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The most thorough psychoanalytic study of transvestitism—which was the subject of psychoanalytic research by Felix Boehm as early as 1923 (1)—was made by Otto Fenichel in two papers, published in 1930 (2) and 1936 (3).
Relatively little is known about the subject of this short communication. He was an artistically gifted man just past thirty, married, had two children, and ostensibly was well-adjusted to his home and occupation. In appearance, he was an average, suburban citizen. Periodically he yielded to a craving to dress in a woman's garments in which he took long walks. He had only a few interviews with a psychiatrist, whom he consulted on a judge's advice. Following the first interview, which was intended as a preliminary to further consultations, in lieu of giving additional information, the patient sent to the psychiatrist1 a drawing in which he illustrated what he had to say about his perversion, uninfluenced by any conscious knowledge of psychoanalytic symbolism.
Following a previously published report on this subject2 the patient returned spontaneously to the psychiatrist for two additional consultations. The patient was highly resistive and only hesitantly acknowledged the drawing as his work. He came, as he had on the previous occasion, under pressure. He did not consider his perversion a psychiatric problem, and wanted only advice on how to keep working without 'breaking down' and 'getting into trouble'. He clearly stated he did not wish to be cured of his perversion, but only to be advised about safe-guards