and now we continue with our series of case studies from psychopathia sexualis richard von krafft-ebinng’s 1886 catalog of all the sexual “perversions” fit to print. (see earlier cases 116, 225, 123, 98 / 99, and 88). i suppose it warrants mentioning for those of you just joining us that dr. krafft-ebinng, though certainly a trailblazer, was ultimately a man of his age. a summation of the book’s possition might be as follows: if your own tastes stretch beyond monogamous “missionary work” you are likely a tainted psycopath begotten by maniacs. if you also happen to be a woman… well, head directly to the assylum, do not pass go, do not even think about sexual fullfilment. i’ll get deeper into all that in a future installment. for now…
we bring you case 95 in which a gentleman named z struggles with a very “particular” fetish.
z, gentleman, family tainted. even in early childhood he always felt great sympathy with the lame and crippled. he used to limp about the room on two brooms in lieu of crutches or, when observed, go limping about the streets: at the same time, however, no sexual significance was coupled with the idea. gradually, the thought supervened that he would like “as a pretty lame child” to meet a pretty girl who would express sympathy for his affliction. sympathy from men he disdained. z was brought up in a rich man’s house by a private tutor, and claimed that up to his twentieth year he was unaware of the differences between sexes. his feelings were confined to the idea of being pitied by a pretty girl for being lame, or extending the same sympathy to a lame girl himself. gradually, erotic emotions associated themselves with this fantasy and at the age of twenty he succumbed to temptation and masturbated for the first time. from then on he practiced this act often. sexual neurasthenia supervened nd an irritable weakness took hold of him, to such an extent that the very sight of a girl with a halting gait induced ejaculation. when masturbating, or in his erotic dreams, the idea of the limping girls was always the controlling element. the personality of the limping girl was a matter of indifference to z, his interest being solely centered on the limping foot. he never had coitus with a girl thus afflicted. he never had the inclination for it and did not think he could be potent under the circumstances. his perverse fantasies revolved only around masturbating against the foot of a lame female. at times he anchored his hope on the thought that he might succeed in winning and marrying a chaste lame girl; that, because of his love for her, she would take pity on him and free him of his crime by “transferring his love from the sole of her foot to the root of her soul.” he sought deliverance in this thought. his present existence was one of untold misery.
happy story that. though if you change a few of the words here and there sounds like it could be any average 21st century guy-
the personality of the limping girl was a matter of indifference to z, his interest being solely centered on her (fill in blank).
see what i mean? just like a man aint it girls?
and now as a special bonus we present the related story of
case 96:
mr v, aged thirty, civil servant; parents neuropathic. from the age of seven he had, for many years, a lame girl of the same age as a playmate. at the age of twelve, nervously disposed and heterosexually inclined, the boy began to masturbate spontaneously. at that time puberty set in, and undoubtedly the first sexual emotions toward the other sex coincided with the sight of a lame girl. subsequently only limping women excited him sexually. his fetish was a pretty lady who, like the companion of his childhood, limped with the left foot. always heterosexual, but abnormally sensual, he promptly sought relations with the opposite sex, but was absolutely impotent with women who were not lame. virility and gratification were most strongly elicited if the prostitute limped with the left foot, but he was also successful if the lameness was on the right foot. due to his fetishism, the opportunities for coitus seldom occurred, so he resorted to masturbation, but found it a disgusting and miserable substitute. he sexual anomaly rendered him very unhappy, and he was often close to committing suicide, but regard for his parents prevented him. this moral affliction culminated in the desire for marriage with a sympathetic lame lady. unfortunately, because he could not love the soul of such a wife, but only her defect of lameness, he considered such a union a profanation of matrimony and an unbearable, ignoble existence. on this account he had often thought of resignation and castration.
poor mister v. the silly bastard. not too bright was he? any self respecting man would have married a nice girl then paid the carriage driver to run over her foot just before they made it to the honeymoon suite. castration? uh, i think not.
so there you have it folks. hope you enjoyed the oddly tame sexual deviancy. a bent left foot? if only it were so simple.
(btw that first thumb was taken from susan hagen’s wood carvings page.)