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Rh December. A very respectable man; he considers his inordinate desire decidedly pathological, and is anxious about his future.

Case 15. On July 11, 1884, R., aged 33, servant, was admitted suffering with paranoia persecutoria and neurasthenia sexualis. Mother was neuropathic; father died of spinal disease. From childhood he had an intense sexual desire, of which he became conscious as early as his sixth year. From this age, masturbation; from fifteenth year, faute de mieux, pederasty; occasionally, sodomitic indulgences. Later, abusus coitus in marriage cum uxore. Now and then even perverse impulse to commit cunnilingus and to administer cantharides to his wife, because her libido did not equal his own. His wife died after a short period of married life. Patient’s circumstances became straightened, and he had no means to indulge himself sexually. Then masturbation again; employment of lingua canis to induce ejaculation. At times, priapism and conditions approaching satyriasis. He was then driven to masturbate, in order not to become stuporous. Beneficial diminution of the libido nimia, with the gradually predominating sexual neurasthenia and hypochondria.

The following case, valuable for an understanding of many Messalinas, some of whom are historically celebrated, is a classical example of pure hyperæsthesia sexualis, which I take from Trelat’s “Folie lucide”:—

Case 16. Mrs. V. has suffered with a passion for men since her earliest youth. Of good family, well bred, of pleasant disposition, exceedingly modest, she was, as a little girl, a terror to her family, because she could scarcely be alone with a person of the opposite sex, no matter whether it was with child or man of any age, without exposing herself immediately and demanding satisfaction for her sexual passion, even going so far as to lay hold of him. An attempt was made to cure her by marriage. She loved her husband passionately, but even with him she could not keep from demanding coitus of every one with whom she could be alone, no matter whether it was servant, laborer, or school-boy.

Nothing could cure her of this impulse. Even when she became a grandmother, she was still a Messalina. One day she locked a twelve-year-old boy in her room and tried to seduce him. The boy defended himself and escaped. She was severely punished by his brother. All was in vain. She was put in a cloister. There she was an example of morality, and gave not the slightest cause for blame. Immediately after her return the scandal began again. The family banished her, and set aside money to support her. She earned by her own hand-work enough to buy herself lovers. Any one seeing this neatly dressed matron, of good manners and amiable disposition, would never suspect how recklessly passionate she still was at the age of sixty-five. On January 7, 1854, her family, in