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)
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Case 79. _A hair-despoiler._ E., aged 25. Maternal aunt, epileptic;
brother had convulsions. E. says he was fairly healthy as a child, and
learned quite easily. At the age of fifteen he had a sensual feeling
of pleasure, with erection, at the sight of one of the village
beauties combing her hair. Until that time persons of the opposite sex
had made no impression on him. Two months later, in Paris, the sight
of young girls with their hair flowing down over their shoulders
always excited him intensely. One day he could not resist an
opportunity to twist a young girl’s hair in his fingers. For this he
was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for three months. After
that he served five years as a soldier. During this time hair was not
dangerous for him, though also not very accessible; but he dreamed
sometimes of female heads with the hair braided or flowing. Occasional
coitus with women, but without having their hair effective as a
fetich. Once more in Paris, he again dreamed as before, and became
greatly excited by female hair. He never dreamed about the whole form
of a woman, only of heads with braids of hair. His sexual excitement
due to this fetich had become so intense of late that he had resorted
to masturbation. The idea of touching female hair, or, better, of
possessing it to masturbate while handling it, grew more and more
powerful. Of late, when he had female hair in his fingers, ejaculation
was induced. One day he succeeded in cutting hair, about 25
centimetres long, from three little girls in the street, and keeping
it in his possession, when he was arrested in a fourth attempt. Deep
regret and shame. He was not sentenced. Since spending some time in
the asylum, he has so far improved that female hair no longer excites
him. Set at liberty, he thought of going to his native place, where
the women wear their hair done up. (Magnan, _Archiv. de l’anthropol.
criminelle_, v, Nr. 28.)
A third case is the following, which is likewise suited to illustrate
the psychopathic nature of such phenomena; and the remarkable means
which induced a cure are worthy of note:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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