Conclusion
For reasons which might not be readily apparent, case histories of incest, any kind of incest, are difficult to come by.
First of all, we are dealing with acts which are condemned as criminal in practically every civilized country, and which are generally abhorred by the community conscience as well. It is not surprising that such cases rarely come to light except by way of the psychologic community, and only then when heavily cloaked in anonymity. It should be understood that the protection of the Hippocratic oath extends to psychoanalysts and psychiatrists who are medical doctors. It extends, in fact if not in oath, to therapists and counselors also. In short, the very people who are in a position to provide writers with notes and tapes of such cases are, for the most part, reluctant to do so, especially if the case at hand happens to be current. Even when the books are closed, or the patient deceased, there are still obstacles to be hurdled, for above all else the element of shadowy anonymity must be preserved. There are no cases which can be revealed de facto, since it is presumed that all persons have relatives, or at least intimate friends.
For similar reasons, incest rarely comes to the attention of the authorities. Just as the medical community realizes the absolute need for honored confidence, the practicer of incest realizes the absolute need for personal secrecy. The only instances of incest coming to the attention of the law occur when another crime of some kind is committed and the incest is discovered accidentally. Or occasionally, a disenchanted partner may cause an uncommon amount of fuss. The third reason, mental breakdown and consequent hospitalization, is much more imagined than real. While it is widely stated that the practicer of incest is paving a road into a personal mental hell by his or her act, there is scant evidence to back up the point. The medical community is quick to tell us that close-tie (usually meant to mean parental) incest is a sure ticket to serious mental disorder, but there are a great many cases of sibling incest, for example, where both partners have simply melted into the community and become a part of it.
To be effective in a report-such as this, one must cull and crib heavily from the available material. One of the histories examined here required that this writer edit more than twenty large-reel tapes. As in other things, it becomes a matter of what one must not report, rather than a matter of gathering more data.
Incest in general is a peculiar psychosexual phenomenon. Talking about it can alone cause trauma. It is one of those terrible, flustering, overwhelming things which does not easily adapt to coffee-klatch conversation, and when it is discussed (nonclinically, at least), the listener is apt to fall quite silent or perhaps raise an eyebrow in quizzical fashion. The unvoiced question is almost audible-"Who, me?" or "Do such things really happen? " The idea of any kind of incest is repugnant to the social mind. It's as simple as that.
So that is the hurdle. That is where we must inevitably begin before we can formulate the first sentence.
The writer is a most fortunate person when he can make arrangements to use such precious documents as do exist. He is aware of this, and thus guards what he has much as if he were dealing in precious gems-which happens to be a pretty fair description of authentic tapes.
Within these limitations we have attempted to compile a usable and interesting history. Moreover, we have refrained from offering ideas concerning the construction of the mind, or its aberration, or (most certainly) its predilections or the prognoses we might expect in any and all specific cases, except in those instances where we were encouraged to do so by the primary medical authority. By use of the word primary we mean to convey that we have not asked opinions of medical authorities who did not themselves personally treat the subject.
Such has been the nature of our quest and the general kind of restriction we have imposed upon ourself.