Wilhelm Stekel was an Austrian physician and psychologist. His special interest in sexual deviations led him to coin the term paraphilia, used to describe specific sexual deviances or fetishes. This term replaced “perversion” in clinical circles.
His book “Sexual Aberrations” was considered ground-breaking in its detailing of various paraphilias. He had a particular interest in acrotomophilia, or amputee fetishism.
In 1940, Wilhelm Stekel, a diabetic, committed suicide at the age of 72 to avoid the amputation of his gangrenous foot.