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
“All these comedies with prostitutes are for masochists only
troublesome substitutes. Whether there is such a thing as a
realization of masochistic dreams in love relations or not, I do not
know. If it occur, it is certainly very infrequent; for this taste in
women (sadism in women, as described by Sacher-Masoch) is very
difficult to find; and, too, the expression of sexual abnormalities
finds greater obstacles in the modesty of women, etc., than in men. I
myself have never noticed the slightest indications of anything of
this kind, and have never been able to attempt an actual realization
of my fancies. Once a man confidingly told me of his masochistic
perversion, and said he had found his ideal.”
The two following cases are similar to the foregoing:—
Case 45. Mr. Z., aged 29, technicist, came for consultation because of
a fear of tabes. Father was nervous and died tabetic. Father’s sister
was insane. Several relatives are very nervous and peculiar. On closer
examination the patient is found to have sexual, spinal, and cerebral
asthenia. He presents no symptoms of tabes dorsalis, nor does he give
a history of them. Questions concerning abuse of the sexual organs
bring out a confession of masturbation practiced since youth. In the
course of the examination the following interesting psycho-sexual
anomalies came out: At the age of five the vita sexualis began with
the impulse to whip himself, as well as with the desire to see others
whipped. In this he never thought of individuals as of one sex or the
other. _Faute de mieux_ he practiced flagellation on himself and, in
time, this induced ejaculation. Long before this he had begun to
satisfy himself with masturbation, and always during the act reveled
in imaginary scenes of whipping. After growing up he twice visited
brothels to have himself flogged by prostitutes. For this purpose he
chose the prettiest girl he could find; but he was disappointed, and
did not even have an erection, to say nothing of ejaculation. He
recognized that the flagellation was subsidiary, and that the idea of
subjection to the woman’s will was the important thing. He realized
this on the second trial. When he had the “thought of subjection,” he
was perfectly successful. In time, by straining his imagination with
masochistic ideas, he performed coitus without flagellation; but he
found little satisfaction in it; so that he performed sexual
intercourse in a masochistic way. He found pleasure in masochistic
scenes, in the sense of his original desire for flagellation, only
when he was flagellated _ad podicem_, or, at least, only when he
called up such a situation in imagination. At times of great
excitability it was even sufficient if a pretty girl told stories of
such scenes. He would thus have an orgasm, and usually ejaculation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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