In 1886 B. had been punished because he had twice exhibited himself publicly,—once in broad daylight, and once at night, under a lamp.
B., aged 37, single, makes a peculiar impression, owing to his dandified dress and affected manner. His eyes have a neuropathic, languishing expression; around his mouth plays a smile of self-satisfaction. He is said to come of healthy parents. A sister of his father, and one of his mother, were insane. Others of their relatives were thought religiously eccentric.
B. has never had any severe illness. From childhood he was eccentric and imaginative. He loved romances about knights and others, was entirely absorbed by them, and even went so far as to identify himself in fancy with the heroes. He always thought himself a little better than others, and thought much of elegant dress and ornament; and when he strutted about on Sundays, he imagined himself a high official.
B. has never had epileptic symptoms. In youth, moderate indulgence in masturbation; later, moderate indulgence in coitus. Previously, never any perverse sexual feelings or impulses. Retired manner of life; in leisure hours, reading (popular novels, heroic tales, Dumas, and others). B. was no drinker. Exceptionally he made himself a kind of punch, by which he was always excited sexually.
For some years, with marked decrease of libido, after such alcoholic indulgence, he had had “accursedly silly thoughts,” and developed the desire genitalia adspectui feminarum publice exhibere.
If he got into this state, he felt warm, his heart beat violently, blood rushed to his head, and he could then no longer resist his impulse. He heard and saw nothing more, and was absolutely absorbed in his lust. Afterward he had often pounded his crazy head with his fists, and firmly resolved never to do such a thing again; but the crazy ideas had always returned.
In his exhibition his penis became only half-erected, and ejaculation never occurred; even in coitus it was always tardy. In exhibition he was satisfied with genitalia sua adspicere, and he had the lustful thought that this sight must be very pleasant to women, since he liked so much to see genitalia feminarum. He was capable of coitus only when the puella showed herself very partial to him; without this, he preferred rather to pay and go without doing anything. In his dreams he exhibited himself to young, voluptuous women.
The medico-legal opinion recognized the hereditary psychopathic character of the culprit, and the perverse, impulsive desire to perform the incriminating acts; and pointed out, further, the remarkable fact that in B., who was otherwise sober and saving, the impulses to indulge in alcohol depended on abnormal conditions that recurred periodically, and forced him to indulge. That, during his attacks, B. was in an exceptional psychical state, in a kind of mental confusion, and absolutely absorbed in his perverse sexual fancy, is clearly shown by the species facti. Thus is explained the fact that he became aware of the approach of the police only when it was too late to try to escape. In this hereditary and degenerate impulsive exhibitionism, it is interesting to note how the perverse sexual impulse is awakened from its latency by the influence of alcohol.
A forensically important variety of exhibition, which, clinically, certainly rests upon a similar neurotic and degenerate foundation, and which expresses itself in a peculiar act, conditioned by violent libido (hyperæsthesia sexualis), associated with diminished virility, is made up of the so-called frotteurs.
The three following cases, borrowed from Magnan (op. cit.), are typical:—