Psychopathia sexualis: With especial reference to contrary sexual instinct / A medico-legal study

by R. von Krafft-Ebing

The patient’s mother is said to be a bigot, and of small mental endowment, nervous, irritable, and inclined to melancholia. Patient has a sister and a brother. The brother is frequently melancholy, and, though mature, has never shown the slightest trace of sexual inclinations. The sister is an acknowledged beauty, and much sought by gentlemen. This lady is married, but childless, as reported, owing to the impotence of her husband. She has always been indifferent to the attentions shown her by men, but is charmed by female beauty, and actually in love with some of her female friends.

With respect of himself, the patient asserts that, when four years old, he dreamed of handsome jockeys wearing shining boots. Too, he never dreamed of women when he grew older. His nightly pollutions were always induced by “boot-dreams.” From his fourth year he had a peculiar partiality for men, or, more correctly, for lackeys wearing shining boots. At first they only excited his interest, but, with development of his sexual functions, the sight of them caused powerful erections and lustful pleasure. It was only servants’ boots that affected him; the same kind of boots on persons of like social station were without effect on him. In a homo-sexual sense, there was no sexual impulse connected with these situations. Even the thought of such a possibility was disgusting to him. At times, however, he had sensually-colored ideas,—like being his servant’s servant, and drawing off his boots; but the idea of being stepped on by him, or of having to blacken his boots, was most pleasing. The pride of the aristocrat rose up against such thoughts. In general, these notions about boots were disgusting and painful to him.

Sexual instinct was early and powerfully developed. It first found expression in indulgence in sensual thoughts about boots, and, after puberty, in dreams accompanied by pollutions; otherwise, the mental and physical development was undisturbed. Patient was well endowed mentally,—learned easily, finished his studies, and became an officer. On account of his distinguished, manly appearance and his high position, he was much sought in society.

He characterizes himself as a clever, quiet, strong-willed, but superficial man. He asserts that he is a passionate hunter and rider, and that he has never had any inclination for feminine pursuits. In the society of ladies he has always been reserved; dancing always tired him. He had never had any interest in a lady of high social position. As for women, only the buxom peasant girls, such as are the models of painters in Rome, had interested him. He had, however, never felt any sexual interest in such representatives of the female sex. In the theatre and circus only male performers had excited his interest; but, at the same time, they had caused him no sensual feelings. As for men, only their boots excited him, and, indeed, only when the wearers belonged to the servant class and were handsome men. Men of his own position, wearing never so fine boots, were absolutely indifferent to him.

With reference to his sexual inclinations, the patient is still uncertain whether he feels more inclination toward the opposite sex or toward his own sex. He is inclined to think that originally he had more inclination for women, but that this sympathy was, in any case, very weak. He states with certainty that the sight of a naked man made no impression on him, and that the sight of male genitals was even repugnant to him. In the case of women, this was not exactly the case, but he was not excited sexually even by the most beautiful feminine form. When a young officer, he was now and then compelled to accompany his comrades to brothels. He was the more easily persuaded to this, since he hoped by this means to be rid of his vile partiality for boots; but he was impotent unless he brought the thought of boots to his aid. Under such circumstances, the act of cohabitation was normally performed, but without pleasurable feeling. Patient felt no impulse to intercourse with women, always requiring some external cause,—i.e., persuasion. Left to himself, his vita sexualis consisted in reveling in ideas about boots, and in corresponding dreams with pollutions. Since more and more there became connected with them the impulse to kiss his servant’s boots, to draw them off, etc., the patient determined to use every means to rid himself of this disgusting desire, which deeply wounded his pride. At that time, being in his twentieth year, and in Paris, he recalled a very beautiful peasant girl, who lived in his distant home. He hoped, with her assistance, to free himself of his perverse sexual inclination. He went directly home, and tried to win the girl’s favor. It seems that the patient was not naturally homo-sexual. He asserts that at that time he was actually in love with this person, and that her glance, or the touch of her dress, gave him sensual pleasure; and, when she once kissed him, he had a powerful erection. After about a year and a half, the patient succeeded in gaining his desires with this person.

He was potent, but ejaculated tardily (ten to twenty minutes), and never had a pleasurable feeling in the act.

After about a year and a half of sexual intercourse with this girl, his love for her grew cold, because he did not find her so “fine and pure” as he wished. From this time it was necessary for him to call upon ideas about boots for help, which had been latent, in order to be potent in sexual intercourse with her. In proportion as his power failed, these ideas arose spontaneously. Thereafter he had coitus with other women. Now and then, especially when the woman was in sympathy with him, the act took place without any assistance of imagination. It once happened that the patient committed a rape. It is remarkable that on this single occasion he had a pleasurable feeling in the (forced) act. Immediately after the deed he had a feeling of disgust. When, an hour after the forced indulgence, he had coitus with the same woman, with her consent, he experienced no feeling of pleasure.

With decrease of virility,—i.e., when it was preserved only in connection with ideas about boots,—libido for the opposite sex decreased. The patient’s slight libido and weak inclination for women are evidenced by the fact that, while he still sustained sexual relations with the peasant girl, he began to masturbate. He learned the vice from “Rousseau’s Confessions,” the book accidentally falling into his hands. The boot-fancies immediately linked themselves with corresponding impulses. He then had violent erections, masturbated, and ejaculation afforded him a lively feeling of pleasure, which was denied to him in coitus; and at first he felt himself fresher and brighter, as a result of the masturbation.

In time, however, symptoms of sexual, and, later, of general, neurasthenia, with spinal irritation, appeared. He then at first gave up masturbation, and sought his first love; but she was now more than ever indifferent to him. Since he finally became impotent, even when he called ideas of boots to his assistance, he gave up women entirely, and again practiced masturbation; by which he felt himself protected from the impulse to kiss and blacken servants’ boots. At the same time, he continued to feel that his sexual position was a painful one. He again occasionally attempted coitus, and was successful in it as soon as he thought of blackened boots. Too, after continued abstinence from masturbation, he was sometimes successful in coitus without any artificial aid.

The patient says that his sexual needs are intense. If he has not had an ejaculation in a long time, he becomes congestive and psychically much excited, and tormented by repugnant images of boots, so that he is forced to have coitus, or, preferably, to masturbate.