Some Remarks on Oral Erotism1

It is not the purpose of the following paper to bring forward new discoveries but to report a case-history in its proper psycho-analytical bearing.

During the analysis of the case I have to report, oral desires came to form the central point of the patient's phantasies; when these were made conscious the symptoms, which consisted in vomiting, were cured. It has been shown by Freud in his Three Contributions to the Theory of Sexuality that vomiting may be connected with the autoerotism of the mouth zone; speaking of erotogenicity of the lips which is constitutionally reinforced, he says, 'the children who retain this idiosyncrasy grow up to be connoisseurs in the art of kissing and incline to perverse forms of kissing, or if they are men show a strong disposition towards pleasure in smoking and drinking. If repression supervenes, however, the idea of eating causes nausea and hysterical vomiting results. The double function of the lip zone causes the repression to spread to the nutritional instinct.'

My patient fell ill with libidinal impulses which originated in the oral zone, were unconscious, and as a result of repression manifested themselves as vomiting. I will first give a short anamnesis, following this by the material brought up in analysis, and finally make an attempt at synthesis.

The patient was a woman of twenty-five, a medical student. She suffered from a stomach complaint, with vomiting as a symptom. This had been thought to be a case of gastric ulcer. A physician had treated her unsuccessfully with atropine and arsenical injections. Then on account of the lack of organic symptoms and negative result of an X-ray examination she was diagnosed as a case of 'gastric neurosis' and the treatment was abandoned.

When the patient came for analysis she complained, in addition to vomiting, of lack of appetite, headaches, cramps during menstruation and frequent lateness of the menses. At that time she had already commenced sexual relations with a young man who