pleasurable sensation. Often he
was impelled to touch his genitals with one of his sister’s shoes; but
he had been able, thus far, to master this impulse, especially for the
reason that for two years (owing to progressive irritable weakness of
the genitals) the simple sight of the foot had induced ejaculation.
From his relatives it is ascertained that the patient has a silly
admiration for the feet of his sister; so that she avoids him and
seeks to hide her feet from him. The patient looks upon his perverse
sexual impulse as pathological, and is painfully affected by the fact
that his vile fancy has for its object his sister’s foot. He avoided
opportunity as much as he could, and sought to help the matter by
masturbation when, as in dreams accompanied by pollution, ladies’ feet
filled his imagination. However, when the impulse became too powerful
he could not avoid gaining a partial sight of his sister’s foot.
Immediately after ejaculation he would become angry with himself at
having been weak again. His partiality for his sister’s foot had cost
him many a sleepless night. He often wondered that he could still love
his sister. Although it seemed right to him that she should conceal
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