Psychology of sex - Total No. of Records in System :: 2032

SEXUAL DEVIATIONhave here the conscious or sub-conscious presence of ananimal fetich, and it is notable that perhapsall thesestuffs, and especially fur, which isby far the commonest ofthe groups, are distinctively animal products. We may per-the fetich of feminine hair a much morehaps regardimportant and common fetich, indeed, than any of thestuff-fetichisms as a link of transition. Hair is at oncean animal and a human product, while it may be separatedfrom the body and possesses the qualities of a stuff.Krafft-Ebing remarks that the senses of touch, smell, andhearing, as well as sight, seem to enter into the attractionexerted by hair.As a sexual fetich hair belongs strictly to the group ofparts of the body; but since it can be removed from thebody and is sexually effective as a fetich in the absenceof the person to whom it belongs, it is on a level with thegarments which may serve in a similar way, with shoesor handkerchiefs or gloves. Psychologically, hair-fetichismpresents no special problem, but the wide attraction ofhair it is sexually the most generally noted part of thefeminine body after the eyes and the peculiar facilitywith which when plaited itmay be removed have longrendered hair-fetichism a condition of special medicolegalinterest.The hair-despoiler (Coupeur des nattes or Zopfab-have dimin-schneider) however modern fashions may ,ished his activities, might formerly have been found inany civilized country, though the most carefully studiedcases occurred in Paris. Such persons are usually of nervoustemperament and bad heredity;the attraction ofhair occasionally develops in early life; sometimes themorbid impulse only appears in later life after fever. Thefetich may be either flowing hair or braided hair, but isusually one or the other, and not both. Sexual excitement['77]