More research is needed on the influence which enemas have on children and how they frequently stimulate anal erotic tendencies later. Indeed, nursing training programs take cognizance of this fact, and student nurses are cautioned concerning the consequences of enemas, especially in view of the fact that such a large portion of the population, as Kinsey notes, is sensitive in the anal region.
But in Patricia's case the mother fixation is a more important factor than the enema.- The girl was assaulted by the enemas, but she could have been assaulted in other ways, and the effect would have been somewhat the same. Caprio's study, Female Homosexuality, notes several cases in which women submitted to being given enemas by another woman for erotic reasons. Even Havelock Ellis records the case of a woman who recalled pleasure while being given an enema as her earliest sexual experience. She feigned constipation in order to have it repeated. Part of the enjoyment was unquestionably the enema itself, but another, equally important aspect, was probably the fact that it was given to her by her mother, and was, therefore, an assault.
The person most disturbed in Patricia's case was her mother. Her unhappy marriage, sexual frustration, and the unwholesome focusing on her child as a love object contributed. It is doubtful that the mother was consciously aware of her own motivations, at least at first. When she gave Patricia the first enema, when the girl was thirteen, she was probably being oversolicitous about the child's health and convinced herself that this was her real reason for doing it. As the little girl herself noticed at the time, however, her mother got something more from the operation and was unquestionably enjoying introducing the tube into her. It was a substitute penis. She herself realized that she had attacked the girl sexually afterwards and was sufficiently horrified with herself to be deterred from repeating the act until the second occasion two years later. At this time, with Patricia well into puberty, the enema was a pleasurable experience, obviously and entirely sexual, which both mother and daughter enjoyed. The fact that her mother, who seems to have been somewhat reserved with her affection, lavished considerable solicitude on Patricia while giving her the enema made it an act of love. Patricia responded by feeling great affection for her mother, gratitude for the pleasure which the enema gave her, and, in particular, relief that the experience was not painful like the first one but entirely acceptable. Because of her mother's accepting attitude the girl did not feel humiliated and quickly overcame her embarrassment. After experiencing orgasm during the administering of the enema the girl regarded it as an entirely erotic adventure and one which she wanted to repeat.
Her mother now became her lover, and an unwholesome lesbian incestuous relationship sprang up between them in which the mother became the “butch” partner. Such tendencies were unquestionably latent and were a probable contributing factor to her early frigidity and to the failure of her marriage. The homosexual aspect of the relationship must also have been latent and was no doubt triggered by the first enema which she gave Patricia.
Cases of children enjoying enemas are common, although not many have actually been recorded, and there are at least a few in the literature in which mothers have confessed to erotic enjoyment when giving enemas. One such is mentioned in a study entitled Set the Children Free, a work written during the thirties. A mother showed solicitude and affection to her young daughter only on the rare occasions when she took her to the bathroom, stripped her naked, bathed her in the bathtub, and then gave her an enema. In this instance, the mother was probably only vaguely aware of the sexual implications of her behavior, if, indeed, she was aware of them at all. Unquestionably, however, the child associated affection with enemas and willingly submitted to the latter in order to have the former.
Patricia's case is unusual in the frankness of the sexuality and the fact that during and after the second enema both mother and daughter openly accepted it as a sexual experience, a bizarre form of sexual intercourse. This is indicated very clearly in Patricia's further remarks concerning the incestuous anal erotic relationship which now developed between her and her mother.
“That talk Mom and I had was really pretty important, I guess. Ever since then we've been able to talk to each other about anything, and we've been very close. I love Mom very much, and I don't think there's anything wrong in what she does to me, especially since I want her to.
“'We don't get a chance to talk very often,' she said, 'and, well, you're a growing girl, and there are things we ought to talk about.'
“I nestled down in the pillow, gazed up at her, and listened. She was being so nice, and I really felt warm toward her.
“'I guess what I'm trying to get at is-well- sex.'
“'We have hygiene at school,' I said, 'and they show us films and stuff about sex. I think I know pretty much about it.'
“'I guess you know how babies are born and all that then?'
“'Oh gosh, yes-everybody knows that stuff.'
“'Well, I'm glad, but there are other things, too. You're a growing girl, and sometimes young people have problems when they're growing up. I mean we get mixed up about some things.'
“'I don't think I'm mixed up.'
“She was thoughtful for a moment, thinking to herself, and then she said, 'Maybe I'm the one that's mixed up. When I was your age, I was in a convent school. I guess I thought I wanted to be a nun, but I soon discovered that I didn't have any vocation, and that that wasn't for me. I tried nursing when I got out of high school, and then I went to college and met your father… and that didn't work out, as you know. It wasn't all his fault. I think I'm pretty mixed up myself-about sex. Anyway, when we had relations I just found the whole thing revolting.'
“'Mom, I asked, 'remember that time when I was thirteen and you gave me that enema?'
“'Yes, I'm very sorry about that, dear.'
“'That's all right… I remember how you looked when you were giving it to me, your face… And then when you gave me an enema yesterday, and just now… Mom, is that part of sex?'
“She turned white and couldn't look at me, and I was afraid she was going to cry. I sat up in bed and put my arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.
“'Mom, I only mention it because it was so good. I mean I just loved it. I've never had anything happen to me that felt so good. I just love enemas.'
“She patted me affectionately, kissed me, and, very gently, eased me back into the bed.
“'Yes, dear,' she whispered, although we were the only two people in the house. 'I'm afraid that was sex and that your mother is pretty queer, because I enjoyed giving your those enemas.'
“'Is there anything wrong with that?' I asked.
“'I don't know,' she said uncertainly.
“'I guess we're perverts or something, aren't we? I mean, it's not really normal, is it?'
“She smiled wryly and nodded. 'I guess so… I guess we're perverts.' And she shook her head.
“'Is it wrong to be a pervert?' I asked.
“'Some people think so.'
“'I don't care about some people. I only care what you think. Before you gave me the enema, I didn't really know if you loved me…'
“'Oh, honey…'”
“'No, I mean, I guess you always have, but you don't always show it.'
“'I'm sorry.'
“'But you showed it when you gave me the enema.'
“'I guess it's a queer way to treat a daughter,” Mom said, 'but… Oh, I don't know what to say.'
“'I don't see how anything like that, that's good, that feels so good, and that makes us love each other, can be wrong.'
“'I want to believe that,' Mom said.
“'Well, I don't care,' I said defiantly. 'It's what I think. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and I don't want it to stop.'
“'All right, honey. We'll see how your fever is tomorrow morning, and if you still have some, maybe we can use that as an excuse to give you another dose.'
“'I'd like that,' I said.
“The sun was shining through the cracks of the Venetian blinds when I woke the next morning, still groggy and sort of stuffy inside and with a little headache. I saw Mom come in, and rolled over on my back, stretched out, and put my hand on my forehead, palm up.
