Concerning this episode the patient makes the following characteristic statement: “I was madly in love with Anna. I don’t know how it came about, and I cannot put myself right concerning this impulse. In this fatal love lies the reason why I played the rôle of a man so long. I have never yet felt any love for a man, and I believe that my love is for the female and not the male sex. I can in nowise understand my condition.”
From Switzerland R. wrote letters home to her friend, Amelia, which were produced at the examination. They are letters showing passionate love, which goes beyond the bounds of friendship. She apostrophizes her friend, “My flower, sun of my heart, longing of my soul.” She was her greatest happiness on earth; her heart was hers. And in her letters to her friend’s parents she wrote: “You, too, should watch your flower, for, if she should die, you also would be unable to endure life.”
For the purpose of investigating her mental condition, R. remained for some time in an asylum. On one occasion, when Anna was allowed to pay R. a visit, there was no end of passionate embraces and kisses. The visitor acknowledged freely that they had before secretly embraced and kissed in the same way.
R. is a tall, slim, stately person, of feminine form in all respects, but with masculine features. Cranium regular; no anatomical signs of degeneration. Genitals normal and indicative of virginity. All the circumstances indicate that she has: only indulged in platonic love. Glance and appearance are indicative of a neuropathic person. Severe hysteria, occasional cataleptoid attacks, with visionary and delirious states. The patient is very easily brought into a state of somnambulism by hypnotic influence, and in this condition is susceptible to all possible suggestions. (Personal case. Friedreich’s Blätter, 1886, Heft 1.)4. Androgyny and Gynandry.—Forming direct transitions from the foregoing groups are those individuals of contrary sexuality in whom not only the character and all the feelings are in accord with the abnormal sexual instinct, but also the skeletal form, the features, voice, etc.; so that the individual approaches the opposite sex anthropologically, and in more than a psychical and psycho-sexual way. This anthropological form of the cerebral anomaly apparently represents a very high degree of degeneration; but that this variation is based on an entirely different ground than the teratological manifestation of hermaphroditism, in an anatomical sense, is clearly shown by the fact that thus far, in the domain of contrary sexuality, no transitions to hermaphroditic malformation of the genitals have been observed. The genitals of these persons always prove to be fully differentiated
