X. complained of no physical ailments except occasional headache and vertigo. He greatly regretted his misfortune, his abnormal impulse,—the evil spirit that impelled him to such criminal acts. He had but one wish: that some one might help him. Objectively there are mild neurasthenic symptoms, anomalies of the distribution of blood, and unequal pupils.
It was proved that X. had committed his crimes in obedience to an abnormal, irresistible impulse. Pardon.
Such cases of handkerchief-fetichism, where an abnormal individual is driven to theft, are very numerous. They also occur in combination with contrary sexuality, as is proved by the following case, which I borrow from page 125 of Dr. Moll’s frequently-cited work[[100]]:—
Case 86. Handkerchief-fetichism in a Case of Contrary Sexual Instinct.—K., aged 38; mechanic; a powerfully built man. He makes numerous complaints,—weakness of the legs, pain in the back, headache, want of pleasure in work, etc. The complaints give the decided impression of neurasthenia with tendency to hypochondria. Only after the patient had been under my treatment several months did he state that he was also abnormal sexually.
K. had never had any inclination whatever for women; but handsome men, on the other hand, had a peculiar charm for him. Patient had masturbated frequently until he came to me. He had never practiced mutual onanism or pederasty. He did not think that he would have found satisfaction in this, because, in spite of his preference for men, an article of white linen was his chief charm, though the beauty of its owner played a rôle. The handkerchiefs of handsome men particularly excite him sexually. His greatest delight is to masturbate in men’s handkerchiefs. For this reason he often took his friend’s handkerchiefs. In order to save himself from detection, he always left one of his own handkerchiefs with his friend in place of the one he stole. In this way he sought to escape the suspicion of theft, by creating the appearance of a mistake. Other articles of men’s linen also excited K. sexually, but not to the extent handkerchiefs did.
K. had often performed coitus with women, having erection and ejaculation, but without lustful pleasure. There was also nothing which could stimulate the patient to the performance of coitus. Erection and ejaculation occurred only when, during the act, he thought of a man’s handkerchief; and this was easier for the patient when he took a friend’s handkerchief with him, and had it in his hand during coitus. In accordance with his sexual perversion, in his nightly pollutions with lustful ideas, men’s linen played the principal rôle.
It is possible that, in this interest in (used) handkerchiefs, elements of feeling in the sense of masochism, group “c,” are also often at work.
Still far more frequent than the fetichism of linen garments is that of women’s shoes. These cases are, in fact, almost innumerable, and a great many of them have been scientifically studied; but I have but a few reports at second hand of the similar glove-fetichism (concerning the reason for the relative infrequency of glove-fetichism, vide p. 161).
In shoe-fetichism the close relationship of the object to the feminine person, which explains linen-fetichism, is absolutely wanting. For this reason, and because there is a large number of well-observed cases at hand, in which the fetichistic enthusiasm for the female shoe or boot consciously and undoubtedly arises from masochistic ideas, an origin of a masochistic nature, even when it is concealed, may always be assumed in shoe-fetichism, when, in the concrete case, no other manner of origin is demonstrable. For this reason the majority of the cases of shoe- or foot-fetichism have been given under “Masochism.” There the constant masochistic character of this form of erotic fetichism has been sufficiently demonstrated by means of transitional conditions. This presumption of the masochistic character of shoe-fetichism is weakened and removed only where another accidental cause for an association between sexual excitation and the idea of women’s shoes—the occurrence of which is quite improbable a priori—is demonstrable. In the two following cases, however, there is such a demonstrable connection:—
Case 87. Shoe-fetichism. Mr. v. P., of an old and honorable family, Pole, aged 32, consulted me, in 1890, on account of “unnaturalness” of his vita sexualis. He gave the assurance that he came of a perfectly healthy family. He had been nervous from childhood, and had suffered with chorea minor at the age of eleven. For ten years he had suffered with sleeplessness and various neurasthenic ailments. From his fifteenth year he had recognized the difference of the sexes and been capable of sexual excitation. At the age of seventeen he had been seduced by a French governess, but coitus was not permitted; so that intense mutual sensual excitement (mutual masturbation) was all that was possible. In this situation his attention was attracted by her very elegant boots. They made a very deep impression. His intercourse with this lewd person lasted four months. During this association her shoes became a fetich for the unfortunate boy. He began to have an interest in ladies’ shoes in general, and actually went about trying to catch sight of ladies wearing pretty boots. The shoe-fetichism gained great power over his mind. He had the governess touch his penis with her shoes, and thus ejaculation with great lustful feeling was immediately induced. After separation from the governess, he went to puellis, whom he had perform the same manipulation. This was usually sufficient for satisfaction. Only seldom did he resort to coitus as an auxiliary, and inclination for it grew less and less. His vita sexualis consisted of dream-pollutions, in which women’s shoes played the exclusive rôle; and of gratification with women’s shoes apposita ad mentulam, but this had to be done by the puella. In the society of the opposite sex the only thing that interested him was the shoe, and that only when it was elegant, of the French style, with heels, and of a brilliant black, like the original.