It passed through many editions and was translated into many languages (there are two translations in English), enjoying an immense and not altogether enviable vogue.
Krafft-Ebing's methods were open to some objection.

His mind was not of a severely critical order.

He poured out the new and ever-enlarged editions of his book with extraordinary rapidity, sometimes remodelling them.

He introduced new subdivisions from time to time into his classification of sexual perversions, and, although this rather fine-spun classification has doubtless contributed to give precision to the subject and to advance its scientific study, it was at no time generally accepted.

Krafft-Ebing's great service lay in the clinical enthusiasm with which he approached the study of sexual perversions.