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The author quotes two cases in support of Stärcke's and Ophuijsen's view that all delusions of persecution can be traced back to the anal complex.
The first case is that of a Goanese, aged thirty-three, who states that he is being persecuted by a certain Roman Catholic priest by means of a telescope which is connected with his (the patient's) head. The other end of the telescope is 'plugged'. By means of this instrument 'terrestial magnetism' is conveyed to the patient by the priest. The patient also states that the priest has gone 'raving mad', and has jumped into a basket in which he has been ever since, deprived of all food and drink, and is unable to get out. The patient believes that by scratching the back of his left hand with his right forefinger he can cause the priest to pass a copious motion into the basket. He is not able to 'taunt' the priest on account of the amount of motion all about, for the priest cannot help having an evacuation of the bowels whenever the patient chooses to scratch his left hand.
The author adds that the patient prior to his admission to the Asylum had been for years a victim of severe constipation, and was largely indifferent to the defective action of his bowels.
In commenting on this case the author points out that the telescope with a plug in it clearly indicates a constipated bowel. The patient's delusion enables him to revenge himself on one or other of his parents (the priest acting as a substitutive figure for the parent). The whole idea might be expressed as follows: 'I will now show you what it is like to be dictated to in the matter of the evacuation of one's bowels'.
It seems that the author's remark that the whole idea can be summed up in the above quoted passage is a little too premature, as this only expresses one aspect of the case, whereas another, the homosexual, is