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
One day, in an omnibus, he saw a girl in whom he thought he recognized
his ideal. He followed her to her home and immediately proposed to
her. Shown the door, he returned again and again, until arrested. X.
never had sexual intercourse.
Hand-fetichists are very numerous. The following case is not really
pathological. It is given here as a transitional case:—
Case 75. B., of neuropathic family, very sensual, mentally intact. At
the sight of the hand of a beautiful young lady he is always charmed
and feels sexual excitement to the extent of ejaculation. It is his
delight to kiss and press such hands. As long as they are covered with
gloves he feels unhappy. By pretexts he tries to get hold of such
hands. He is indifferent to the foot. If the beautiful hands are
ornamented with rings, his lust is increased. Only the living hand,
not its image, causes him this lustful excitement. It is only when he
is exhausted sexually by frequent coitus that the hand loses its
sexual charm. At first the memory-picture of female hands disturbed
him even while at work. (Binet, _op. cit._)
Binet states that such cases of enthusiasm for the female hand are
numerous. Here it may be recalled that, according to Case 24, a man may
be partial to the female hand as a result of sadistic impulses; and
that, according to Case 46, the same thing may be due to masochistic
desires. Thus such cases have more than one meaning. But this is by no
means to say that all, or even a majority, of the cases of
hand-fetichism allow or require a sadistic or masochistic explanation.
The following interesting case, that has been studied in detail, shows
that, in spite of the fact that at first a sadistic or masochistic
element seems to have exercised an influence, at the time of the
individual’s maturity and the complete development of the perversion,
the latter contained nothing of these elements. Of course, it is
possible that, in the course of time, these disappeared; but here the
assumption of the origin of the fetichism in an accidental association
meets every requirement:—
Case 76. A case of _hand-fetichism_, communicated by Albert Moll. P.
L., aged 28, a merchant of Westphalia. Aside from the fact that the
patient’s father was remarkably moody and somewhat quick-tempered,
nothing of an hereditary nature could be proved in the family. At
school the patient was not very diligent; he was never able to
concentrate his attention on any one subject for any length of time;
on the other hand, from childhood he had a great inclination for
music. His temperament was always nervous.
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