he had pollutions at night, they were almost always associated with other thoughts than those that occur in the normal man. The patient’s dreams are of events of his school-days. During his school-days, besides the mutual onanism described, he had ejaculations whenever he became anxiously excited. When, for example, the teacher dictated an extemporaneous exercise, and L. was unable to follow in translation, ejaculation often occurred.[1] The pollutions that now occur occasionally, at night, are only accompanied by dreams that have the same or a similar subject,—the events at school just mentioned. On account of his unnatural feeling and sensibility, the patient thinks he is incapable of loving a woman long.
Treatment of the patient’s perversion has not yet been possible.This case of hand-fetichism certainly does not depend on masochism or sadism, but is to be explained simply by early indulgence in mutual onanism. There is here, also, quite as little of contrary sexual instinct. Before the sexual appetite was clearly conscious of its object, the hands of school-fellows were used. As soon as the instinct for the opposite sex became evident, the interest for the hand was transferred to woman.
In hand-fetichists, who, according to Binet, are so numerous, it is possible that other associations lead to the same result.
Next to the hand-fetichists, naturally come the foot-fetichists. While glove-fetichism, which belongs to the next group of object-fetichism, seldom takes the place of hand-fetichism, we find shoe- and boot- fetichism, of which there are innumerable cases occurring everywhere, taking the place of enthusiasm for the naked female foot. There are only here and there traces of the latter enthusiasm, and these are scarcely pathological. It is easy to see the reason for this. The female hand is usually seen uncovered; the foot, covered. Thus the early associations which determine the direction of the vita sexualis are naturally connected with the naked hand, but with the covered foot.
Shoe-fetichism also finds its place in the following group of dress-fetichism; however, on account of its demonstrable
- ↑ This is also sexual hyperesthesia. Any intense excitement affects the sexual sphere (Binet’s “dynamogénie générale”). Concerning this, Dr. Moll communicates the following case: “A similar thing is described by Mr. E., aged 27; merchant. While at school, and afterward, he often had ejaculation with pleasurable feeling when he was seized with a feeling of intense anxiety. Besides, almost every other physical or mental pain exerted a similar influence. E., as he states, has a normal sexual instinct, but suffers with nervous impotence.”
