Leyden of Berlin showed to his class at the Charite Hospital a
number of hysteric women with a morbid desire for operation
without an anesthetic. Such persons do not seem to experience
pain, and, on the contrary, appear to have genuine pleasure in
pain. In illustration, Leyden showed a young lady who during a
hysteric paroxysm had suffered a serious fracture of the jaw,
injuring the facial artery, and necessitating quite an extensive
operation. The facial and carotid arteries had to be ligated and
part of the inferior maxilla removed, but the patient insisted
upon having the operations performed without an anesthetic, and
afterward informed the operator that she had experienced great
pleasure throughout the whole procedure.
Pain as a Means of Sexual Enjoyment.--There is a form of sexual
perversion in which the pervert takes delight in being subjected
to degrading, humiliating, and cruel acts on the part of his or
her associate. It was named masochism from Sacher-Masoch, an
Austrian novelist, whose works describe this form of perversion.
The victims are said to experience peculiar pleasure at the sight
of a rival who has obtained the favor of their mistress, and will
even receive blows and lashes from the rival with a voluptuous
mixture of pain and pleasure.
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