Richard von Krafft-Ebing with Family

Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (August 14, 1840 - December 22, 1902; full name Richard Fridolin Joseph Freiherr Krafft von Festenberg auf Frohnberg, genannt von Ebing) was an Austro-German psychiatrist. He studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg, where he specialized in psychiatry. He later practiced in psychiatric asylums. After leaving his work in asylums, he pursued a career in psychiatry, forensics, and hypnosis. His principal work is Psychopathia Sexualis: eine Klinisch-Forensische Studie (Sexual Psychopathy: A Clinical-Forensic Study), which was first published in 1886 and expanded in subsequent editions. Psychopathia Sexualis is a forensic reference book for psychiatrists, physicians, and judges. Written in an academic style, its introduction noted that, to discourage lay readers, the author had deliberately chosen a scientific term for the title of the book and that he had written parts of it in Latin for the same purpose. Psychopathia Sexualis was one of the first books about sexual practices that studied homosexuality/bisexuality, and popularized the terms sadism and masochism. He considered procreation the purpose of sexual desire and that any form of recreational sex was a perversion of the sex drive. He died in 1902 at the age of 62

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Ebing Forensic Forensics Freiherr German-austrian Krafft Krafft-ebing Medicinal Practices Psychiatrist Psychiatry Psychopathia Reference Sexologist Sexology Sexualis Sexuality Siblings Spouse

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