The Blood Fetishist: Eusebius Pieydagnelle

The Blood Fetishist: Eusebius Pieydagnelle The Blood Fetishist analyzes the foundational case of Eusebius Pieydagnelle, the 1870s French killer whose sexual arousal by blood ("hematolagnia" or "vampiric lust-murder") made his case pivotal to the emerging science of sexual psychopathology. The book details Pieydagnelle's life, his strategic choice to work as a butcher, the crisis that precipitated his serial murders, his capture, detailed confession, trial, and execution (correcting the myth of it being the last public execution in France). It traces how sexologists like Krafft-Ebing, Ellis, and Hirschfeld used Pieydagnelle to advance theories ranging from degeneration and biological determinism to modern paraphilia frameworks. The book grapples with the ethical tension of focusing on the notorious perpetrator while the victims are forgotten, and applies contemporary DSM-5 and neuroscience frameworks to the historical case. Ultimately, the work explores what Pieydagnelle's transformation into a cultural archetype reveals about how societies understand and grapple with extreme sexual violence, demonstrating the enduring challenge and moral complexity of studying such cases. This is the first comprehensive English-language treatment, drawing on forensic, medical, and criminological archives.