VIII.
“There’s doubtless something in domestic doings, Which forms, in fact, true love’s antithesis; Romances paint at full length people’s wooings, But only give a bust of marriages; For no one cares for matrimonial cooings, There’s nothing wrong in a connubial kiss. Think you, if Laura had been Petrarch’s wife, He would have written sonnets all his life?”
It is significant that those who most praise marriage are young people who do not know marriage from experience, but have failed to find true happiness in celibacy. We think of the words of Socrates, that it is a matter of indifference whether a man marries or does not marry, for in either case he will regret it.
Our own time is certainly characterized by hostility to marriage. It is the =form= of modern marriage which frightens most people; the compulsion which has actually been rendered more stringent by the new Civil Code of 1900. Modern individualism draws back from the undeniable =loss of freedom= which legal marriage entails. The shadow which, according to a saying of E. Dühring, indissoluble marriage has thrown upon love and upon the nobler aspects of the sexual life, is darker to-day than ever before.
Hence the growing disinclination to marry, which, significantly enough, is increasingly manifest upon the part of women; hence, above all, the =extraordinary increase in divorce=.
According to a statement in the _Vossische Zeitung_ (No. 137, March 22, 1906), the number of divorces in Germany underwent a =marked= increase in the year 1904. In that year there were 10,882 divorces; in 1903, 9,932; in 1902, 9,074; thus in the year 1904 there was an increase of 590, or 9·6 per cent.
In the closing years of the nineteenth century, a marked increase in the number of divorces was already discernible. For instance, in the years 1894-1899 the number rose from 7,502 to 9,433. It was at that time believed that the increase depended upon the fact that in most of the countries of the German Confederation the new Civil Code made divorce more difficult, and that for this reason as many people as possible were seeking divorce before the new Code came into action. It is true that the number of divorces diminished after the Civil Code passed into operation. In the year 1900 the divorces numbered 7,922, and in the year 1901, 7,892. =Since then, however, there has once more been a marked increase=, so that =the figure for the year 1904 is 2,990 in excess of that for the year 1901, an increase of 38 per cent=. This increase is principally to be referred to the fact that the so-called =relative grounds for divorce=, enumerated in § 1568 of the Civil Code,[182] appear to have justified a great number of demands for divorce. The marked extensibility of the sections of this paragraph leaves the judge very wide discretion in its application.
To what an extent the increase in the number of divorces influences the existing marriages is seen as soon as we compare the number of divorces with the number of marriages. It appears that in the years 1900 and 1901, for every 10,000 marriages, there were 8·1 divorces; in 1902, 9·3 divorces; in 1903, 10·1 divorces; and in 1904, 11·1 divorces. Thus in the year 1904, there were 3 more divorces per 10,000 marriages than in the year 1901.
I have already referred to the enormous importance of divorce in relation to the recognition on the part of the State of the temporary character of every marriage, whereby, in principle, free love, which is no more than a temporary marriage, receives a civil justification, and is legitimized. This fact stands out still more clearly when we recognize the legal possibility of =repeated= divorces on the part of one and the same person. Numerous actual examples of this can be given. Thus a well-known author was divorced no less than =four= times, and of his four wives one, on her side, had been divorced by other men. Two divorces on both sides are by no means rare. If we consider the matter openly and unemotionally, it must be admitted that this is nothing else than the much-opposed “free love,” the bugbear of all honest Philistines, =a free love which has already received the official sanction of the State=.
When four or five divorces are possible to the same individual by official decree, when, that is to say, this procedure has received civil sanction, the number may for theoretical purposes be multiplied at discretion.
He who knows human nature, he who knows that the consciousness of freedom in mature human beings--and only such should enter upon marriage--strengthens and confirms the =consciousness of duty=--such a one need not fear the introduction of free marriage. On the contrary, it may be assumed that divorces would be far less common than they are in the case of coercive marriage.
According to the Civil Code, divorces are obtainable on the ground of adultery, hazard to life, malicious abandonment, ill-treatment, mental disorder, legally punishable offences, dishonourable and immoral conduct, serious disregard of conjugal duties. As we saw, the last clause empowered the judge in difficult cases, by a humane, reasonable interpretation of the idea “disregard of conjugal duties,” to pronounce a divorce. It is obvious that in every divorce the interests of the =children= of the marriage (if any) must be especially safeguarded.
Marriage in France, to which hitherto the clauses of the Code Napoléon, analogous to those of our Civil Code, have been applicable, is said to have recently undergone reform, both in respect of moral and of legal rights. In Paris there has been constituted a standing “Committee of Marriage Reform,” composed of well-known authors, jurists, and women, among the number being Pierre Louys, Marcel Prevost, Judge Magnaud, Octave Mirbeau, Maeterlinck, Henri Bataille, Henri Coulon, and Poincaré.
In an address to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate by the President of this Committee, Henri Coulon, in which he gives the reasons for desiring a change in the present marriage laws,[183] he says:
“It would be childish to disguise the fact that the institution of marriage has entered upon a critical phase; philosophers and novelists lay odds on the complete disappearance of the institution. In this, perhaps, they go too far. But it is none the less true that it is a matter of profound interest and importance to reform the institution of marriage. Granted this, how shall we begin?
“The entrance into marriage must be made as easy as possible; in this way the number of marriages which are based upon love will rapidly increase. Then, the married pair must have =equal rights, equal duties=, and =equal responsibilities=; in this way marriage will become more practical and less immoral than it is at present. Finally--and this is the most important of all--it is necessary =to facilitate divorce=. Divorce will then become the worthy separation of two thinking beings, and will no longer be the disgusting comedy that it is at the present day.
“For those determined to live apart, for those whose morals are loose, indissoluble marriage itself is no longer a bond. Absolute freedom is no hindrance to conjugal fidelity and constancy; on the contrary, =freedom is the cause of constancy=.
“Divorce is not happiness, but it is a help towards happiness. For two human beings who hate one another to continue to live together is a much greater evil than divorce. Certainly it would be preferable if husband and wife could continue to love one another as they did during the first days of their married life; that they should love their children and be honoured by them. But since humanity is not free from faults and vices, this does not always happen. Divorce, as we wish for it, makes marriage worthier and more profound. Such marriages will be better suited to the new social movements and to the modern spirit.
“=The civil equality of the two sexes must be a fundamental principle of modern law.= The French Civil Code already recognizes for both sexes equal rights in some respects; but the wife still loses a certain portion of her rights in the moment that she marries. She is in fact rendered incapable of business. The contrast between the incapacity for business of the married woman and the capacity for business of the unmarried is one of the characteristic traits of our legislation.
“Divorce, as it now exists, contradicts the indissolubility of the marriage bond demanded by the Church. Adultery should only be regarded as a ground for divorce, and should not exonerate the murderer who kills his adulterous wife or her accomplice.
“We demand the abolition of the punishment for adultery, because prosecutions of this character arise either from revengeful feelings or from litigiousness.”
Justice demands that with this facilitation of divorce, as advocated in the French scheme of marriage reform, there should be associated =increased= security for the care of the dependent wife and children after divorce. In this connexion, =conjugal responsibility= is merely a part of =sexual responsibility= in general. If two independent, free individuals have sexual relations one with the other, in or out of marriage, they thereby both undertake in respect of their =own persons= and of all possible =offspring=, the duty and the responsibility which are the outcome of a natural instinctive feeling, namely, “the sense of sexual responsibility.” This must dominate the entire sexual life of every human being, as a categorical imperative. In this is to be found the necessary ethical counterpoise to the activity of boundless sexual egoism.
For the love of the future and its social regulation, the three following conditions appear to me to be determinative; they form a part also of the French programme of marriage reform:
1. =Equal rights, equal duties, equal responsibilities on the part of husband and wife.=
2. =Facilitation of divorce.=
3. =Individual freedom to be regarded as preferable to coercion. Freedom best promotes constancy in love.=[184]
If these principles were strictly carried out in practical life, without doubt, and as a matter of absolute certainty, the number of divorces would not increase, but would diminish, and we should sooner witness the realization of the ideal of true marriage, as the lifelong union of two free personalities, fully conscious of their duties and their rights.
The high ethical and social significance of family life will ever continue, even under the freest love, by which, as I must again and again insist, I do not understand unrestricted and continually changing extra-conjugal sexual intercourse. Against this the gravest considerations must be urged. What “free love” is, is already apparent from the preceding exposition, but in the next chapter the subject will be more thoroughly discussed.
APPENDIX
ONE HUNDRED TYPICAL MARRIAGES AND SOME CHARACTERISTIC PICTURES OF THE MARRIED STATE, AFTER GROSS-HOFFINGER
In a long-forgotten, but very interesting, book by Dr. Anton J. Gross-Hoffinger, entitled “The Fate of Women, and Prostitution in Relation to the Principle of the Indissolubility of Catholic Marriage, and especially in Relation to the Laws of Austria and the Philosophy of our Time,”[185] we find a collection, equally interesting to psychologists and to students of human character, to the physician, the jurist, and the sociologist, of a hundred typical marriages, and also a more detailed description of the course of a few marriages. These sketches deserve to be preserved from oblivion, because they will serve equally well as an example of marriages of our time.
In the first place, the author discusses the principal difficulties of marriage. He then asks whether, in view of the smallness of the number of those comparatively happy persons who have found it possible to live a legal and at the same time a natural family life, the existing marriage laws, religious ideas, and social customs have attained their aim, whether they give rise, as a general rule, to happy and fruitful, honourable and blessed unions. The author hesitated long before presenting for the first time “to the Catholic world the picture of the actual state of marriages in that world, a picture based upon numerous experiences and observations.” He investigated one hundred marriages of persons belonging to the most diverse classes, without selection, as they came under his observation by chance; then, again, another hundred, and once again a third hundred. Always the results were equally sad; always the ratio between happy and unhappy marriages was the same. The result of his investigations was, he states:
“Although I have earnestly sought for happy marriages, my search has to this extent been vain, that I have never been able to satisfy myself that =happy= marriages are anything but =extremely isolated exceptions to the general rule=.”
In his view this is not the unhappy result of erroneous observation, but depends upon exact observation during a long series of years, and in conditions which brought him into intimate relationship with numbers of persons in all classes of society.
Thus, after a long, difficult, and careful investigation into a =hundred= marriages among persons of different classes, he obtained the following results, here briefly summarized:
Upper Classes.
1. The marriage not unhappy, wife suffering from disorder arousing suspicion of syphilis; conjugal fidelity of the husband prior to the occurrence of this illness doubtful. Children sickly.
2. Both parties to the marriage happy =in advanced age=, after the husband had lived freely.
3. Both parties happy =in advanced age=--childless.
4. Husband impotent, wife unhappy.
5. Husband an old man, wife =unfaithful=.
6. Husband and wife apparently happy--children scrofulous.
7. The husband removed from home by circumstances, wife unfaithful.
8. Both parties unhappy, the husband a libertine.
9. Both parties apparently content in advanced age.
10. Husband a dissolute old libertine, wife unhappy, but resigned--no children.
11. Condition precisely similar to No. 10.
12. A happy mésalliance.
13. The husband phlegmatically happy, wife dissolute, children ill, mother sickly.
14. Husband dissipated, wife resigned. Husband and wife have come to an understanding.
15. Husband a libertine, wife a Messalina. Both parties syphilitic. Children sickly.
16. Both parties unhealthy and miserable. Husband dissipated, coarse. Wife ill, in a decline.
17. Husband a coarse libertine, wife separated from him and unhappy.
Upper-Middle Classes.
18. Both parties unhappy. Husband impotent. Wife, who is elderly, a Messalina. Marriage childless and unceasingly stormy.
19. Both parties tolerably happy, owing to gentleness and good-heartedness. Husband a sensualist and unfaithful. Wife faithful, ailing.
20. Both parties unhappy. Incessant domestic warfare in the house.
21. Phlegmatic rich husband, poor suffering wife--marriage childless--happily, as it seems.
22. Both parties in very advanced age, apparently happy. Their past doubtful. Scrofulous children.
23. Childless marriage between a former high-class mistress and a dissolute man.
24. An apparently happy marriage between a still young husband and an elderly wife. The former compensates himself secretly.
25. Unhappy marriage. Both parties unsatisfied. Husband dissolute. Wife resigned.
26. Happy marriage.
27. Doubtfully happy marriage.
28. Extremely unhappy marriage. Husband a libertine, unprincipled; wife half insane; children syphilitic.
29. Unhappy marriage, the husband formerly somewhat fickle, the wife unforgiving.
30. =Happy marriage.= Both parties immoral, dissolute; the wife carries on secret prostitution with the knowledge of the husband, who on his side keeps several mistresses. They take matters philosophically!
31. The husband a libertine and seducer by profession, the wife separated from him.
32. Happy marriage. The husband inclined to gallantry, without being absolutely dissolute. Wife gentle, patient, fond of her husband, and faithful.
33. The husband ill as the result of dissipation, the wife frivolous. Indifferent marriage.
34. The husband made happy by means of his wife’s money, but neglects her; she is very ill, wasting away. Childless marriage.
35. Husband impotent. Wife, with knowledge of her husband, on intimate terms with a friend of the family. In its way a happy marriage.
36. Dissolute husband, dissolute wife, both shameless and =free-thinking=--in mutual indifference they =seem= fairly happy.
37. Husband old and sickly, a worn-out libertine. The wife on intimate terms with a friend of the house. =Happy marriage!=
38. Unhappy marriage. Husband phlegmatic, wife extremely passionate and voluptuous.
39. Unhappy marriage. A worthless speculator who led astray the wife of a wealthy man and then deserted her. Childless.
40. Husband debilitated by excesses; wife immoral. =Happy marriage!=
41. Husband debilitated by excesses; wife patient. =Happy marriage!=
42. A similar state of affairs.
43. Happy marriage. Both parties still very young, untried.
44. Happy marriage. Husband phlegmatic--wife faithful.
45. Husband debilitated by excesses, wife rich. At the moment, a happy marriage.
Professional and Trading Classes.
46. Happy marriage. The husband phlegmatic and =seldom= unfaithful; wife forbearing, good, and faithful.
47. Happy marriage. Both parties rich and young. Husband, without his wife’s knowledge, loves the joys of Venus.
48. Unhappy marriage. An enforced marriage of prudence. The husband lives with a concubine, wife separated from him.
49. Unhappy marriage. Poverty, jealousy, and childlessness.
50. Happy marriage, owing to the forbearance and consideration of the wife towards the sullen, irascible husband.
51. Unhappy marriage. Husband lives happily with a concubine, the wife unhappily with a false friend.
52. Unhappy marriage. Phlegmatic husband, immoral wife, continuous quarrelling.
53. Unhappy marriage. The husband henpecked, impotent. The wife masterful, quarrelsome, and ill-tempered.
54. Husband and wife have separated.
55. Happy marriage. The husband is good-humoured and deceived; the wife a sensual libertine; children sickly; wife incurably ill.
56. Happy marriage. The husband a worn-out debauchee, the wife a worn-out prostitute. Both incurably ill, for the same reason.
57. Happy marriage, happy from necessity and phlegm.
58. Happy marriage. The husband, a swindler, does everything possible for those dependent on him. The wife, formerly a prostitute, is happy in consequence of his care.
59. A happy, artistic marriage. Happy on account of mutual laxity and accommodation.
60. Similar circumstances.
61. Happy marriage. The husband conceals his diversions with success. Wife faithful and always gentle.
62. Unhappy marriage. Light conduct on both sides, with usual results.
63. Happy marriage. The conjugal fidelity of the husband not above suspicion.
64. } } Similar circumstances. 65. }
66. Unhappy marriage. A marriage of prudence. The husband set himself up with his wife’s money, but spends it on light women; the wife revenges herself by boundless ill-temper.
67. Unhappy marriage. Marriage of prudence. The young husband settled in business on the money of his elderly wife; she nags, and he is drinking himself to death.
68. Marriage happy owing to =avarice= on both sides.
69. Marriage compulsorily happy owing to =poverty= on both sides.
70. Happy marriage! Husband a drunkard. Wife avaricious. Childless.
71. Husband and wife are separated; the husband abandoned his wife to poverty and prostitution.
72. Unhappy marriage. Husband impotent, wife lustful. Continued unhappiness.
73. Young married pair; wife mistress of a wealthy Jew, who supports the family.
74. Unhappy marriage. Husband dissolute, no longer cares for his wife; the latter incurably ill; children syphilitic.
75. Unhappy marriage. Both parties sickly and poor.
76. A marriage of speculation. Husband has sold his wife three times to different wealthy men; in this way he makes his living.
77. Immoral marriage. The husband lives by a swindling industry. The wife lives on a pension given by one whose mistress she formerly was--children brought up to prostitution.
78. Easy-going marriage. Husband formerly a domestic servant, now in business; wife formerly a prostitute who had saved money. Childless.
79. Happy marriage, between a fool and a clever woman.
80. Unhappy marriage. The husband dislikes his wife, is plagued to death by her; she brought the property into the house.
81. Dissipated husband, dissipated wife, separated from one another. The children scrofulous.
82. Impotent husband, licentious wife, sickly children; angry and stormy scenes.
83. Worn-out libertine, young wife; the parties are not unhappy, owing to affluence and freedom from cares.
84. Artistic marriage. Wife the mistress of a great man. The household goes on comfortably.
Lower Classes.
85. Dissolute husband. Formerly well-to-do, owing to his wife’s dowry, now reduced with her to beggary. Living by a trifling commission business. Wife sickly. Children dead.
86. Marriage happy, in consequence of great poverty.
87. A procurer’s family.
88. =Happy marriage.= Husband a thief, wife a prostitute.
89. The marriage unhappy in consequence of poverty.
90. Unhappy marriage. The husband a drinker, the wife working amid trouble and poverty.
91. Unhappy marriage. Poverty, misunderstanding, jealousy, and illness.
92. A family of servants. Wife and daughter at the disposal of the master.
93. Unhappy marriage. Frequent brawls. Mutual mistrust, hatred, and contempt.
94. Unhappy marriage. Upright husband deceived by his wife, and, in consequence of great poverty, is unable to control her.
95. Unhappy marriage. Husband has run away.
96. Immoral marriage. Husband, wife, and children live on the wages of unchastity.
97. } } 98. }Miserable marriages, which ended in the poor-house. } 99. }
100. A happy pair, who had endured all the severe trials of life, had forgiven each other everything, and never abandoned one another, a =virtuous= marriage in the noblest sense.
Thus, among these hundred marriages there were:
Unhappy, about 48 Indifferent 36 Unquestionably happy 15 Virtuous 1 Virtuous and orthodox --
Further, among these hundred marriages there were:
Intentionally immoral 14 Dissolute and libertine 51 Altogether above suspicion ?
Further:
Wives who were ill owing to the husband’s fault 30 Wives who were ill not owing to the husband’s fault 30 Wives who were unhappy, and had themselves to blame for it 12
Among these hundred marriages only one was happy owing to mutual faithfulness; all the other slightly happy marriages, if one may call them so, were so only because the wife did not disturb herself with regard to the question of her husband’s faithfulness.
From these statistics Gross-Hoffinger draws the following conclusions:
1. About =one-half= of all marriages are =absolutely unhappy=.
2. Much more than one-half of all marriages are obviously =demoralized=.
3. The morality of the remaining smaller moiety is preserved only by avoiding questions regarding the husband’s faithfulness.
4. Fifteen per cent. of all marriages live on the earnings of professional unchastity and procurement.
5. The number of orthodox marriages which are entirely above every suspicion of marital infidelity (assuming the existence of complete sexual potency) is in the eyes of every reasonable man, who understands the demands which Nature makes, and the violence of those demands, =equivalent to nil=. Hence the =ecclesiastical= purpose of marriage is =generally=, =fundamentally=, and =completely evaded=.
“No =compulsion=,” thus concludes the author, “is more unnatural than that of the Catholic (Protestant, Jewish, Greek Orthodox) religion, by which is prescribed a compulsory continuance of marriage, with its fantastic code and ridiculous conjugal duties and rights.
“First of all, this compulsion--this sacrament of marriage--marriage which is nothing, can be nothing, =according to nature= should be nothing, but =a free union and a civil arrangement=--results in the =avoidance of marriage=.
“Secondly, it results that in marriage the purposes of marriage are not and cannot be completely fulfilled.
“Thirdly, that marriage has ceased to be the natural marriage which it should be, and has become merely a business, a speculation, or a hospital for invalids.”
In illustration of this proposition, Gross-Hoffinger finally describes from life twenty-four marriages, some of which, being especially interesting, we will here record.
1.
Countess B., owing to unavoidable difficulties, was unable to contract a suitable marriage, and attained the age of thirty whilst still unmarried. The result of this was she gave herself to a servant, consequently became infected, and died of syphilis some months after she had, finally, married. Her husband was left with an unhappy memorial of this brief marriage.
2.
Count C., a man of high rank, lost his beloved wife through death. Circumstances made it impossible for him to marry again. He was afraid of acquiring venereal disorders, and therefore abstained from natural connexion. Through lack of natural sexual gratification his sexual impulse became perverse, and he took to the practice of Greek love.
3.
Prince D., young, impotent, concluded a marriage of convenience with a beautiful, very passionate lady, who, on account of her husband’s impotence, compensated herself with domestic servants, members of her retinue, and cavalry soldiers, and gave birth in these conditions to several children, which inherited the title of the putative father. In such circumstances the marriage has been very unhappy, but necessity compels the husband to bear his fate with patience.
4.
Count E., in other respects a man of fine character, made a marriage of convenience with a lady of good family, who, however, was not in a position to make him happy. From natural nobility of character, he was unwilling to distress his unhappy wife by entering openly into relations with a concubine, and therefore sought sexual gratification with prostitutes. He became infected, and transmitted the illness to his wife, who became seriously ill, and gave birth to diseased children. Although the poor sufferer is unaware of the origin of her troubles, and bears them with patience; although her husband takes all possible care of her, and does his best to bring about the restoration of her health; the marriage, owing to the uneasy conscience of the husband and the physical suffering of the wife, is obviously a very unhappy one.
5.
Baron F., a man of wide influence, in youth a libertine--frivolous, and of an emotional disposition, insusceptible to finer feelings, contracted successively four marriages of convenience, which in all cases terminated in the death of the wife. There is reason to believe that the unceasing libertinism and unscrupulous conduct of the husband had shortened the life of his wives--and this is all the more probable because all the Baron’s children are sickly and scrofulous.
6.
Count G., dissipated libertine, wasted his property in wild extravagance, and compelled his wife to live apart from him, whilst he spent enormous sums on professional singers and dancers and common prostitutes. Being ruined as completely financially as physically, he was despised by persons of all classes, persecuted by his creditors, and absolutely detested by his wife. Although his pleasures consist chiefly in reminiscences, he still devotes enormous sums to them, the money being obtained by a continued increase in his debts.
7.
Count H. has been married for many years, but lives on the most unpleasant terms with his wife, and devotes his spare time to the society of prostitutes. The scum of the street form his favourite associates; but his voluptuous adventures carry him also into family life, and no respectable middle-class wife or girl, however innocent, is safe from his advances, which are all the more incredible because he is quite an old man and completely impotent. He uses all possible means to make the woman of his choice compliant--presents, promises, threats.
8.
Dr. S., husband of an immoral wife, public official, libertine, philosopher, enjoying a small secured income. Lives with his wife on a footing which permits both parties unlimited freedom. The worthy couple devote their whole energies to earning money by their industry, in part by secret prostitution on the part of the wife, in part by direct and indirect procurement by the holding of piquant evening
## parties for youthful members of the aristocracy. The family has an
extraordinary vogue. Persons of high position are engaged in confidential intercourse with them; young girls of the better classes gladly attend their soirées, since there they meet the élite of the young aristocracy, rich Jews, and officers. This interesting pair get through an almost incredible amount of money; they keep a magnificent carriage, they have a country house, a valuable collection of pictures, etc. It is only from their servants that both of them receive little respect, since the male portion of the household subserve the lustful desires of the wife, the female domestics those of the husband, and all must be initiated into the secrets of the household industry.
9.
Dr. U. was till recently an old bachelor, who had never wished to share his property with a wife and children, and found it much cheaper and more agreeable to impregnate servant-girls and other neglected characters than to keep a mistress, or to seek his pleasures in the street. Finally, becoming infirm at sixty-two years of age, and needing nursing, on account of an occasional gouty swelling of the leg, he discovered that it was not good for man to be alone. Having rank and wealth, it would have been easy for him to find a young and pretty girl who, under the title of wife, would have undertaken to play the part of sick nurse. But the old practitioner knew too well the value of what he had to offer to throw himself away on a poor girl. He considered that it would be reasonable to choose such a partner that he would not be obliged to divide his income, and to find some one to take care of him in his old age who would cost him nothing at all, but would rather provide for her own needs. He thought less, therefore, of youth than of property, less of beauty than of thrifty habits; and finally found an old maid, a woman with some property, who, on account of a somewhat unattractive exterior, had failed to obtain a husband. Now one can see the prudent husband, who is as faithful to his wife as the gout is faithful to him, walking from time to time in the street on the arm of his life companion, whose aspect is somewhat discontented. She still wears the same clothes which she wore before her marriage, and which have a sufficiently shabby appearance, but she endures her lot with patience, because she is now greeted as “gnädige Frau,” and people kiss her hand, as they did not do formerly.
10.
Count J., a man of unblemished character, lived for some time a happy married life. The increasing age of the wife, however, associated with the exceptional constitution of the Count, whose youth seemed remarkably enduring, led to scenes of jealousy, which embittered the life of both. We can hardly suppose that this jealousy is altogether unfounded; but surely it is a matter for regret that two human beings of distinctly noble character should by marriage be exposed to lifelong unhappiness.
11.
Herr von K., a young merchant in the wholesale trade, is married to the daughter of a man of position, and the wife by a rich dowry helped to found her husband’s fortunes; hence she enjoys the distinction over other wives that her husband pretends a great tenderness for her, and conceals his indiscretions with the greatest possible care. For this reason, she has always been devoted to him; she regards him as the example for all other husbands, as a true phenomenon in the midst of an utterly depraved world of immoral men. And as an actual fact, if one sees this man, how he lives in appearance only for his business, with what delicate modesty he avoids any conversation about loose women, if one hears him zealously preach against husbands who deceive their wives, how inconceivable it is to him that a man should find any pleasure in immoral women--one would be willing to swear that he is everything that his wife enthusiastically describes him to be. But some wags amongst his acquaintances, by taking incredible pains, discovered that this honourable merchant had no less than =seven mistresses=, two of whom belonged to the class of prostitutes, two to the class of grisettes; the remaining three had been decent middle-class women. To these last he presented himself under various names and in the most diverse forms--now as attaché to an embassy, now as an officer, now as a journeyman mechanic. To all these latter mistresses he had promised marriage, and by a succession of presents, oaths, and lies, he had in each case attained his end, and thereafter abandoned them without remorse to the consequences of the adventure, whilst he himself set out to seek in a fresh quarter of the town new sacrifices for the altar of his lusts. Since he never had anything to do with known prostitutes and procuresses, but by personal pains provided the materials for his pleasures, he succeeded both as a merchant and as a husband in preserving the reputation of a man free from illicit passion and deserving of all confidence.
12.
Major W., a distinguished officer, a man of honour in every respect, had in youth married a chambermaid, naturally, as one can imagine, from pure inclination. But the marriage remained barren, because the wife suffered from organic troubles; and soon her sexual powers were completely extinguished. Whilst the husband still remained virile, the wife was already an old woman, suffering from spasmodic and other affections, surrounded always by medicine-bottles and medical appliances, always ill-humoured and nagging, a true torment for the good-natured and amiable husband. The latter bears with Christian patience and inexhaustible love the ill-humour of his wife; but Nature is less pliable than his kind heart: his conjugal tenderness diminishes, and his ardent temperament seeks other outlets for the gratification of his natural sexual desires. The sick wife notices this coolness, and revenges herself by a refined cruelty. She knows that sulkiness on her part makes him ill and miserable; she therefore afflicts him with coldness of manner, and by jealousy and ill-temper she makes his life a hell. There occur horrible scenes of domestic brawling, which more than once have led the husband to attempt to end his troubles by suicide. He suffers in a threefold fashion: by the continued irritation of his healthy natural impulse, by the illnesses he contracts in gratifying that impulse, and by the sorrows of his really loved wife. He imposes upon himself a voluntary celibacy in order that he may not make her ill; but this sacrifice does not suffice, it does not make his wife gentler towards him. She demands from him, tacitly, all the ardency of the bridegroom; there is no rescue possible from this inferno. The husband surrenders himself to a quiet despair. He is faithful in his vocation; he lives only for the wife, who torments him continually. The neighbours see a very unedifying example of an extremely unhappy marriage, originally contracted as a pure love match, and none the less entailing martyrdom alike on husband and wife.
NOTE.--That in Vienna the conjugal conditions so graphically described in the above extracts are still much the same as formerly, and that marriage needs and marriage lies are there exceptionally painful is shown by the foundation in Vienna of a “Society for Marriage Reform,” which sent to the Assembly of German Jurists, meeting at Kiel in the beginning of September, 1906, the telegraphic request that they would undertake a revision of Austrian marriage law, since hitherto no cure had been found for unhappy marriage in Austria, no divorce was possible, and those who had obtained a judicial separation could, according to Canon Law, sue one another on account of adultery (_cf._ _Neue Freie Presse_, No. 15108, September 13, 1906). It is hardly credible, but, according to a report in the _Berlin Aerzte-Correspondenz_, 1907, No. 8, it is true, that the Medical Court of Honour for the town of Berlin and the province of Brandenburg, in the year of our Lord 1906, punished physicians on the ground of adultery!
[155] P. Näcke, one of the most trustworthy authorities on sexual anthropology, writes as follows: “That in ancient times, before monogamy, there was polygamy, or even a state resembling promiscuity, =is very probable= (Westermarck notwithstanding), =and can, in fact, be assumed a priori=” (“Einiges zur Frauenfrage und zur sexuellen Abstinenz”--“A Contribution to the Woman’s Question and to the Problem of Sexual Abstinence”), published in the _Archiv f. Kriminalanthropologie_, vol. xiv., p. 52 (Hans Gross, 1903). _Cf._ also Lohsing’s “Zustimmung zur Annahme einer ursprünglichen Promiscuität,” _ibid._, vol. xvi., p. 332.
The question of sexual promiscuity has recently been further considered by P. Näcke (“Earliest Beginnings of Human Society,” in _Die Umschau_ of August 17, 1907). He believes that the state of pure promiscuity lasted a short time only, and gave place to certain nuclei of family structure, a kind of semi-promiscuity, which, prior to the complete development of the family union, lasted much longer than the state of pure promiscuity. Still, these earliest families were merely temporary, and only later became fixed and permanent. This assumption, however, does not affect the fact of a primordial pure promiscuity. Näcke himself also recognizes promiscuity as the natural state of primitive man.
[156] H. Schurtz, “Altersklassen und Männerbünde: eine Darstellung der Grundformen der Gesellschaft”--“Age Classes and Associations of Men: a Demonstration of the Fundamental Forms of Society,” p. 176 (Berlin, 1902).
[157] N. Melnikow, “The Buryats of the District of Irkutsk,” published in the Transactions of the Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology, and Primeval History, p. 440 (1899).
[158] Marco Polo, translated by Yule, 2nd edition, vol. ii., pp. 38, 39 (London, 1875).
[159] _Cf._ my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., pp. 165-169.
[160] _Cf._, regarding group-marriage, the writings of Joseph Kehler, more particularly “Zur Urgeschichte der Ehe”--“The Primitive History of Marriage” (Stuttgart, 1897); “Rechtsphilosophie und Naturrecht”--“The Philosophy of Law and Natural Right,” published in Holtzendorff-Kohler’s “Encyklopädie der Rechtswissenschaft,” pp. 27-36 (Leipzig, 1902); “Die Gruppenehe”--“Group-Marriage,” in “Aus Kultur und Leben,” pp. 22-29 (Berlin, 1904); finally the chapter on “Group-Marriage” by Schurtz (_op. cit._). [A quite modern instance of group-marriage was the Oneida community, “a league of two hundred persons to regard their children as ‘common.’” For an account of the Oneida experiment see Noyes, “A History of American Socialisms.”--TRANSLATOR.]
[161] J. J. Bachofen, “Das Mutterrecht”--“Matriarchy” (Stuttgart, 1861).
[162] Ludwig Stein, “Die Anfänge der Kultur”--“The Beginnings of Civilization”--pp. 106, 107.
[163] Eduard von Mayer, “Die Lebensgesetze der Kultur”--“The Vital Laws of Civilization”--p. 210.
[164] G. F. W. Hegel, “Fundamental Outlines of the Philosophy of Law, or Natural Rights and Political Science in Outline,” edited by Eduard Gans, second edition, p. 218 (Berlin, 1840).
[165] That is to say, it is not sufficient to replace the father-right by the mother-right, as, for example, Ruth Bré demands (“The Children of the State, or the Mother-Right?” Leipzig, 1904).
[166] There is a most apposite remark in one of George Meredith’s novels. He imagines that an Oriental vizier (from a Mohammedan country) is visiting our “Christian” capital, and late one evening, after a dinner-party at a distinguished house, walks homeward by way of Piccadilly. He asks, and is told, who are the numerous ladies walking the streets at that late hour. “_I perceive_” said the vizier, “_that monogamic society has a decent visage and a hideous rear_.”--TRANSLATOR.
[167] M. Nordau, “The Conventional Lies of our Civilization,” pp. 263-317 (Leipzig, 1884).
[168] Georg Hirth estimates the percentage of marriages of convenience as even higher--viz., 90 per cent. _Cf._ his “Ways to Love,” p. 607.
[169] _Cf._ my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., pp. 165-174; vol. ii., pp. 190, 191, 208, 209, 363, 364.
[170] Schopenhauer’s Collected Works, edited by E. Grisebach, vol. ii., p. 1337 (Leipzig, 1905).
[171] Ernest Stiedenroth, “Psychologie zur Erklärung der Seelenerscheinungen,” pp. 224, 225 (Berlin, 1825).
[172] Max Nordau, “Conventional Lies,” p. 305.
[173] _Cf._ in this connexion the feuilleton of the _Vossische Zeitung_, No. 286, June 17, 1904. Jean Paul, also, was an enthusiast in theory and practice for such double love. He called it “simultaneous love.” The idea of simultaneous love has also been employed in a recently published French novel, “A la Merci de l’Heure,” by Jean Tarbel (Paris, 1907). The heroine has need of two lovers--a celebrated literary professor for head and heart, and in addition, a young physician for the gratification of her sensual needs. Contrariwise, Knut Hamsun, in “Pan,” and Guy de Maupassant in “Notre Cœur,” describe the double love of a man for a woman of the world and for a child of Nature.
[174] Friederich Schleiermacher, “Philosophic and Other Writings,” vol. i., p. 473 (Berlin, 1846).
[175] _Cf._ Eduard von Hartmann, “Philosophie des Unbewussten,” p. 205. In a French collection--“L’Amour par les Grands Écrivains,” by Julien Lemer, p. 14 (Paris, 1861)--we find the saying, “Ordinairement, lorsqu’on se marie par amour, il vient ensuite de la haine; c’est que j’ai vu de mes yeux” (“Ordinarily, when one marries for love, hate takes its place. I have seen it with my own eyes”).
[176] _B. Z. am Mittag_, No. 210, September 7, 1906.
[177] “Annales d’Hygiène Publique,” 1900, p. 340.
[178] Elard H. Meyer, “Deutsche Volkskunde,” p. 166 (Strasburg, 1898).
[179] Ludwig Stein, “Der Sinn des Daseins”--“The Sense of Existence,” p. 235 (Tübingen and Leipzig, 1904).
[180] H. Th. Buckle, “History of Civilization in England.”
[181] G. Schmoller, “Elements of General Political Economy,” vol. i., p. 250 (Leipzig, 1901).
[182] § 1568 runs: “A husband or wife can sue for divorce when the wife or husband =by serious disregard of the duties entailed by marriage=, or by dishonourable or immoral conduct, has brought about so profound a disorder of the conjugal relationship that to the offended party the continuation of the marriage appears impossible. Gross ill-treatment is also to be regarded as a serious infringement of these duties.” It is clear that the emphasized passage is capable of manifold interpretations, and it thus compensates for the abolition of the earlier grounds for divorce based upon incompatibility of temper.
[183] Taken from the newspaper _Le Jour_, No. 337, July 6, 1906.
[184] Compare Browning’s lines, in “James Lee’s Wife”:
“How the light, light love, he has wings to fly At suspicion of a bond.”--TRANSLATOR.
[185] “Die Schicksale der Frauen und die Prostitution im Zusammenhange mit dem Prinzip der Unauflösbarkeit der katholischen Ehe und besonders der österreichischen Gesetzgebung und der Philosophie des Zeitalters” (Leipzig, 1847).
## CHAPTER XI
FREE LOVE
“_The transformation of coercive marriage into a free and equal marriage, one more closely approaching perfection, both naturally and morally, can only be effected in conjunction with social arrangements providing for the complete economic independence of woman, and giving security for her material means of subsistence. Unless this indispensable preliminary is fulfilled, the highest ideal of free morality will be debased to the level of a gross caricature._”--E. DÜHRING.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XI
Free love as a burning question of our time -- Definition -- Free love not equivalent to extra-conjugal sexual intercourse -- Defamation of free love and sanction of extra-conjugal sexual intercourse by the coercive-marriage-morality -- The immoral duplex morality for man and woman -- Its momentous influence upon the sexual corruption of the present day -- Free love as the only source of help -- Actual realization of free love among the proletariat -- Strengthening of the sense of responsibility in consequence of free love.
History of free love in the nineteenth century -- William Godwin’s fight against coercive marriage -- His free union with Mary Woolstonecraft -- Shelley’s polemic against conventional sexual morality -- John Ruskin on free love -- Goethe’s marriage of conscience -- His “Wahlverwandtschaften” (“Elective Affinities”) -- The remarkable proposal for a temporary marriage in this romance -- Perhaps based upon a Japanese custom -- Malayan temporary marriage -- Influence of Schlegel’s “Lucinde” -- Karoline’s marriage wanderings -- Free love in Jena and Berlin -- Communistic-socialistic ideas regarding free love -- Rétif de la Bretonne, Saint-Simon, Enfantin, and Fourier -- George Sand’s “Jacques” -- The “Es-geht-an-Idea” of the Swedish author Almquist -- Schopenhauer’s fight against coercive marriage -- His one-sided standpoint -- His description of the disastrous effects of monogamic coercive marriage -- His apology for concubinage -- Criticism of his view of the rôle of women in marriage reform -- His theory of tetragamy -- =First communication of a hitherto unpublished note of Schopenhauer’s on tetragamy= -- Criticism of this theory.
Free love based upon =only-love=, the watchword of the future -- Bohemian love -- Does not correspond to the ideal of free love -- Importance of social and economic factors in the sexual relationships of the present day -- Efforts for sexual reform -- The literature of free love -- Charles Albert’s communistic foundation of free love -- Liberation of love from the dominion of the state and of capital -- Ladislaus Gumplowicz -- Bebel’s “Die Frau und der Sozialismus” (“Woman and Socialism”) -- The psychologico-individual foundation of free love -- Eugen Dühring -- Edward Carpenter’s “Love’s Coming of Age” -- His ideas regarding self-control and spiritual procreation -- Ellen Key’s work, “Ueber Liebe und Ehe” (“Love and Marriage”) -- Detailed analysis of this work -- Her critique of nominal “monogamy” -- Her idea of “spiritualized sensuality” -- “Erotic monism” -- The unity of marriage and love -- Sexual dualism owing to coercive marriage and prostitution -- General diffusion of erotic scepticism -- Recognition of love as the spiritual force of life -- Importance of relative asceticism -- Love’s choice -- Medical certificates of fitness for marriage -- Immoral love -- The right to motherhood -- Preliminary conditions -- Necessity for free divorce -- Unfortunate marriages -- Importance of divorce to children -- New programme of the rights of children -- Ellen Key’s new marriage law -- Endowment of motherhood -- Authorities for the protection of children -- Division of the property of husband and wife -- Discontinuance of the coercion to live together -- Secret marriages -- Conditions under which marriage is to be contracted -- Divorce -- Council of Divorce -- Jury for the care of children -- Sexual responsibility -- “Marriages of conscience” -- Examples from Sweden -- Public notification of “free” unions -- Legal recognition of “free” unions in Sweden -- Increase in the number of “marriage protestants” -- Importance of free love to the vital advance of humanity -- General characterization of Ellen Key’s book -- Its importance in connexion with sexual reform in Germany -- Formation of “The Association for the Protection of Mothers” -- Directors and committee of this society -- Preliminary appeal and programme of the association -- The periodical _Mutterschutz_ -- The formation of local groups -- The “Umwertungs-Gesellschaft” (Revaluation Society) of the United States -- Its characterization of modern marriage -- The Berlin “Union for Sexual Reform” -- Helene Stöcker’s “Love and Woman” -- Conception of the sexual problem in the sense of Nietzsche -- No revolution, but evolution and reform -- Deepening of woman’s soul by means of the older love -- The affirmation of life of the new love -- The economic and social grounds for the necessity of social reform -- Friedrich Naumann, Lily Braun, and others, on this subject -- Increase in enforced abstinence from marriage -- The “maintenance question” a crying scandal of our time -- A characteristic letter -- The radical evil of conventional morality -- Insurance of motherhood -- Homes for pregnant women and for infants -- The rights of the “illegitimate” child -- Suggestions regarding a statistical inquiry relating to free love and illegitimate offspring in the upper classes -- Examples of celebrated personalities.
## CHAPTER XI
The problem of “free love” is the burning question of our time. Upon its proper solution depends the future of civilization, and our ultimate liberation from the ignominious conditions of the amatory life of the present day, dependent as these are upon coercive marriage. This is our firm conviction, our profound belief, one which we share with many, and those not the worst minds of our day.
Free love is neither, as malevolent opponents maintain, the abolition of marriage, nor is it the organization of extra-conjugal sexual intercourse. Free love and extra-conjugal sexual intercourse have nothing whatever to do one with the other. Indeed, I go so far as to maintain that true free love, as it must and will prevail, will limit casual and unregulated extra-conjugal sexual intercourse =to a far greater extent= than coercive marriage has ever succeeded in doing. Above all, free love will ennoble sexual intercourse.
For the longer, in existing economic conditions, we cling to the antiquated “coercive marriage,” which has so long been in need of reform, the smaller is the number of those who desire to marry, the more advanced becomes the age of marriage, the greater becomes the general sexual wretchedness, the deeper shall we sink into the mephitic slough of prostitution, towards which the increasing promiscuity of extra-conjugal sexual intercourse inevitably leads us.
For this is the peculiar, hypocritical, and absurd mode of argument of those who uphold conventional marriage; they despise and brand with infamy every sexual relationship of two adult independent persons based upon free love, and sanction quite openly casual transitory extra-conjugal sexual intercourse, devoid of all personal relationships, not only with prostitutes, but also with respectable women.
“Bachelorhood,” says Max Nordau, “is very far from being equivalent to sexual continence. The bachelor receives from society the tacit permission to indulge in the convenience of intercourse with woman, when and where he can; it calls his self-seeking pleasures ‘successes,’ and surrounds them with a kind of poetic glory; and the amiable vice of Don Juan arouses in society a feeling composed of envy, sympathy, and secret admiration.”[186]
On the other hand, =this same= conventional coercive marriage morality demands from the girl complete sexual continence and intactness until the time of her marriage!
But every reasonable and just man must ask the question, Where, then, are the unmarried men to gratify their sexual impulse if at the same time the unmarried girls are condemned to absolute chastity?
It is merely necessary to place these two facts =side by side= in order to expose the utter mendacity and shamelessness of the coercive marriage morality, and to display the true cancer of our sexual life, the sole cause of the increasing diffusion of =prostitution=, of =wild sexual promiscuity=, and of =venereal diseases=.
When hereafter, before the judgment-seat of history, the dreadful “_j’accuse_” is uttered against the sexual corruption of our time, then there will be a good defence for those of us who, under the device, “Away with prostitution! away with the brothels! away with all ‘wild’ love! away with venereal diseases!” were the first to indicate =free love= as the one and only means of rescue from these miseries.
We are always told that men are not yet ready for the free, independent management of their sexual life; mankind is not yet ripe for the necessary responsibility. Our opponents point especially to the danger of such an opinion and such reforms for the lower classes.
But human beings are better than the defenders of the obsolete conventional morality would have us believe, and above all, it is the members of the lower classes whom we may quietly allow to follow the dictates of their own hearts. They, indeed, give us the example that freedom is not equivalent to immorality and pleasure-seeking; that, on the contrary, it is freedom that awakens and keeps active the consciousness of duty and the sense of responsibility.
Alfred Blaschko rightly draws attention to the fact that among the proletariat for a long time already the idea of free love has been actually realized. In a large majority of cases men and women of these classes have sexual intercourse with one another, especially between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, without marrying.[187]
“Among the proletariat free love has never been regarded as sinful. Where there is no property which is capable of being left to a legitimate heir, where the appeal of the heart draws man and woman together, from the very earliest times people have troubled themselves little about the blessing of the priest; and had it not been that at the present day the civil form of marriage is so simple, whilst, on the other hand, there are so many difficulties placed in the path of unmarried mothers and illegitimate children, =who can tell if the modern proletariat would not long ago, as far as they themselves are concerned, have abolished marriage=?”[188]
Blaschko adduces proofs that in all places in which free love is not possible =prostitution takes its place=.
This fact affords a striking proof of the necessity of free love. For there can be no doubt as to the correct answer to the question which is better, prostitution or free love.
Max Marcus and other physicians have recently discussed the question whether the medical man is justified in recommending extra-conjugal sexual intercourse. I myself, as a physician, and as an ardent supporter of the efforts for the suppression of venereal diseases, in view of the enormous increase of professional prostitution (both public and private), and in view also of the extraordinarily wide diffusion of venereal diseases, feel compelled to answer this question, generally speaking, =in the negative=. Yet I look to the introduction of free love, and in association with free love of a new sexual morality, in accordance with which man and woman are regarded as two free personalities, with equal rights and also equal responsibilities, as the only possible rescue from the misery of prostitution and of venereal disease.
Place the free woman beside the free man, inspire both with the profound sense of =responsibility= which will result from the activity of the love of two free personalities, and you will see that to them and to their children such love will bring true happiness.
Before going further into this problem of free love, I will give a brief account of the history of the question during the nineteenth century. We shall see that quite a number of leading spirits, morally lofty natures, were occupied with the question, because they were deeply impressed with the intolerable character of existing conditions in the sexual sphere, and were convinced that help was only to be found in a relaxation of those conditions in the sense of a =freer= conception of sexual relationships.
In addition to the romanticists (_vide supra_, pp. 169 and 175) in the beginning of the nineteenth century in England, William Godwin, the lover and husband of Mary Wollstonecraft (the celebrated advocate of woman’s rights), in his “Political Justice,” declared the conventional coercive marriage to be an obsolete institution, by which the freedom of the individual was seriously curtailed. Marriage is a question of property, and one person ought not to become the property of another. Godwin maintained that the abolition of marriage would have no evil consequences. The free love and subsequent marriage of Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft deserves a short description. Godwin was of opinion that the members of a family should not see too much of one another. He also believed that they would interfere with one another’s work if they lived in the same house. For this reason he furnished some rooms for himself at a little distance from Mary Wollstonecraft’s dwelling, and often first appeared at her house at a late lunch; the intervening hours were spent by both in literary work. They exchanged letters also during the day.[189]
Doubtless under the influence of the views of Godwin, Shelley, in the notes to “Queen Mab,” writes a violent polemic against coercive marriage. He says:
“Love withers under constraint; its very essence is liberty; it is compatible neither with obedience, jealousy, nor fear; it is there most pure, perfect, and unlimited, where its votaries live in confidence, equality, and unreserve. How long, then, ought the sexual connexion to last? What law ought to specify the extent of the grievances which should limit its duration? A husband and wife ought to continue so long united as they love each other; any law which should bind them to cohabitation for one moment after the decay of their affection would be a most intolerable tyranny.”[190]
He then proceeds to attack the conventional morality so intimately associated with coercive marriage, and concludes with the words:
“Chastity is a monkish and evangelical superstition, a greater foe to natural temperance even than unintellectual sensuality; it strikes at the root of all domestic happiness, and consigns more than half of the human race to misery, that some few may monopolize according to law. A system could not well have been devised more studiously hostile to human happiness than marriage. I conceive that from the abolition of marriage, the fit and natural arrangement of sexual connexion would result. =I by no means assert that the intercourse would be promiscuous=; on the contrary, it appears, from the relation of parent to child, that this union is generally of long duration, and marked above all others with generosity and self-devotion.”[191]
Here, also, we find the expression of the firm conviction that in the freedom of love is to be found an assured guarantee for its durability!
Later, also, the English Pre-Raphaelites, especially John Ruskin, advocated free love, and maintained that the sacredness of these natural bonds lay in their very essence. It is love which first makes marriage legal, not marriage which legalizes love (_cf._ Charlotte Broicher, “John Ruskin and his Work,” vol. i., pp. 104-106; Leipzig, 1902).
In Germany, at the commencement of the nineteenth century, a lively discussion of the problems of love and marriage ensued upon the publication of Friedrich Schlegel’s “Lucinde” and Goethe’s “Wahlverwandtschaften”--“Elective Affinities” (1809).
Goethe, in his very rich amatory life, especially in his relationship to Charlotte von Stein and to Christiane Vulpius, with the latter of whom he lived for eighteen years in a free “marriage of conscience,”[192] and whose son, August, the offspring of this union, he adopted long before the marriage was legitimized, realized the ideal of free love more than once. Although in his book “Wahlverwandtschaften” (“Elective Affinities”) he at length gave the victory to the moral conception of monogamic marriage, and propounded it as an illuminating ideal for civilization (which “ideal standpoint” we ourselves, as we have shown in the previous chapters, fully share), yet in this novel he has represented conjugal struggles, from which it appears how profoundly he was impressed by the importance of a transformation of amatory life in the direction of freedom. It is especially by the mouth of the Count in this work that he gives utterance to such ideas. The latter records the advice of one of his friends that every marriage should be contracted for the term of five years only.
“This number,” he said, “is a beautiful, sacred, odd number, and such a period of time would be sufficient for the married pair to learn to know one another, for them to bring a few children into the world, to separate, and, what would be most beautiful of all, to come together again.”
Often he would exclaim:
“How happily would the first portion of the time pass! Two or three years at least would pass very happily. Then very likely one member of the pair would wish that the union should be prolonged; and this desire would increase the more nearly the terminus of the marriage approached. An indifferent, even an unsatisfied, member of such a union would be pleased by such a demeanour on the part of the other. One is apt to forget how in good society the passing of time is unnoticed; one finds with agreeable surprise, when the allotted time has passed away, =that it has been tacitly prolonged=. It is precisely this voluntary, tacit prolongation of sexual relationship, freely undertaken by both parties without any extraneous compulsion, to which Goethe ascribes =a profound moral significance=.”
I should like to draw the attention of students of Goethe to the fact that this recommendation of a temporary marriage for the term of five years, with tacit prolongation of the term, is a very ancient Japanese custom, or, at any rate, was so thirty years ago.
Wernich, who for several years was Professor of Medicine at the Imperial University of Japan, remarks:
“Marriages were concluded for a term only: in the case of persons of standing for =five= years; among the lower classes for a shorter term. It was =very rare=, however, only in cases in which the marriage was manifestly unhappy, for a separation to take place when the term expired. If there were healthy living children such a separation hardly ever occurred--most of these temporary marriages were, in fact, extremely happy, and the same is true of Jewish marriages, in which divorce is easily effected by a very simple ceremonial, closely resembling that of the Japanese.”[193]
In view of the remarkable coincidence between the proposal in Goethe’s “Elective Affinities” and the Japanese custom, we are probably justified in assuming that Goethe was acquainted with the latter.
“Lucinde” gave expression to the feelings and moods of the time in respect of love and marriage on behalf of a circle far wider than that of the romanticists. At no time were the ideals of free love so deeply felt, so enthusiastically presented, as then; above all, by the beautiful Karoline, who, after long “marriage wanderings,” especially with A. W. Schegel, finally found the happiness of her life in a free marriage with Schelling, which subsequently became a legally recognized union.
“In her letters,” says Kuno Fischer, “she praises again and again the man of her choice and of her heart, in whose love she had really attained the goal which she had longed and sought in labyrinthine wanderings.... And that Schelling was the man who was able completely to master the heart of this woman and to make her his own, gives to his features also an expression which beautifies them.”[194]
Rahel, Dorothea Schlegel, and Henriette Herz, extolled, under the influence of “Lucinde,” the happiness of free love. For this period of genius in Jena and Berlin, as Rudolph von Gottschall calls it, the free-love relationship of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Frau Pauline Wiesel was typical. This relationship is more intimately known to us from the letters exchanged between the two, published by Alexander Büchner in 1865. In these letters, to quote a saying of Ludmilla Assing, we find “the most passionate expression of all that it is possible to express in writing.”
In France the discussion of the question of free love was to an important extent associated with the communistic-socialistic ideas of Saint Simon, Enfantin, and Fourier. Before this, Rétif de la Bretonne, in his “Découverte Australe” (a work which exercised a great influence upon Charles Fourier),[195] demanded that the duration of marriage should be in the first instance two years, with which period the contract should spontaneously terminate. Saint Simon and Barrault proclaimed the “free wife,” Père Enfantin proclaimed the “free union,” and Fourier proclaimed “free love” in the phalanstery.
A reflection of this idea is to be found in the novels of George Sand, especially “Lelia” and “Jacques,” these tragedies of marriage; in “Jacques,” for example, we find the following passage:
“I continue to believe that marriage is one of the most hateful of institutions. I have no doubt whatever that when the human race has advanced further towards rationality and the love of justice, marriage will be abolished. =A human and not less sacred union= would then replace it, and the existence of the children would be not less cared for and secured, without therefore binding in eternal fetters the freedom of the parents.”
We must mention Hortense Allart de Méritens (1801-1879) as a contemporary of the much-loving George Sand, and, like her, a theoretical and practical advocate of free love. She was cousin to the well-known authoress Delphine Gay, and herself wrote a _roman à clef_, published in 1872, “Les Enchantements de Prudence,” in which she records the history of her own life, devoted to free love. First the beloved of a nobleman, she ran away when she discovered she was pregnant, and then lived successively with the Italian statesman Gino Capponi (1826-1829); with the celebrated French author Chateaubriand (1829-1831); with the English novelist and poet Bulwer (1831-1836); the Italian Mazzini (1837-1840); the critic Sainte-Beuve (1840-1841); these being all free unions. From 1843 to 1846 she was the perfectly legitimate and extremely unhappy wife of an architect named Napoléon de Méritens, whereas with her earlier lovers she had lived most happily. Léon Séché, in the _Revue de Paris_ of July 1, 1907, has recently described the life of this notable priestess of free love, to whose above-mentioned romance George Sand wrote a preface (_cf._ _Literarisches Echo_ of August 1, 1907, pp. 1612, 1613).
In Sweden at about the same time the celebrated poet C. J. L. Almquist was a powerful advocate for free love. In the numbers for July and August, 1900, of the monthly review, _Die Insel_, Ellen Key has published a thoughtful essay, containing an analysis of Almquist’s views on this subject.
In the novel “Es Geht An” Almquist advocates the thesis that true love needs no consecration by a marriage ceremony. On the contrary, a ceremony of this kind belies the very nature of marriage, for it forms and cements false unions; and any relationship concluded on the lowest grounds, if it has only been preceded by a marriage ceremony, is regarded as pure, whilst a union based upon true love without marriage is regarded as unchaste. In the sense of free love Lara Widbeck, in “Es Geht An,” arranges her own life and that of her husband Albert. Both are to be masters of their respective persons and of their respective property; they are to live for themselves, the work of each is to be pursued independently of the other, and in this way it will be possible to preserve a lifelong love, instead of seeing love transformed into lifelong indifference or hate.
Even at the present day in Sweden the idea of free love is known, after this romance of Almquist’s, as the “Es-geht-an idea” and also as “briar-rose morality.” It was, above all, Ellen Key who revived Almquist’s idea, and enlarged it to the extensive programme of marriage reform in the direction of free love, which we shall consider more fully below.
In his last writings Schopenhauer occupied himself at considerable length with the problems of love, but entirely from the standpoint of misogyny and of duplex sexual morality. Still, he recognized the great dangers and disasters which the traditional coercive marriage entails upon society, and rightly regarded this formal marriage as the principal source of sexual corruption.
In his essay “Concerning Women” (“Parerga and Paralipomena,” vol. xi., pp. 657-659), ed. Grisebach, he writes:
“Whereas among the polygamist nations every woman is cared for, among monogamic peoples the number of married women is limited, and there remains an enormous number of unsupported superfluous women.[196] Among the upper classes these vegetate as useless old maids; among the lower classes they are forced to earn their living by immeasurably severe toil, or else they become prostitutes. These latter lead a life equally devoid of pleasure and of honour; but in the circumstances they are indispensable for the gratification of the male sex, and hence they constitute a publicly recognized profession, the especial purpose of which is to safeguard against seduction those women more highly favoured by fortune, who have found husbands, or may reasonably hope to do so. In London alone there are 80,000 such women. =What else are these women than human sacrifices on the altar of monogamy=--=sacrifices rendered inevitable by the very nature of the monogamic institution?= All the women to whom we now allude--women in this miserable position--form the inevitable counterpoise to the ladies of Europe, with their pretension and their pride. For the female sex, regarded as a whole, polygamy is a real benefit. On the other hand, from the rationalistic point of view, it is impossible to see why a man whose wife is suffering from a chronic disease, or remains unfruitful, or has gradually become too old for him, should not take a second wife. That which produces so many converts to Mormonism appears to be the rejection by the Mormons of the unnatural institution of monogamy. In addition, moreover, the allotment to the wife of unnatural rights has imposed upon her unnatural duties, whose neglect, nevertheless, makes her unhappy. To many a man considerations of position, of property, make marriage inadvisable, unless the conditions are exceptionally favourable. He would then wish to obtain a wife of his own choice, under conditions which would leave him free from obligations to her and her children. However economical, reasonable, and suitable these conditions may be, if she agrees to them, and does not insist upon the immoderate rights which marriage alone secures to her, she will, because marriage is the basis of every society, find herself compelled to lead an unhappy life, one which, to a certain degree, is dishonourable; because human nature involves this, that we assign a quite immeasurable value to the opinion of others. If, on the other hand, she does not comply, she runs the danger either of being compelled to belong as a wife to a man repulsive to her, or else of withering as an old maid, for the period in which she can realize her value is very short. In relation to this aspect of our monogamic arrangement, the profoundly learned treatise of Thomasius, _De Concubinatu_, is of the greatest possible value, for we learn from it =that among all cultured people, and in all times, until the date of the Lutheran Reformation, concubinage was permitted, and even to a certain extent legally recognized, and was an institution not involving any dishonour=. From this position it was degraded only by the Lutheran Reformation, for the degradation of concubinage was regarded as a means by which the marriage of priests could be justified; and, on the other hand, after the Lutheran denunciation of concubinage, the semi-official recognition of that institution by the Roman Catholic Church was no longer possible.
“Regarding polygamy there need be =no dispute=, for it is a universally existing fact, and the only question is regarding its =regulation=. Where are the true monogamists? We all live =at least= for a time, but most of us continually, in a state of polygamy. Since, consequently, every man makes use of many wives, nothing could be more just than to leave him free, and even to compel him, to provide for many wives.”
Just as are these views of Schopenhauer’s regarding the necessity of a freer conception and a freer configuration of sexual relations, and regarding the shamefulness of exposing to infamy the unmarried mother and the illegitimate child, so much the more dangerous is his view of the part to be played by women in this reform of marriage. Woman as an inferior being, without freedom, is once more to lose all her rights, instead of standing beside man as a free personality with equal rights and equal duties. The result of a rearrangement of amatory life on this basis would inevitably be a new and a worse sexual slavery.
As Julius Frauenstädt records, Schopenhauer, in a separate manuscript found amongst his papers, has described the evil conditions of monogamy, and has recommended, as a step to reform, the practice of “tetragamy.” This peculiar and unquestionably very interesting essay has not found its way into the Royal Library of Berlin. With regard to the whereabouts of the manuscript we are uncertain; perhaps Frauenstädt destroyed it.
However, we find a brief, hitherto unpublished, extract from this essay in Schopenhauer’s manuscript book, “Die Brieftasche,” written in 1823, which is preserved in the Royal Library in Berlin.[197]
I publish here, for the first time, the summary account of tetragamy contained on pp. 70-77 of the aforesaid manuscript book:
SKETCH OF SCHOPENHAUER’S “TETRAGAMY”
(HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED).
“Inasmuch as Nature makes the number of women nearly identical with that of men, whilst women retain only about half as long as men their capacity for procreation and their suitability for masculine gratification, the human sexual relationship is disordered at the very outset. By the equal numbers of the respective sexes, Nature appears to point to monogamy; on the other hand, a man has =one= wife for the satisfaction of his procreative capacity only for half the time for which that capacity endures; he must, then, take a second wife when the first begins to wither; but for each man only one woman is available. The tendency exhibited by woman in respect of the duration of her sexual capacity is compensated, on the other hand, by the quantity of that capacity: she is capable of gratifying two or three vigorous men simultaneously, without suffering in any way. In monogamy, woman employs only half of her sexual capacity, and satisfies only half of her desires.
“If, now, this relationship were arranged in accordance with purely physical considerations (and we are concerned here with a physical, extremely urgent need, the satisfaction of which is the aim of marriage, alike among the Jews and among the Christians), if matters were to be equalized as completely as possible, it would be necessary for two men always to have one wife in common: let them take her when they are both young. After she has become faded, let them take another young woman, who will then suffice for their needs until both the men are old. Both women are cared for, and each man is responsible for the care of one only.
“In the monogamic state, the man has for a single occasion too much, and for a permanency too little; with the woman it is the other way about.
“If the proposed institution were adopted in youth, a man, at the time when his income is usually smallest, would have to provide only for half a wife, and for few children, and those young. Later, when he is richer, he would have to provide for one or two wives and for numerous children.
“Since this institution has not been adopted--for half their life men are whoremongers, and for the other half cuckolds; and women must be correspondingly classified as betrayed and betrayers--he who marries young is tied later to an elderly wife; he who marries late in youth acquires venereal disease, and in age has to wear the horns. Woman must either sacrifice the bloom of her youth to a man already withered; or else must discover that to a still vigorous man she is no longer an object of desire. The institution we propose would cure all these troubles; the human race would lead happier lives. The objections are the following:
“1. That a man would not know his own children. Answer: This could, as a rule, be determined by likeness and other considerations; in existing conditions it is not always a matter of certainty.
“2. Such a _menage à trois_ would give rise to brawls and jealousy. Answer: Such things are already universal; people must learn to behave themselves.
“3. What is to be done as regards property? Answer: This will have to be otherwise arranged; absolute _communio bonorum_ will not occur. As we have already said, Nature has arranged the affair badly. It will, therefore, be impossible to overcome all disadvantages.
“As matters are at present, Duty and Nature are continually in conflict. For the man it is impossible from the beginning to the end of his career to satisfy his sexual impulse in a legal manner. Imagine his condition if he is widowed quite young. For the woman, to be limited to a =single= man during the short period of her full bloom and sexual capacity, is an unnatural condition. She has to preserve for the use of one individual what he is unable to utilize, and what many others eagerly desire from her; and she herself, in thus refusing, must curb her own desires. Just think of it!
“More especially we have to remember that always the number of men competent for sexual intercourse is double the number of functionally capable women, for which reason every woman must continually repel advances; she prepares for defence immediately a man comes near her.”
When we consider this suggestion of tetragamy of Schopenhauer’s from our own standpoint, we find an accurate exposition of the evils arising from monogamic coercive marriage, and a clear-sighted presentation of the physiological disharmonies of the sexual life arising from the difference between man and woman, upon which recently Metchnikoff also has laid so much stress. In other respects Schopenhauer’s views are for us not open to discussion, for, as already pointed out, he regards woman from the first simply as a chattel, and denies to her any individuality or soul; and, secondly, because he rejects the principle of the =only-love=--a principle so intimately associated with the idea of woman as individual. For the watchword of the future must be: Free love, based upon the only-love! and, indeed, the only-love manifesting itself reciprocally in the full struggle for existence.
For this reason, also, the characteristic free love of the Bohemians of Paris during the second half of the nineteenth century, and more especially during the period 1830 to 1860, can only be regarded as a truly poetic love-idyll, when compared with that grand and earnest love consecrated wholly to =work=, and to the =inward spiritual development= which presents itself to modern humanity as an ideal love, as the united conquest of existence. Grisette love, which Sebastian Mercier described with great force, and which found its classic representation in Henry Murger’s “Vie de Bohème,” was characterized by the enduring life-in-common of the loving couples, who belonged for the most part to the circle of artists and students. Thus it stood high as heaven above our modern “intimacy,” which, for the most part, has a quite transitory character; and yet the Bohemian free love corresponded in no way to the conception and ideal of free love as a community of spirit and of life.
The development of modern civilization, in association with the awakening of individualism, and with the economic revolution of our time, has created entirely new foundations for sexual relationships, and has made continually more apparent the injurious and destructive effects of our long outworn sexual morality. These changes have taught us to understand that in the so-called social question the sexual problem possesses as much importance as the economic problem--perhaps more. They have shown us the necessity for a new love of the future, for the reason that to cling to the old, outlived forms would be equivalent to a continuous increase in sexual corruption in the widest sense of the word, combined with a general disease contamination of civilized nations--as the threatening spread of prostitution, and more especially of secret prostitution, and the increased diffusion of venereal diseases, demonstrate before our eyes.
Almost at the same time, during recent years, among the various civilized nations of Europe there have originated efforts for a radical transformation of conventional sexual morality, and for a reform, adapted to modern conditions, of marriage and of the entire amatory life. In France, England, Sweden, and Germany, writers have appeared, producing books, many of which have been important, full of matter, and comprehensive, entirely devoted to this object. Societies for marriage reform and sexual reform have been founded in North America, France, Austria, and Germany; parliamentary commissions for the investigation of these questions have been established. Several newspapers have been founded for the reform of sexual ethics. In short, a general interest has been aroused in this central question of life, and theoretical and practical activity have been directed towards its solution.
All at once, as if by general agreement, civilized humanity asked itself the earnest and solemn question, How was it possible that to hundreds and thousands the simple right to love was refused, so that they were condemned to a joyless existence, in which all the beautiful blossoms of life withered away; that hundreds of thousands of others were condemned to the hideous misery of prostitution; that, finally, the =community at large= was delivered up in ever-increasing degree to devastation by venereal diseases and their consequences?
How is it possible, asks Karl Federn, in the preface to his translation of Carpenter’s “Wenn die Menschen reif zur Liebe werden” (“Love’s Coming-of-Age”)--how is it possible that we sing love-songs, and yet have an amatory life like that which we lead to-day, and have a moral doctrine such as that which is dominant to-day?
All honour to the men and women who have dared to give an answer to these questions, who have opposed conventional lies with the truth of love, and who point out the new way along which mankind will go--will go, because it =must=.
It is impossible here to mention by name all the writings dealing with the reform of sexual relationships which have appeared within recent years. Their name is legion. We must content ourselves with an allusion to those books which most of all deserve the name of epoch-making, which have aroused the interest of the community, and which may probably be said to have first stimulated the discussion of the problem, and to have been principally effective in starting the flowing current of reform.
In France, Charles Albert has treated the problem of free love from the communistic standpoint.[198] In the first two chapters of his book, he describes the development of the primitive sexual impulse, to become the most supreme individual love, and then gives an interesting account of the struggle of middle-class society against love, which to-day is endangered to an equal extent both by the =state= and by =capital=.
“Capitalistic society represents one fact, love another. It suffices to place them one beside the other in order to notice how sharp a contrast there is between them, an eternal state of war.”
It is only money that dominates the thought and feeling of modern humanity; for love and its idealism there is no longer any room; social economy recognizes only a sexual relationship, but not the higher feeling of love. Capital subjects the whole of the sexual life to its laws. In prostitution this great social crime finds its conclusion. The majority of marriages are nothing more than “sexual bargains.”
Free love is simply love liberated from the dominion of the state and of capital. It can, therefore, be realized only by an economic revolution, which will put an end to the economic struggle for existence. Free love means the independence of the sexual from the material life. =Economic reform= is the only way to the higher love. This is the author’s conviction. But he is not subject to any deceptive delusion that with this all will become beautiful and good; with this all problems will be solved, all incompleteness at an end.
“We do not,” Albert continues, “regard the province of the sexual life in the society of the future as an Eden, wherein those individuals best suited one to the other will come together with mathematical certainty, to lead a cloudless existence. Just as to-day, there will be unrequited love, uncertain search and endeavour, errors and deceptions, misunderstandings, satiety, aberrations, and sorrows. However great the material prosperity may be which mankind in the future will enjoy, the life of feeling will always remain the source of incalculable disturbances, and love will not be the rarest cause of such disturbances; but still a large proportion of the existing causes of pain can and must disappear.”
The indispensable preliminary to free love is the complete equality of man and woman. This, however, can only be attained by means of communism--that is to say, by that ordering of society in which property and wages cease to exist, in which not only the means of production, but also all the articles of consumption, are appropriated to the common use, and woman will no longer possess a commercial value, as she does at the present day.
Like Albert, Ladislaus Gumplowicz[199] also believes that free love can only be realized in a collectivist community.
However important it is to draw attention to the economic point of view, as was done before Albert and Gumplowicz by Bebel, in his celebrated “Woman and Socialism” (thirty-fourth edition, Stuttgart, 1903), still, it appears to me that the communistic solution is not the only possible solution, and that free love can very well be associated with the preservation of private property.[200]
While the progressive changes in the economic structure of society powerfully influence sexual relationships and lay down the rules for their existing forms, still, physiological individual factors play a great part also in the matter. The first to insist on this fact were the Englishman Carpenter and the Swedish writer Ellen Key.[201]
Edward Carpenter,[202] at one time a priest in the Anglican Church, in his study of the question of free love, without ignoring the economic factor, lays stress above all on the psychical factor, the inward spiritual relationship between man and wife.
He writes (_op. cit._, p. 120):
“It is in the very nature of Love that as it realizes its own aim it should rivet always more and more towards a durable and distinct relationship, nor rest till the permanent mate and equal is found. As human beings progress, their relations to each other must become much =more= definite and distinct, instead of less so--and there is no likelihood of society in its onward march lapsing backwards, so to speak, to formlessness again.”
Above all, Carpenter has introduced into the discussion of free love an element which to me appears of great importance from the medical standpoint: the question of relative asceticism, of =self-control=. He rightly considers that the duty of the love of the future does not subsist merely in the common physical union, but also in =spiritual procreation=. From the intimate spiritual contact between two differentiated personalities, the highest spiritual values proceed. Only self-control leads us to this highest love.
“It is a matter of common experience that the unrestrained outlet of merely physical desire leaves the nature drained of its higher love-forces.... Any one who has once realized how glorious a thing Love is in its essence, and how indestructible, will hardly need to call anything that leads to it a sacrifice” (_op. cit._, pp. 7, 8).
The indispensable prerequisites to the reform of love and marriage are, according to Carpenter, the following (_op. cit._, p. 100):
(1) The furtherance of the freedom and self-dependence of women. (2) The provision of some rational teaching, of heart and of head, for both sexes during the period of youth. (3) The recognition in marriage itself of a freer, more companionable, and less pettily exclusive relationship. (4) The abrogation or modification of the present odious law which binds people together for =life=, without scruple, and in the most artificial and ill-assorted unions.
Carpenter accepts Letourneau’s view, that, in a more or less distant future, the institution of marriage will undergo transformation into monogamic unions, freely entered on, and when necessary freely dissolved, by simple mutual consent, as is already done in several European countries--in Canton Geneva, in Belgium, in Roumania, as regards divorce; and in Italy as regards separation. State and society should take part in the matter only so far as the safety of the children demands, concerning whom =more extensive duties= should be expected from the parents. Carpenter also points out, as was shown seventy years ago by Gutzkow, that, as regards the development of the children, it is better, in unhappy marriages, that their parents should separate than that the children should grow up amid the miseries of such marriages.
“Love”--thus Carpenter concludes his dissertation on marriage in the future--“is doubtless the last and most difficult lesson that humanity has to learn; in a sense, it underlies all the others. Perhaps the time has come for the modern nations when, ceasing to be children, they may even try to learn it” (_op. cit._, p. 113).
A greater vogue even than Carpenter’s book had was obtained by the essays of the Swedish writer Ellen Key, “Love and Marriage,” which in 1894 appeared in a German translation,[203] and had an unusual success in the book-market. It is without exception the most interesting and pregnant work on the sexual question which has ever appeared. Written from the heart, and inspired by the observations of a free and lofty spirit, it avoids none of the numerous difficulties and by-paths in this department of thought; and the reproach of libertinism which has been cast at the author must be emphatically rejected. Ellen Key is the most outspoken realist of all the writers on the subject of free love. She takes her arguments from actual life; she associates her ideas of reform always with the real; she writes as an earnest evolutionist. Thus, in her book, her first aim is to establish “the course of the evolution of sexual morality” and the “evolution of love.”
Ellen Key starts from the fact that no one has ever offered any proof that monogamy is that form of the sexual life which is =indispensable= to the vital force and civilization of the nations. Even among the Christian nations =it has never yet really existed=, and its legalization as the only permissible form of sexual morality has hitherto been rather harmful than helpful to general morality.
The writer then develops the idea, no less beautiful than true, that the genuine character of love can be proved only by the lovers actually living together for a considerable time; only thus is it possible to demonstrate that it is moral for them to live together, and that their union will have an elevating influence on themselves and their generation. Consequently, of no conjugal relationship can we =beforehand= affirm or deny its success. Every new pair, whatever form they may have chosen for their common life, =must first of all prove for themselves that they are morally justified in living together=.
Ellen Key then proceeds to maintain a view, which I myself also regard as an integral constituent of the programme of the love of the future, and one which I have advanced in earlier writings: that love is not merely, as Schopenhauer thought, an affair of the =species=, but is, at least in equal degree, the concern of the loving =individuals=. This is the result and the meaning of civilization, which, as I have proved in earlier chapters, exhibits a =progressive= individualization and an increasing spiritual enrichment of love (the “spiritualized sensuality” of Ellen Key), and thus gives to love a thoroughly independent importance for each individual.
“In view of the manner in which civilization has now developed personal love, this latter has become so composite, so comprehensive and far-reaching, that =not only in and by itself=--independently of the species--=does it constitute a great life-value, but it also increases or diminishes all other values=. In addition to its primitive importance, it has gained a new significance: to carry the flame of life from sex to sex. No one names that person immoral who, deceived in his love, abstains in his married life from procreating the species; that husband and wife also we shall not call immoral, who continue their married life rendered happy by love, although their marriage has proved childless. But in both cases =these human beings follow their subjective feelings at the expense of the future generations, and treat their love as an independent aim=. The right already recognized in these individual cases, as belonging to the individual at the expense of the species, will continue to undergo enlargement in proportion as the importance of love continues to increase. On the other hand, the new morality will demand from love an ever-increasing =voluntary limitation of rights at those times when the growth of a new life renders it necessary=. It will also demand a =voluntary or enforced renunciation of the right to procreate new life under conditions which would make this new life deficient in value=.”
Ellen Key terms this new, modern love “erotic monism,” because it comprehends the =entire unitary personality=, including the spiritual being, not merely the body. George Sand gave the first definition of this love as being of such a kind that “neither had the soul betrayed the senses, nor had the senses betrayed the soul.”
This erotic monism proclaims as its indestructible foundation the =unity of marriage and love=.
The idea of unity gives to the human being the right to arrange his sexual life according to his personal wishes, subject to the condition that he does not consciously injure the unity, and therewith, mediately or immediately, the right, of possible posterity.
Thus, according to Ellen Key, love “=will continually become to a greater extent a private affair of human beings, whilst children, on the contrary, will become more and more a vital problem of society=.” From this it follows that the two “most debased and socially sanctioned manifestations of sexual subdivision (of dualism), =coercive marriage= and =prostitution=, will gradually become =impossible=, because, after the victory of the idea of unity, they will cease to correspond to human needs.”
Ellen Key rightly insists that among the young men of the present day there is an increasing hostility to socially protected immorality (both in the form of coercive marriage and in that of prostitution); whilst they increasingly exhibit a monistic yearning for love. The general diffusion, which we shall describe at length in a special chapter, of ascetic moods and of misogyny among men and of misandry among women, is
## partly connected with the feeling that the present social forms of the
sexual relationship limit to an equal extent the worth and the freedom of mankind.
To-day the “purity fanatics and the frantic sensualists” meet in common mistrust of the developmental possibilities of love, because they do not believe in the possible ennoblement of the blind natural impulse. In contrast to these, Ellen Key reminds us of the fact of the “mystical =yearning for perfection=, which in the course of evolution has raised impulse to become passion, and passion to become love, and which is now striving =to raise love to an ever greater love=.”
We must recognize love as =the spiritual force of life=. Love, like the artist, like the man of science, has a right to the peculiar, original
## activity of its own poietic force, to the production of new spiritual
values. The more perfect race that is to come must, in the fullest meaning of the words, =be brought forth by love=.
For this, however, the indispensable preliminary is the inward =freedom= of love; the free-love union is the watchword of the future. Ellen Key also shows that among the lower classes free love has long been customary, and that there the dangerous utilization of prostitution is far more limited than among the higher classes, with which view Blaschko’s statistical data regarding the far greater diffusion of venereal diseases among the higher classes of society are in substantial agreement.
No less indispensable to free love, however, is the full, mature development of the loving individual. For this reason, Ellen Key demands self-control and sexual continence at least until the age of twenty years. She regards the indiscriminate sexual intercourse which is to-day an established custom among all young men as the murder of love. But too early marriages are no less dangerous. She demands for the woman at least an age of twenty; for the man, an age of twenty-five years; and =until these respective ages are attained, sexual continence should be observed as fully as possible by both sexes=.
This self-command is good for the physical development, “steels the will, gives the joy of power to the personality; and these qualities are later of importance in all other spheres of activity.”
With wonderful beauty, Ellen Key describes the happiness of the =power of waiting= in love, and quotes in this connexion the lovely phrases of the Swedish poet Karlfeldt:
“There is nothing on earth like the times of waiting, The days of springtime, the days of blossoming; Not even May can diffuse a light Like the clear light of April.”
On the other hand, it is a demand of true morality that healthy men and women between the ages of twenty and thirty years should enjoy the possibility of marriage--of free marriage. This possibility can, however, be secured only by economic reforms.
The author then considers the very important point of love’s choice, and demands above all the compulsory provision of a =medical certificate of health= before entering on marriage.
“It is absolutely beyond question that the healthy self-seeking which wishes to safeguard the personal ego, in conjunction with the increasing valuation of a healthy posterity, will hinder the contraction of many unsuitable marriages. In other cases, love might overcome these considerations, as far as husband and wife are themselves concerned; but they must then renounce parentage. In those cases, on the contrary, in which the law would distinctly forbid marriage, one could naturally not prevent the sick persons from procreating independently of marriage; but the same is true of all laws: the best do not need them, the worst do not obey them, but the majority are guided by them in the formation and development of their ideas of what is right.”
As =immoral=, Ellen Key indicates:
“Parentage without love.
“Irresponsible parentage.
“Parentage on the part of immature or degenerate human beings.
“Voluntary unfertility on the part of a married pair who are competent to reproduce their kind.
“All manifestations of the sexual life resulting from force or seduction, or from the disinclination or the incapacity for the proper fulfilment of sexual intercourse.”
It is interesting to note that Ellen Key prophesies as the result of the progressive improvement of the species by love’s selection, the attainment of a state wherein =every= man and =every= woman will be suited for the reproduction of the species. Then would the ideal of monogamy, one husband for one wife, one wife for one husband, be for the first time realized.
Very beautifully, and with a prudent insight into the actual relationships, Ellen Key discusses the question of the “right to motherhood,” where she finds occasion to describe the new and very various types of women which the evolution of modern life has brought into being. She recognizes only with reservation the general right to motherhood, but she does not regard it as a desirable example to follow when a woman becomes a mother without love, either in marriage or out of it. It is not right to do what is generally done to-day by the man-haters--namely, to demand from the majority of unmarried women that they should produce a child without love. This should not even happen when love exists, but a permanent life-in-common with the father of the child is impossible. An unmarried woman who determines on motherhood should be fully =mature=, and already have behind her “the second springtime” of her life; she must “not only be pure as snow, pure as fire, but also must be possessed of the full conviction that with the child of her love she will produce a radiance in her own life and will endow humanity with new wealth.”
=Such= an unmarried woman really =makes a present= of her child to humanity, and is quite different from the unmarried woman who “has a child.”
Indeed, for the =majority=, the ideal always remains that of the ancient proverb, that man is only half a human being, woman only half; and only the father and the mother with their child become a whole one!
With regard to divorce, Ellen Key demands that it should be perfectly free, and should depend only upon the definite desire, held for a certain lapse of time, of either or both parties. The dissolution of marriage must be no less easy than the breaking off of an engagement.
“Whatever drawbacks,” she says, “free divorce may involve, they can hardly be worse than those which marriage has entailed, and still continues to entail. Marriage has been degraded to the coarsest sexual customs, the most shameless practices, the most distressing spiritual murders, the most cruel ill-treatment, and the grossest impairment of personal freedom, that any province of modern life has exhibited! One need not go back to the history of civilization; one need simply turn to the physician and magistrate, in order to learn for what purpose the ‘sacrament of marriage’ is employed, and frequently employed by the very same men and women who are professed enthusiasts as to its moral value!”
Just as little as the relations between friends, between parents and children, or between brothers and sisters, necessarily give rise to lasting sentiments of affection, is it possible to expect this of two lovers. The “marriage fetters,” described with such horrible truth by John Stuart Mill and Björnstjerne Björnsen, are to-day felt to be intolerable. The love of the modern man flourishes only in freedom.
“The delicate erotic sentiment of the present day shrinks from becoming a fetter; it shuns the possibility of becoming a hindrance.”
Free divorce, in a case of unhappy marriage, is no less necessary when there are children to the marriage. The =duties= of the parents to the children remain in such cases unaltered, without, however, thus rendering it necessary that the parents should continue to live together. For the sorrows of such a union, and the harm done thereby to the children, are greater than those that would result from divorce.
Human love has its phases of development. It does not remain for ever the same, but it alters _pari passu_ with the evolution of the individual. Lifelong love is an ideal, but it is not a duty. Such a demand would as inevitably destroy personality as would the demand for the unconditional belief in a doctrine, or for the unconditional pursuit of a profession.
Very interesting is Ellen Key’s description of the numerous disillusions of love, which become still more perceptible in a coercive marriage. There is a whole series of “typical unhappy fates” in marriage, often with no blame properly attaching to either party, dependent merely upon incompatibility of temperament, but also upon faults of one or both
## parties to the marriage.
Frequently a man or a woman of a thoroughly sympathetic temperament lives with a woman or a man of such faultless excellence that the home seems filled with icicles. One day the husband or the wife runs away because the air has become so thin as to be irrespirable. The general sentiment is one of commiseration for the--superlatively excellent man or woman!
In the case of earnest, mature human beings, free divorce will not increase the number of dissolutions of marriage. On the contrary, the obligations imposed by a free relationship are greater than those of legal coercive marriage. The fear also that with the granting of free divorce every one will enter upon numerous free marriages one after another is groundless. It is precisely those who are united in free love to whom such a separation, when it does become necessary, is so profoundly painful, that life itself forbids the frequent repetition of such unhappiness.
Very beautiful, and based upon lofty ethical conceptions, are the writer’s views regarding the necessity for divorce precisely in view of the existence of children. She says:
“Men and women of earlier times went on patching up for ever and ever. The psychologically developed generation of to-day is more inclined to let the broken remain broken. For, except in those cases in which objective misfortunes, or a retarded evolution, gave rise to a rupture, patched-up marriage, like patched-up engagements, seldom prove durable. Often it was owing to profound instincts that the rupture became inevitable; reconciliations fortify these instincts, and sooner or later they once more find free vent.
“Thus it happens that even an exceptional nature is strained by the burden it has to bear, and the children are not then witnesses of their parents living together, but of their dying together.
“Neither religion nor law, neither society nor a family, can determine what it is that marriage is killing in a man, or what he finds it possible to rescue in that state--=he himself alone= knows the one and suspects the other. He alone can delineate the boundaries, can decide whether he is satisfied to regard his own existence as closed, and to remain contented in the life of his children; whether he is able so to endure the sorrows of a continued married life with such fortitude as to make it increase his own powers and those of his children.”
The conviction of the rights of love, and the consciousness of the rights of the children, are to-day unmistakably on the increase. There is no danger that the latter right, the right of the children, will suffer in comparison with the rights of love. It is, on the contrary, characteristic, that out of the very same feeling by which the freer configuration of the amatory life is demanded, there has also arisen a =new programme of the rights of children=. This same Ellen Key who proclaims the inalienable rights of free love, speaks also of the “=century of the child=,” and devotes to this subject an admirable book.
The most important point with regard to free divorce, in respect to the children, is that the father and the mother must not separate from one another in hatred, but in friendship, and that, in the interest of the children, they should continue to meet one another from time to time. Ellen Key here rightly condemns the conduct of the good friends and relatives who simply lay down the law that the separated pair must hate one another, and must in every relationship torment and cheat one another. It is precisely such “enmity” of the parents after divorce that is so full of bad consequences in respect of the children.
We also have to consider this point of view, that sometimes the new husband or the new wife has a better influence over the children than their own parents, and that in this way divorce may have brought the children greater happiness, may have been for them a true blessing.
The closing chapter of her work is devoted by Ellen Key to the formulation of practical recommendations regarding the new marriage laws. She indicates as a starting-point of her dissertation that the ideal form of marriage is the perfectly free union between a man and a woman. But this ideal can in the meanwhile only be attained through =transitional forms=. In this the opinion of society regarding the morality of the sexual relationship must find expression, and thus remain as the support for undeveloped personalities; but at the same time, these transitional forms must be sufficiently free to favour a progressive development of the higher erotic consciousness of the present day.
There always remains, therefore, the necessity for laws, to some extent limiting individual freedom; but these laws must admit of an advance towards perfection in respect of the freer gratification of individual needs. =The sense of solidarity demands a new marriage law adapted to new modern erotic needs, since the majority are not yet prepared for complete freedom.= But it is only the needs of modern civilized human beings, and not abstract theories concerning the idea of the family or the “historic origin” of marriage, that should be determinative in this matter.
In the marriage of the future, above all, the economic and legal subordination of woman must be abolished. Woman must supervise her own property and arrange her own work, and she must in the main care for herself in so far as this is compatible with her maternal duties. She must, however, have this assurance--that =during the first years of the life of every child she shall be cared for by society=, and this under the following conditions:
She must be of full age.
She must have performed her feminine “military service” by a one year’s course of instruction in the care of children, in the general care of health, and, whenever possible, in sick-nursing.
She must either care for her child herself or provide another thoroughly competent nurse.
She must bring proof that she does not possess sufficient personal property, or sufficient income from her work, in order to provide for her own support and half of her child’s support, or else that the care for her children compels her to discontinue her professional occupation.
Only in exceptional cases should this support of motherhood be provided for a longer time than =during the three first and most important years of the life of the child=.
The funds for this most necessary of all kinds of insurance must be provided in the form of a graduated income tax, graduated so as to make the wealthier classes pay the most, and the =unmarried= should pay just as much as the married.
In every community the central authorities of this insurance should consist of “=boards for the care of children=.” The members of these boards should be two-thirds women and one-third men; they should distribute the funds and supervise the care of the infants and older children; in cases in which the mother was not properly fulfilling her duties to the child, they could cut off supplies, or remove the child from the mother’s care.
The mother should receive yearly the same sum, but, in addition, she should receive for each child =half of the cost of its support=, as long as the number of children is not exceeded which the society has laid down as desirable. Children born in excess of this number would be a private concern of the parents. Every father must, from the time of birth until the child attains the age of =eighteen years=, provide one-half of the money needed for its support.
The existing immoral distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is practically equivalent to freeing unmarried fathers from their natural responsibility, and drives unmarried mothers to death, prostitution, or infanticide.
All this would be done away with by a law ensuring from the State support for the mother during the first, most difficult years, and ensuring the child a right to support from =both= parents, a right also to the name of both, and to inheritance from both.
Legal expression is also demanded for the right of each member of a married couple to possess his or her property; those who wish to make any other arrangement can do so by special contract after a definite valuation of their property. And in respect of the right of inheritance, the =domestic work= of the wife (housekeeping and the care of the children) must receive due economic consideration--a matter hitherto ignored. Not only in respect of her property, but also in respect of all civil rights, and of the right of control over her own person, the married woman must be placed in the same position as the unmarried.
Ellen Key’s remarks on the removal of the =coercion= exercised at present on husband and wife =in respect of living together= are very interesting. She writes:
“There are persons who would have continued to love one another throughout the whole of their life had they not been compelled--day after day, year after year--to adapt their customs, their volitions, and their inclinations entirely according to one another’s tastes. So much unhappiness depends, indeed, upon matters of almost no importance, difficulties which two human beings endowed with moral courage and insight would easily have overcome, had it not been that the instinct towards happiness was overpowered by regard for ordinary opinion. The more personal freedom a woman (or man) has had before marriage, the more does she (or he) suffer in a home in which she does not possess an hour or a corner for her own undisturbed use. And the more the modern human being gains an increase in his individual freedom of movement, the more he feels the need for privacy in other relations, the more also will man and wife need these things in the married state....
“But at present custom (and law) demand from the married pair that they should lead a life in common, which often ends in a permanent separation, merely because conventional considerations prevented them from living apart!
“Also for those otherwise constituted, the narrow dependence, the compulsory belonging each to the other, the daily adaptation, the unceasing mutual consideration, may become oppressive. In continually increasing numbers people are beginning quietly to transform conjugal customs, so that they may correspond to the new needs. For instance, each goes for a journey by himself, when he feels the need for privacy; one of the pair seeks alone pleasures which the other does not value; in former times both would have ‘enjoyed’ them together, against the will of one, or both would have renounced what one could have genuinely enjoyed. More and more married people have separate bedrooms, and after a generation, it is probable that =separate dwelling-houses= for husband and wife will be sufficiently common to arouse no particular attention.”
With regard to the question of personal freedom in marriage, Ellen Key takes into account the possibility of marriage being =kept secret= on urgent grounds; also the introduction of new forms of divorce, the present procedure giving rise to such detestable practices in the law-courts--for example, the detailed statement of the grounds for divorce, or an account of the refusal or the misuse of “conjugal rights,” or an account of the malicious desertion of one party by the other.
The author, therefore, makes proposals for a new marriage law and a new divorce law.
As conditions preliminary to marriage, the new law should insist--
That man and wife should be of full age;
That neither should be more than twenty-five years older than the other;
That neither should be closely related or connected with the other, as the present law already forbids. The new law must in this respect be modified in the sense either of greater severity or of relaxation, according as the scientific knowledge of the future may direct.
Finally, neither party should simultaneously enter upon another marriage. On both parties will be imposed the duty of providing a medical certificate regarding the state of their health; a proposed marriage must be forbidden when either party is suffering from a disease transmissible to the children (also when suffering from a disease which would infect the other party?). With regard to other illnesses, the matter may be left to the free judgment of those wishing to be married.
Marriage will take place before the marriage assessor of the commune, and before four other witnesses, without any special ceremony; the contracting parties will enter their names in the register, and their signatures will be witnessed by those present. When for any reason the marriage is to be kept secret, the witnesses will, of course, be bound to secrecy.
This civil marriage is all that the law will direct; the religious ceremony will be a voluntary affair, and will have no legal force.
In marriage, husband and wife will retain all the =personal= rights which they had before marriage, over their bodies, their names, their property, their work, their wages, also the right to choose their own place of residence, and all other civil rights. For =common= expenses and debts they will have a common responsibility; whilst each will be personally responsible for personal expenditure and debts. In case of divorce, each will retain his or her property. In the event of death, the widower or widow will inherit half the property, the remainder going to the children.
For divorce, Ellen Key suggests there should be a “=council of divorce=,” consisting of four persons, men or women. The first aim of this council will be, somewhat like that of a court of honour before a duel, to attempt to reconcile the parties, to adjust any cause of quarrel. If this attempt fails, the matter must go before the marriage assessor of the commune; but this cannot take place until the expiration of =six months= from the time when it was brought before the council of divorce. The council of divorce must testify before the assessor that six months before =each party was fully informed regarding the wish of the other that the marriage should be dissolved, and regarding the reasons for that wish=. If there are no children, if a division of the property has been arranged, and if husband and wife have lived =completely apart= for one year, the divorce will be effected one year after the commencement of proceedings. When there are children to the marriage, there will be needed a special “=jury for the care of children=” to deal with the custody of the children. If either party is found by the jury and the judge to be =unworthy= for or =incapable= of the custody of the children, on the ground of his (or her) =morals= or =character=, he (or she) loses his (or her) rights. If either father or mother is deprived of the custody of the children, a guardian must be appointed--a man to represent the father, a woman to represent the mother--and this guardian will supervise the education of the children in association with the remaining parent. If both parents are found to be unfitted for the custody of the children, the education of the latter must be supervised by a guardian only. If both parents are =equally= fitted and worthy for the custody of the children, the latter should remain with the mother until the age of fifteen, and would then have the right to choose between their parents.
Ellen Key demands severe laws against the seduction and abandonment of girls =under age=, on the part of unconscientious men; and she considers that the witting transmission of any infective disorder by means of sexual intercourse should be punished by imprisonment for a minimum term of six months. Speaking generally, the law should always come to the assistance of the weaker party, above all, to the assistance of the children, and in most cases to the assistance of the mother.
Although the new marriage law is to give to =adult= citizens complete freedom to arrange their erotic relationships at their own =responsibility= and risk, =with= or =without= marriage, it remains necessary that double marriages (bigamy), sexual relationships within forbidden degrees, or on the part of persons suffering from transmissible disease, which the law has declared to be a hindrance to marriage, and also intercourse with persons under eighteen years of age, should be regarded as punishable offences. The same is true of homosexual and other perverse manifestations. The =trial= in such cases will be conducted by a judge, with the assistance of a jury of =physicians= and =crimino-psychologists=.
The writer does not believe that marriage will be transformed by legal changes in the way outlined above, but she is of opinion that what will happen is that “men and women will refuse to submit themselves to the unworthy forms of marriage, which will remain established by law, and will form free unions, the so-called ‘=marriage of conscience=,’” such as those which the Belgian sociologist Mesnil has recommended in his work, “Le Libre Mariage.”
It is, in fact, in Sweden, Ellen Key’s fatherland, in which these free marriages of conscience appear to have first obtained adherents. She records the free union of the professor of national economics at Lund, Knut Wicksell. Additional reports of free marriages in Sweden are given by the Swedish physician Anton Nyström.[204] He mentions among those who have formed free unions, without legal or ecclesiastical ceremony, but simply by public notification, in addition to the already mentioned university professor, also the editor of a leading newspaper, a physician and doctor of philosophy, and a candidate of philosophy. The latter is engaged in study with his wife at the high school at Göteborg. In February, 1904, they made a public announcement in the newspaper that they were entering on a “marriage of conscience,” since they had a conscientious objection to the ecclesiastical form of marriage. The principal of the college wrote an address to the young couple, stating that, although this union was not entered upon on immoral grounds, and therefore could not be regarded as a punishable offence, still, such a free union, unrecognized by the State, between man and woman, was not compatible with the good order of society, that it was injurious to the general ethical conception of the sacramental character of marriage, and also constituted a dangerous example, which others might be led to imitate. The principal therefore urged the young people most earnestly “to place their union as soon as possible on a legitimate footing.” This exhortation, however, led to no result.
Moreover, the University of Upsala was more free-thinking than that of Göteborg, for the above-mentioned professor and his wife were, for a long time =after= they had become united in free love, matriculated students at the University of Upsala, and the university authorities favoured them with no attention with regard to this matter.
In recent years, the public declaration of “free marriages” has also found observance in other European countries. Thus, not long ago the author who writes under the pseudonym of “Roda-Roda” announced in the newspapers his free union with the Baroness von Zeppelin; and in the _Vossische Zeitung_, No. 410, September 2, 1906, we find the following announcement:
“Dr. Alfred Rahmer Wilhelmine Ruth Rahmer geb. Prinz-Flohr Frei-Vermählte” (Free-Wedlock).
Similar public announcements are reported from Holland. Moreover, according to Nyström, it has since 1734 been legally established in Sweden, that in certain cases engagement is =equivalent to marriage=--namely, when the engaged woman becomes pregnant. “When a man impregnates his fiancée, =the engagement becomes a marriage.... If the man refuse to go through the ceremony of marriage=, and wishes to break off the engagement, the woman is legally declared to be his wife, and enjoys full conjugal rights in his house.” So runs this law.
We can predict with certainty that the adherents of free marriage, the number of “marriage protestants,” as Ellen Key happily calls them, will continue to increase. To such will belong all those who have an equal antipathy to coercive marriage, to the debasing intercourse with prostitutes, and to the transient casual love, such as is experienced in ordinary extra-conjugal sexual intercourse, the true “wild” love.
“It is only a question of time”--thus Ellen Key concludes her remarks on marriage reform--“when the respect felt by society for the sexual union will not depend upon the form of the life in common, by which two human beings become parents, but only on the worth of the children which these two are producing as new links in the chain of the generations. Men and women will then devote to their spiritual and physical preparation for sexual intercourse the same religious earnestness that the Christians devote to the welfare of their souls. No longer will divine laws regarding the morality of sexual relationships be considered the mainstay of morality; in place of these the desire to elevate the human race and a sense of personal responsibility will be the safeguards of conduct. But the conviction on the part of the parents =that the purpose of life is also their own proper life--that is, that they do not exist only for the sake of children=--should free them from certain other duties of conscience which at present bind them in respect of children--above all, from the duty of maintaining a union in which they themselves are perishing. The home will perhaps become more than it is at present; something at unity with the mother, something which--far from excluding the father--carries within itself the germ of a new and higher ‘family right.’...
“A greater and healthier will-to-live in respect of erotic feelings and demands--this it is that our time needs! Here from the feminine side real dangers threaten; and one of several ways in which these dangers must be averted is by the construction of new forms of marriage.
“Human material of ever higher worth and capable of higher evolution--it is this which in the first place we have to create. If we preserve coercive forms of the sexual life, the possibility of doing this is a diminishing one; if we adopt free forms of the sexual life, the possibility of doing it will increase. Not only because the present time asks for more freedom are its demands full of promise, but because those demands approximate ever more closely to the central point of the problem--to the conviction that love is the principal condition upon which depends the vital advance of the individual and of humanity at large.”
I have given such a lengthy analysis of Ellen Key’s book because, in the first place, in no other work do we find so lucid an exposition of all the points needed for the consideration of the question of free love--an exposition based upon the richest experience of life and a really astonishing psychical knowledge of mankind, combined with the finest understanding of the subtle activities and sentiments of the loving soul; and, in the second place, because as an actual fact--at any rate, in Germany--this book has formed the true starting-point of all endeavours towards the reform of sexual morality. Ellen Key’s “Ueber Liebe und Ehe” (“Love and Marriage”) is a demonstration of human rights in the matter of love; it is the evangel for those who have determined to harmonize love with all the changes and advances attendant on the evolution of civilization, and have resolved not to allow the forcible retardation of progress by conditions which were perhaps still tolerable one hundred or two hundred years ago, but to-day are unconditionally =hostile to civilization=.
In Germany these endeavours have been centralized in the Bund für Mutterschutz (the Association for the Protection of Mothers), founded in the beginning of 1906, whose purpose it is to protect unmarried mothers and their children from economic and moral dangers, to counteract the dominant condemnation of such mothers, and thereby also indirectly to bring about the reform of the existing views on sexual morality. Those who initiated this most important movement were indeed high-minded women. I mention, among many, only the names of Ruth Bré, Helene Stöcker, Maria Lischnewska, Adele Schreiber, Gabriele Reuter, and Henriette Fürth.
By the preparatory committee to which Maria Lischnewska, Dr. Borgius, Dr. Max Marcuse, Ruth Bré, and Dr. Helene Stöcker belonged, a committee meeting was called on January 5, 1905, and the Association for the Protection of Mothers was founded, its programme having already received the support of a number of leading personalities from all parts of the German Empire.
In addition to this committee, to which, besides the above-named members of the preparatory committee, there belonged Lily Braun, Georg Hirth, and Werner Sombart, a further committee was formed, the members of which were: Alfred Blaschko, Iwan Bloch, Hugo Böttger, Lily Braun, Gräfin Gertrud Bülow von Dennewitz, M. G. Conrad, A. Damaschke, Hedwig Dohm, Frieda Duensing, Chr. v. Ehrenfels, A. Erkelenz, W. Erb, A. Eulenburg, Max Flesch, Flechsig, A. Forel, E. Francke, Henriette Fürth, Agnes Hacker, Hegar, Willy Hellpach, Clara Hirschberg, Georg Hirth, Graf Paul von Hoensbroech, Bianca Israel, Josef Kohler, Landmann, Hans Leuss, Maria Lischnewska, R. von Liszt, Lucas, Max Marcuse, Mensinga, Bruno Meyer, H. Meyer, Metta Meinken, Klara Muche, Moesta, A. Moll, Müller, Friedrich Naumann, A. Neisser, Franz Oppenheimer, Pelman, Alfred Ploetz, Heinrich Potthoff, Lydia Rabinowitsch, Gabriele Reuter, Karl Ries, Adele Schreiber, Heinrich Sohnrey, Werner Sombart, Helene Stöcker, Marie Stritt, Irma von Troll-Borostyani, Max Weber, Bruno Wille, L. Wilser, L. Woltmann.
In the programme which the newly founded Association for the Protection of Mothers speedily published, we are told:
One hundred and eighty thousand illegitimate children are born in Germany every year, approximately one-tenth of all births. This important source of our strength as a people, children who at the time of birth are usually endowed with powerful vitality (for their parents are commonly in the bloom of youth and health), we allow to go to ruin because a rigorous moral view bans unmarried mothers, undermines their economic existence, and compels them to entrust their children for payment to strange hands.
The momentous consequences of this state of affairs are shown by the fact that the average number of still-births, in the case of illegitimate children, amounts to 5 per cent., as compared with 3 per cent. of still-births among the total number of births; the mortality of illegitimate children during the first year of life is 28·5 per cent., as compared with 16·7 per cent. for the mortality of all children born. And whilst only a diminishing percentage of illegitimate children ever become fitted for military service, the world of criminals, prostitutes, and vagabonds, is recruited to an alarming extent from their ranks. Thus, by unfounded moral prejudices, we produce artificially an army of enemies to society. At the same time the birth-rate of Germany is relatively declining. In the year 1876 the number of births per 1,000 living was 41; in the year 1900 it was only 35-1/2!
To put an end to this robbery of the strength of our people is the aim of the
ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MOTHERS.
The attempt has already been made by means of crèches, foundling institutions, and the like, to deal with this matter. =But the protection of children without the protection of mothers is, and must remain, no more than patchwork=; for the mother is the principal source of life for the child, and is indispensable to the child’s prosperity. Whatever ensures rest and care to the mother in her most difficult hours, whatever secures her economic existence for the future, and protects her from the contempt of her fellow-beings, by which her health is endangered and her life embittered, will serve to provide a secure foundation for the bodily and mental prosperity of the child, and will simultaneously give the mother herself a stronger moral hold. Therefore the Association for the Protection of Mothers will, above all, make the mothers’ position safe, by assisting them to the attainment of
ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE
--especially such as are prepared to bring up their own children--by the formation in country and in town of
HOMES FOR MOTHERS,
in which, in addition, arrangements will be made for the necessary care and upbringing of the children, the granting of legal protection, and the provision of medical aid. Experience has shown that such provision also corresponds to the wish of many of the fathers, and assists in retaining their help and interest for mother and child.
The Association will, however, above all, close the sources from which the present poverty of unmarried mothers arises, and these are more especially the moral prejudices which at the present day defame them socially, and the legal regulations which burden them almost exclusively with the economic care and responsibility for the child, and which entail on the father not at all, or in a quite insufficient degree, his contribution to the burden.
THE MORAL DEFAMATION
of unmarried mothers would, perhaps, be comprehensible if we lived in economic and social conditions rendering it possible for every one to marry soon after attaining sexual maturity, so that the involuntary celibacy of adult persons was an abnormal state. In such a time as ours, however, in which no less than 45 per cent. of all women competent to bear children are unmarried, and those who actually marry do so for the most part at a comparatively late age, we must regard as untenable the view which considers the unmarried woman giving birth to a child to be an outcast, thrusts her out of society like the basest criminal, and gives her up to despair. Equally untenable appears
THE PRESENT-DAY LEGAL VIEW,
which, when the actual father has not gone through the forms prescribed by the State for a marriage, does not regard him as father in the legal sense, ascribes to him no relationship with the child procreated by him, and imposes on him no responsibility for the child or its mother, although in the majority of cases the mother is economically the weaker, and he himself economically the stronger party. There must, therefore, be a legal reform in the direction of equalizing as far as possible the position of the illegitimate and the legitimate child in relation to the father.
Finally, however, motherhood--legitimate and illegitimate alike--is a factor of such profound importance to society, that it appears urgently desirable not to leave it exclusively to private care, with all the results that private care entails. In the interest of the community it is desirable that there should be
A GENERAL INSURANCE OF MOTHERHOOD,
the cost of which should be defrayed by contributions from both sexes, as well as supplemented by grants from public sources. This assurance must not only suffice to provide for every woman sufficient medical assistance and skilled care during pregnancy and delivery, but should also furnish a provision for the education of the child until it is of an age to earn its own living.
In order to propagate these views and endeavours methodically and upon the widest possible foundation, the active assistance and
## participation of every class in the population is indispensable. We
therefore urge on all those who share our views the pressing demand
TO JOIN THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MOTHERS,
and thus to assist in securing and accelerating the attainment of these ends.
As the official organ of the Association, was chosen the monthly magazine, edited by Dr. Phil. Helene Stöcker, _Mutterschutz: Zeitschrift zur Reform der Sexuellen Ethik_ (_The Protection of Mothers: a Journal for the Reform of Sexual Ethics_)--hitherto published in the year 1905 twelve numbers, in the year 1906 twelve numbers, and in the year 1907 three numbers.
The foundation of the Association was followed on February 26, 1905, by the holding of its first public meeting, in the Architektenhaus, under the presidency of Helene Stöcker; and the meeting was extensively attended by the general population of Berlin. The aims and endeavours of the new union were explained, in longer and shorter speeches, by Ruth Bré, Max Marcuse, Maria Lischnewska, Justizrat Sello, Helene Stöcker, Ellen Key, Lily Braun, Adele Schreiber, Iwan Bloch, and Bruno Meyer; and from the standpoint of the advocates of woman’s rights, of jurists, of physicians, of sociologists, and of moralists, in equal degree, a radical transformation and reform of the present untenable conditions was demanded.[205]
Soon afterwards, the Association proceeded to form local groups. The first was formed in Munich, where on March 28, 1905, the first local meeting took place. Frau Schönfliess, Margarethe Joachimsen-Böhm, Alfred Scheel, and Friedrich Bauer belonged to this committee. Further local groups were founded in Berlin (May 20, 1905--members of this committee, as distinct from the committee of the general Association: Finkelstein, Galli, Agnes Hacker, Albert Kohn, Bruno Meyer, Adele Schreiber), and in Hamburg (president, Regina Ruben).[206]
The first general meeting (_cf._ Helene Stöcker, “Our First General Meeting,” published in _Mutterschutz_, 1907, No. 2) took place in Berlin, January 12 to 14. After speeches on the practical protection of mothers (Maria Lischnewska), the present-day form of marriage (Helene Stöcker), prostitution and illegitimacy (Max Flesch), limitation of marriages by economic conditions (Adele Schreiber), limitation of marriage by hygienic factors (Max Marcuse), the position of the illegitimate child (Böhmert and Ottmar Spann), the insurance of motherhood (Mayet), there followed animated discussions, and various important resolutions were passed, dealing with the equality of husband and wife in married life, the legal recognition of free marriages, and of the offspring of such marriages, the necessity for the provision of certificates of health before the conclusion of marriage, the means to be employed in the care of illegitimate children, and the insurance of motherhood. Especially noteworthy was the address of the leading medical statistician, Professor Mayet, regarding the introduction and management of the insurance of motherhood. At his suggestion, proposals followed regarding the enrolling of working-class members in the societies for insurance against illness and for the insurance of motherhood, the necessity for contributions on the part of the State, the inclusion of the agricultural and forest labourers, and of domestic servants of all kinds, in the schemes of insurance against illness and the insurance of motherhood, the possibility of a voluntary insurance of all women, what could be effected by the insurance of motherhood (free provision of midwives and medical assistance, free lodging in case of need, the provision of premiums for mothers suckling their own children, the institution of places where advice could be given to mothers, of homes for women during pregnancy and child-birth, and homes for women and infants), and the further development of factory legislation with regard to nursing mothers. The committee for 1907 was chosen: it consisted of Helene Stöcker, Maria Lischnewska, Adele Schreiber, Wilhelm Brandt, Iwan Bloch, Max Marcuse, Heinrich Finkelstein.
In the end of January, 1907, an Austrian Association for the Protection of Mothers was founded in Vienna, under the presidency of Dr. Hugo Klein. To the committee of this Society there belong, Siegmund Freud, Rosa Mayreder, Marie Eugenie delle Grazie, Professor Schauta, and about forty other well-known persons, physicians, lawyers, schoolmasters, and many women. In the meeting at which the Association was founded, Dr. Ofner spoke regarding the legal rights of illegitimate mothers and children, and Dr. Friedjung regarding the protection of nursing infants.
In the United States also an Association for sexual reform has been founded, the so-called “Umwertungsgesellschaft” (Revaluation Society), the principal aim of which is the complete re-estimation of all values in the amatory life, and the introduction of a more ideal view of love. The President of this American Association is Emil F. Ruedebusch; the secretary, Mrs. Lina Janssen; the meeting-place of the society is Mayville, in the State of Wisconsin. Regular evenings of discussion are fixed, on which questions of especial interest are debated.
[In Holland also an Association for the Protection of Mothers has been founded; its name is “Vereeniging Onderlinge Vrouwenbescherming.”]
In the newspaper _Mutterschutz_ (1905, No. 9, pp. 375, 376), we find a report of the meeting of the American Association held on October 8, 1905, when the topic of discussion was:
=What is the true nature of marriage?=
The answer ran as follows:
Is it the family (parental) relationship?--No; for a married couple may have no children, may not desire to have children, and can, none the less, be thoroughly married.
Is it the common home, domestic life?--No; for husband and wife may live their whole life in a hotel, and, none the less, be thoroughly married.
Is it the lifelong community of material interests?--No; for man and wife can keep their property separate, if they wish to do so.
Is it mutual assistance and a state of comradeship throughout life?--No. When a conjugal union is the exact opposite to this, we speak of a bad husband and a bad wife; they are, none the less, man and wife.
Does it signify a contract for a lifelong exclusive love?--Certainly not; if marriage signified that, all Christians would be opposed to this institution. And yet these are the things which, according to the common estimation, make up the nature of marriage, whenever the question is discussed in a manner which is regarded as “respectable” and “decent.”--As a matter of fact, there is nothing respectable or decent in this mystification.
What is it, then, in which the true nature of marriage is to be found?--It is the possession of a human being for lifelong exclusive sexual service.
Very various views have prevailed on the question how many human beings it is legitimate for one human being to employ for his exclusive sexual gratification, and among different nations, and at various times, the most widely divergent rules and regulations have prevailed regarding the mode of sexual possession, and, on the other hand, regarding the duties towards this sexual property; but wherever marriage has existed, it has signified a right of property in respect of sexual utilization.
If we oppose marriage, =we mean that we oppose that which actually constitutes marriage according to morality, and according to written law, that which even the most enthusiastic advocates of this institution regard as so debasing that they are ashamed to name it openly=.
But, with the exception of the matters relating to sexual service, =we hold fast to and defend everything which is publicly considered as marriage=, and we expect that in this case we shall be “=faithful=,” “=constant=,” and “=trustworthy=” in all circumstances. For, according to our view, these most important imponderabilia, and these intimate associations of interest between husband and wife, are not the inevitable result of the longing for physical enjoyment in common, but are the much-to-be-desired result of a well-considered longing for any one or all of the relations entering into the question. According to our view, however, the duration of this union, and constancy while it lasted, would not be dependent upon the activity of sexual desires.
A special =Association for Sexual Reform= was founded in Berlin in the year 1906, at the instance of the editor of the _Die Schönheit_, Karl Vanselow. It is an Association of cultured men and women who also have in view the formation of local groups, and the delivery of artistic and scientific lectures in furtherance of their movement for reform.
In the above-mentioned monthly magazine, _Mutterschutz_, edited by Helene Stöcker, all the modern problems of love, marriage, friendship, parentage, prostitution, and all the associated problems of morality, and of the entire sexual life, are discussed from their philosophical, historical, legal, medical, social, and ethical aspects.
The editor herself, a talented disciple of Nietzsche, has since the year 1893 been chiefly occupied in the study of the psychological and ethical aspects of the problems of higher love, and has recently published her collected writings on this subject in a single volume.[207]
It is an interesting literary physiognomy which is offered to us in this book; we encounter here a lofty, free, and pure conception of the love of the future. After the first spiritual wanderings and confusions, which no one in emotional pursuit of the ideal can escape, we see this courageous and undismayed advocate of the eternal, inalienable rights of love, ultimately insisting on the recognition of the lofty mission of love, in accordance with the saying of Nietzsche, which she lovingly quotes: “Ye shall not propagate onwards, but upwards!” (“Nicht fort sollt Ihr Euch pflanzen, sondern hinauf!”). She especially insists on the =duty= and =responsibility= of individual love. No one can take a more earnest view of love than is taken here. Helene Stöcker is throughout no radical revolutionist, but an evolutionist and reformer. She sees quite clearly that to-day there is no panacea, no unfailing solution of sexual problems. While she energetically contests the old sexual morality, and demands its replacement by a new freer conception of sexual relationships, she, none the less, recognizes throughout the significance and the value of self-command, of relative asceticism, the wonderful influence of which, in the deepening of emotional life, she has most rightly emphasized. Especially the soul of woman, she believes, has by the asceticism imposed on women by conventional morality, gained in a high degree, depth, fulness, and comprehensiveness. The inward development of woman will be greatly advantaged by the newer valuation of love. This will be characterized, neither by an arid renunciation and denial of life, nor by a coarse, egoistic search for pleasure, but by a joyful affirmation of life and all its healthy powers and impulses.
Whilst Helene Stocker has laid especial stress upon the psychological and ethical relationships of free love, its equal importance from economical and social points of view has been discussed by Friedrich Naumann,[208] W. Borgius,[209] Lily Braun,[210] Maria Lischnewska,[211] and Henriette Fürth.[212]
Naumann rightly draws attention to the fact that our purely monetary economic system is favourable to the production of sterility, for the reason that in this system motherhood is equivalent to loss of money, because the wife ceases to earn money in a degree proportionate to the extent to which she becomes a mother. The burden of the upbringing of children must be made an affair of the community. At the present time, on the contrary, the producer of human beings is burdened upon all sides. He who has children has more rent to pay, and increased school expenses. Therefore, Naumann demands, as a first step to the recognition of the fact that it is a public duty to educate children, that school expenses shall no longer be demanded from the individual parent. Above all, however, it must be made easier to the wife to be a mother.
The wife as a personality demands her right to work, and her right to motherhood. The fact of the compulsory celibacy of an ever-increasing number of women competent to become mothers is the problem which here demands solution. According to the census of 1900, there were in Germany no less than 4,210,955 women between the ages of eighteen and forty years unmarried, the total number of women of corresponding age being 9,568,659--that is, 44 per cent. were unmarried. Among these there were 2,830,538 between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years, the period most suitable to child-bearing, the total number of women of corresponding age being 3,593,644--that is, no less than 78 per cent. According to Lily Braun, there remain from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 German women permanently unmarried; and we may expect the number of female celibates to increase. The economic conditions, the previously described unhealthy conditions of coercive marriage, and the efforts of women for emancipation, have a combined influence hostile to marriage. On the other hand, law and conventional morality co-operate in making life a martyrdom for the unmarried mother and for the illegitimate child.[213]
The woman who becomes a mother, when united only in the bonds of free love, is at the present day defamed, despised, a being without rights. The question of “=maintenance=” is a scandal of our time! It is the proof of the degree to which most men are devoid of conscience. An experienced lawyer has very forcibly described the intolerable conditions which at present obtain in this matter.[214] He published the following characteristic letter from a young master-butcher, which shows how meanly even a simple-minded man may endeavour to escape the duty of maintenance. The letter runs:
“DEAR DORA,
“I wanted to come round to-day, and wished to deal with the matter by word of mouth, but I can’t do it, and so I must write to tell you that we cannot marry, for, in fact, I have now less money even than when I was a journeyman. The few hundred marks that I had I have put into the business; and, in fact, I really cannot marry; if I did, I couldn’t exist at all. I should have to shut up the shop. What should we do then? I shouldn’t be able to show my face in H---- again; besides, at best, the business is not worth very much. So, my dear Dora, write to me now how we can settle matters; you mustn’t draw the string too tight, or ask too much; if you do, you see, you will have to find your own way out of the trouble. Of course, I shall be glad enough to do what’s right, because I am as much to blame as you are. If after a while I get on as well as my brothers have done, I can do more for you. =But just now I can’t help you much.= Let’s hope you may find some other man with whom you may live more happily than you have lived with me. Dear Dora, don’t make such a fuss about it: there are plenty more in the same case, up and down the world; you are not the only one. Now, write to me directly what you want to do; let’s get the matter settled quietly; that’ll be better for you. Your mother won’t leave you in the lurch, and you will find it will all come right.
“Best love.
“FRITZ H.
“P.S.--Write soon.”
Let us imagine the state of mind of the young woman who receives this letter, characterized as it is by such crafty heartlessness! And yet this heartlessness is no greater than that of modern European society, which =simultaneously= makes fun of the “old maid” and condemns the unmarried mother to infamy. This double-faced, putrescent “morality” is profoundly =immoral=, it is =radically evil=. It is moral and good to contest it with all our energy, to enter the lists on behalf of the right to free love, to “unmarried” motherhood. Let us make a clearance of this medieval bugbear of coercive marriage morality, which is a disgrace in respect of our state of civilization and economical development. Two million women in a condition of =compulsory= celibacy and--coercive marriage morality. It is merely necessary to place these two facts side by side, in order to display before our eyes the complete ethical bankruptcy of our time in the province of sexual morality.
In addition to this necessity for a radical alteration in sexual morality, we must, in the second place, enunciate the demand for a general =insurance of motherhood=, for =the foundation of homes for pregnant women, for women in child-birth, and for infants=. The fulfilment of these demands alone will bring us a great step forward in the restoration to health of our sexual life, and in the preparation of a more beautiful future.[215]
If it be true, as W. B. Stevenson reports,[216] that King Charles IV. decreed that all foundling children in Spanish America were to be regarded as of noble birth, in order that all professions might be open to them, we cannot but consider that this mode of thought and action, on the part of a ruler in the country of the Inquisition, was a shining example for our own time.
“Society,” says Eduard Reich, “as well as the Church, =sins against the laws of morality, as long as= it stands in the way of the advancement of illegitimate children, either by the maintenance of miserable prejudices against these poor beings, or by positive decrees. We shall never be able, even should the human race enter Paradise, to make it impossible for extra-conjugal procreation to occur: love-children will always exist. Since, then, it is not the fault of the latter that their parents have brought them into the world; and, further, since, even if =all= men were married, one could not impute it to a man as a moral transgression, if he, in the plenitude of his procreative powers, had intercourse with a beautiful girl, instead of with his wife (suffering, for example, from cancer, or some other serious disease); and since, on the other hand, a wife still in the full bloom of youth could not be blamed for unfaithfulness if, her elderly husband having been impotent for several years, she now has intercourse with a vigorous and healthy young man--for such reasons, let us throw the veil of forgetfulness over all well-intentioned human weaknesses, and no longer ask whether a citizen of the world has been engendered in the marriage-bed, or has sprung from the well-spring of love. To the reasonable being it is the man himself who is of value; and only blockheads, simpletons, and donkeys will inquire as to his origin.”[217]
And yet one more question I will address in conclusion to the adherents of coercive marriage morality. =How many= free-love relationships, how many illegitimate children have there not been at all times among the cultured classes, even among the pillars of the throne and the altar, =precisely among those= who, on account of their higher spiritual development, ought to possess a stronger ethical sensibility (_nota bene_, from the standpoint of coercive marriage morality). It would be an interesting task to collect =statistics relating to such free unions, and the resulting= “illegitimate” offspring, in the case of notable men and women! The marriage fanatics would be horrified! Quite apart from the =innumerable secret relationships= of this nature, and their consequences, a short observation and enumeration of the illegitimate loves and parentage of men and women of high standing, alike spiritual and moral, would alone suffice to illuminate the actual conditions, and would enable us to draw remarkable conclusions regarding coercive marriage. It is my intention, as soon as possible, to represent in a brief work the rôle of free love in the history of civilization, and to adduce proofs that free love is very well compatible with a moral life. Who would venture to reproach with immorality a Bürger, a Jean Paul, a Gutzkow, a Karoline Schlegel, a George Sand, or even a Goethe?[218]
It is a simple evolutionary necessity that free love, in association with progressive differentiation and with the reshaping of economic conditions, will find its moral justification also for those who at present judge and condemn it from the point of view of long outworn social conditions.
[186] M. Nordau, “The Conventional Lies of Our Civilization.” See also P. Näcke, “Einiges zur Frauenfrage und zur sexuellen Abstinenz”--“A Contribution to the Woman’s Question and to the Question of Sexual Abstinence.” Näcke condemns this duplex morality, and demands for the woman in principle the same sexual freedom that is granted to the man.
[187] One of the most remarkable instances of free love as a popular institution was the “island custom” of the (so-called) Isle of Portland. Here, until well on into the nineteenth century, experimental cohabitation was universal, and marriage did not take place until the woman became pregnant. But if, as a result of this experimental cohabitation, “the woman does not prove with child, after a competent time of courtship, they conclude they are not destined by Providence for each other; they therefore separate; and =as it is an established maxim=, which the Portland women observe with great strictness, =never to admit a plurality of lovers at one time=, their honour is in no way tarnished. She just as soon gets another suitor (after the affair is declared to be broken off) as if she had been left a widow, or that nothing had ever happened, but that she had remained an immaculate virgin” (Hutchins, “History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset,” vol. ii., p. 820, 1868). So faithfully was this “island custom” observed that, on the one hand, during a long period no single bastard was born on the “island,” and, on the other, every marriage was fertile. But when, for the further development of the Portland stone trade, workmen from London, with the “wild love” habits of the large town, came to reside in Portland, these men took advantage of the “island custom,” and then refused to marry the girls with whom they had cohabited. Thus, in consequence of freer intercourse with the “civilized” world, the “Portland custom” has gradually fallen into desuetude. But the words I have emphasized in the quotation show how faithfully the conditions of “free love,” as defined in this work, were observed in Portland. An account of Portland, with allusions to the local practice of “free love,” will be found in Thomas Hardy’s novel, “The Well Beloved.”--TRANSLATOR.
[188] A. Blaschko, “Prostitution in the Nineteenth Century,” p. 12 (Berlin, 1902).
[189] _Cf._ Helen Zimmern, “Mary Wollstonecraft” in _Deutsche Rundschau_, 1889, vol. xv., Heft 11, pp. 259-263. Consult also C. Kegan Paul, “William Godwin: His Friends and Contemporaries,” 2 vols. (London, 1876).
[190] “Shelley’s Poetical Works,” edited by Edward Dowden, p. 42 (Macmillan, 1891).
[191] _Ibid._, p. 44.
[192] _Cf._ the admirable critical investigation by Georg Hirth, “Goethe’s Christiane,” published in “Ways to Love,” pp. 323-366, containing new and valuable aids to our judgment of this relationship.
[193] A. Wernich, “Geographical and Medical Studies, based upon Experiences obtained in a Journey Round the World,” p. 137 (Berlin, 1878). Among the Malays of the Dutch Indies divorce is very easy; it costs only a few gulden, and is often carried out “very much to the advantage of husband and wife who are not held together by love. =But it is by no means rare for a divorced couple to remarry after a certain time=” (Ernst Haeckel, “Aus Insulinde, Malayische Reisebriefe”--“From the Indian Archipelago, Malay Letters of Travel”), p. 242 (Bonn, 1901).
[194] Kuno Fischer, “History of Recent Philosophy,” vol. vii., p. 135 (Heidelberg, 1898).
[195] _Cf._ in this connexion my pseudonymous work, “Rétif de la Bretonne: the Man, the Author, and the Reformer,” p. 500 (Berlin, 1906).
[196] _Cf._ George Gissing’s powerful novel, “The Odd Women.”--TRANSLATOR.
[197] A brief sketch of tetragamy is also given by Schopenhauer in the fragments of his “Lecture on Philosophy” (“Schopenhauer’s Legacy,” ed. Grisebach, vol. iv., pp. 405, 406), also in the manuscript books, “Pandektä” and “Spicilegia” (_op. cit._, pp. 418, 419).
[198] Charles Albert, “Free Love.”--We may also allude to the more generally philosophic work by Armand Charpentier, “L’Évangile du Bonheur. Mariage. Union Libre. Amour Libre” (Paris, 1898).
[199] L. Gumplowicz, “Marriage and Free Love” (Berlin, 1902, second edition).
[200] In this connexion English readers will do well to consult Karl Pearson’s admirable “The Ethic of Freethought.” In the third or sociological section of that book there are numerous references to the subject of free love in relation to the economic structure of society. One of these will, however, for the present, suffice for quotation: “The economic independence of women will, for the first time, render it possible for the highest human relationship to become again a matter of pure affection, raised above every suspicion of restraint and every taint of commercialism.” It will be seen that Karl Pearson, like Albert, Gumplowicz, Bebel, and Socialists in general, believes that collectivism and the economic independence of women are indispensable preliminaries to a far-reaching reform of our sex relationships in the direction of free love.--TRANSLATOR.
[201] I must here call attention to the fact that the celebrated philosopher Eugen Dühring, in his notable work, “The Value of Life,” pp. 155-158 (Leipzig, 1881, third edition), made a violent attack on the coercive marriage system, and demanded on ethical grounds a transformation of our amatory life in the direction of freedom and of personal love.
[202] Edward Carpenter, “Love’s Coming-of-Age,” third edition, London, 1902.
[203] Ellen Key, “Love and Marriage,” translated into German by Francis Maro (Berlin, 1904).
[204] Anton Nyström, “The Sexual Life and its Laws,” pp. 244-247 (Berlin, 1904).
[205] The speeches on this occasion were published by Helene Stöcker in her pamphlet, “The Association for the Protection of Mothers” (No. 4 of “Modern Questions of the Day,” edited by Dr. Hans Landsberg; Berlin, 1905).
[206] Unfortunately, Ruth Bré, who has played such a leading part in the history of the movement for the protection of mothers and for sexual reform, has recently gone her own way, and has founded an association of her own for the protection of mothers, which we may hope will soon be reabsorbed into the general Association. Above all, in such a province of reform as this, open as it is to attacks of every kind, unity is essential.
[207] Helene Stöcker, “Die Liebe und die Frauen”--“Love and Women” (Minden, 1906).
[208] Fr. Naumann, “Women in the New Economic Life,” published in _Mutterschutz_, 1906, No. 4, pp. 133-149.
[209] W. Borgius, “Mutterschafts-Rentenversicherung,” _ibid._, pp. 149-154.
[210] Lily Braun, “Die Mutterschaftsversicherung,” _ibid._, 1906, Nos. 1-3, pp. 18-24, 69-76, 110-124.
[211] M. Lischnewska, “The Economic Reform of Marriage,” _ibid._, No. 6, pp. 215-236.
[212] H. Fürth, “Motherhood and Marriage,” _ibid._, 1905, Nos. 7, 10-12, pp. 165-169, 389-395, 427-435, 483-489.
[213] The facts to which we have alluded throw a peculiar light upon the ever-renewed attack, made by certain writers who will not see, _against_ the emancipation of women, whilst at the same time they _advocate_ motherhood! A typical example of this is the book written by the gynecologist Max Runge, “Woman in her Sexual Individuality” (Berlin, 1896), the objectivity of which, in comparison with other hostile writings, must, however, be expressly recognized.
[214] “Office Consultations of a Solicitor,” by Severserenus, p. 70 _et seq._ (Hanover, 1902).
[215] The question of _unmarried motherhood_, sociologically of such profound importance, has recently been treated by Max Marcuse in an admirable monograph, “Unmarried Mothers” (Berlin, 1907, vol. xxvii. of the “Documents of Great Towns,” edited by Hans Ostwald). Herein we find exact data regarding the number, religion, position, profession, and characteristics of unmarried mothers, also the social and psychological causes of unmarried motherhood, and the existing and future means of caring for women in this position. The same author, in the newspaper _Soziale Medizin und Hygiene_, 1906, vol. i., pp. 657-667, discusses the important question of the =adoption= of illegitimate children. Valuable monographs concerning =illegitimate children= are those of Hugo Neumann, “The Illegitimate Children of Berlin,” Jena, 1900; Ottomar Spann, “Investigations Regarding the Illegitimate Population of Frankfurt-on-the-Main,” Dresden, 1906; Frieda Duensing, “The Legal Position of Illegitimate Children,” and Taube, “Illegitimate Children,” published in “The Book of the Child,” edited by Adele Schreiber, vol. ii., div. 2, pp. 57-61, 62-69 (Leipzig, 1907); the practical work hitherto effected--already extensive, but still far less than we could wish--by the Association for the Protection of Mothers has been detailed by Maria Lischnewska, in her excellent pamphlet, “The Practical Protection of Mothers” (Berlin, 1907).
[216] W. B. Stevenson, “Travels in Arauco, Chile, Peru, and Columbia, in the years 1804-1823,” vol. i., p. 174 (Weimar, 1826).
[217] Eduard Reich, “Immorality and Excess, from the Point of View of the Medical, Hygienic, Political, and Moral Sciences,” p. 127 (Neuwied and Leipzig, 1866).
[218] Apart from the study of the numerous free-love relationships of the poet Goethe, it would be interesting to make an investigation regarding his illegitimate children. Only a few years ago there died in Stützerbach one of the last illegitimate grandchildren of Goethe, a wood-cutter, a man of tall stature and proud gait, resembling in appearance and demeanour the beloved of all women. _Cf._ A. Trinius, “From the Mountain-World of Goethe,” published in the _Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger_, No. 453, of September 6, 1906.
## CHAPTER XII
SEDUCTION, THE SENSUAL LIFE (GENUSSLEBEN), AND WILD LOVE (WILDE LIEBE)
“_In the sensual life, imponderabilia play a leading part, and many an effort towards improvement, many a reform, has been shattered against them, simply because the would-be reformer has overlooked the finer threads which connect the human soul with the institutions and customs of the material world._”--WILLY HELLPACH.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XII
Difference between free love and wild love -- The danger of wild love -- Forms the bridge to prostitution -- Its connexion with the sensual life and with seduction -- The peculiarities of modern epicureanism -- Restless character of the sensual life -- The life of “amusement” -- The erotic aim of this life -- Sexual excesses of the present day -- Heedlessness of wild love -- Influence of large towns on the sensual life -- Nocturnal life -- Character of the pleasures of large towns -- Increase of sexual tension -- Pursuit of pleasure among the common people -- The increasing number of young embezzlers -- Public seduction -- Professional seduction -- History of the art of love -- Its gradual spiritualization -- Seducer types -- Don Juan and Casanova -- British Don-Juanism -- The domineering erotic, and the erotic genius -- Kierkegaarde, “Diary of a Seducer” -- Pseudo Don-Juanism -- Printed guide-books to the sensual life for the modern man of pleasure -- Influence of the mode of life upon the sexual life -- Alcohol as the incorporation of evil in this respect -- Analysis of its influence on the _vita sexualis_ -- Its peculiar duplex influence -- Utilization of this influence by prostitutes and seducers -- Alcoholism and venereal diseases -- Absinthe in France -- Share of alcohol in producing offences against morality -- Encouragement of wild love by alcohol -- Connexion of illegitimate births with alcoholic excess -- Increase of wild love at the present day -- “Intimacy” (“das Verhältnis”) -- Its gradual degeneration -- History of the origination of the “intimacy,” and psychological explanations thereof -- Increasing similarity between the nature of the “intimacy” and the conditions of prostitution -- Causes -- Frequent changes of “intimates” -- The diffusion of venereal diseases by means of wild love -- Rôle of lies, mistrust, and hatred therein -- Produces disbelief in love -- Wild love and coercive marriage -- Causes of sexual corruption -- Need for the campaign against wild love and sexual libertinism -- Hellmann’s book on sexual libertinism -- Attitude of the medical man towards “extra-conjugal” sexual intercourse -- Increasing aversion to wild love -- The increase in free ideal love unions -- Wild love as the transitional stage to prostitution.
## CHAPTER XII
In the previous chapter we repeatedly drew attention to the fact that free love is not identical with the sexual promiscuity indulged in at the present day to such an alarming extent and with such disastrous consequences--sexual promiscuity in the form of extra-conjugal sexual intercourse, irregular in character, and dependent almost entirely upon chance.
I am an ardent advocate of “free love,” by which I understand sexual union based upon intimate love, personal harmony, and spiritual affinity, entered on by the free resolve of both parties, involving the assumption of all the duties entailed by such free unions, and with satisfactory mutual assurances regarding health. But with corresponding emphasis I must condemn, from the standpoint of the physician and from that of public hygiene, and also on ethical grounds, the now so widely diffused “extra-conjugal” sexual intercourse, for which, in order to distinguish it from the entirely different extra-conjugal “free” love, I suggest the term “=wild love=.”
This wild love is the true cancer of our society, for its chief characteristic is that it constitutes =an enduring connexion and means of transition= between hygienically and ethically unexceptionable sexual intercourse and prostitution, and thus involves the unceasing risk of transferring to the former =all the dangers= of the latter. In this sense, wild love can really be regarded as a kind of =irradiation= of the whole nature of prostitution into the entirety of sexual relations in general. Thus, it remains a powerful hindrance to all ennoblement and resanation of the amatory life, and it is an invincible source of the moral and physical degeneration and the infective contamination of the nation.
Wild love is intimately connected with the artificial sensual life of our time, and with the manifold varieties of seduction[219] arising from that life. Wild love, the sensual life, and seduction, form, as it were, a triad, each member of which is the principal predisposing condition of the others.
He who wishes to characterize in a few words the European civilization of the present day may say that its nature consists in =epicureanism=, mitigated by =toil= and the =struggle for life=; but this epicureanism is of a very peculiar kind. It is no longer the unqualified sensual life of the eighteenth century, in which sensual lusts and epicurean refinements were to many the whole object of life, nor is it the comfortable enjoyment of “the good old times”; it is a quite peculiar =concentrated= enjoyment of the moment, =in the midst of the hard work of life=. The _carpe diem_ of Horace has to-day become _carpe horam_!
The forced labour which the fierce struggle for existence at present entails upon the majority of men leaves no more time for a simple undisturbed enjoyment of existence, for the inward deep =experience= of reality, and for a quiet joy therein. No, our sensual life of to-day bears in it the sting of =pain=, because the will to live, which, according to Schopenhauer, continually strives for an “=increase of life=,” has now degenerated into a convulsive search for =the most violent sensations possible=, into a wild hunt after the strongest possible and most frequent enjoyments, because the time is lacking for a peaceful, harmonious existence. Each man asks himself anxiously whether he may not have “missed” this or that possibility of objective pleasure; and forgets in doing so that the true happiness of life lies =within himself=, and that the greatest possible sum of outward enjoyments cannot procure him this happiness.
The signature of our time is “=amuse oneself=,” a phrase which conveys the idea of all our modern superficial pleasures, and of our sensual and spiritual sensations, which must chase one another in rapid succession in order to enable the modern civilized man to feel that he “lives.”
For the majority of those living in great towns, amusement is equivalent to a =continued succession of superficial sensual pleasures, as preparatory stimuli for an equally fugitive and debasing sexual act=.
The frequently heard and favourite phrases “to go through with it,” “to live one’s life,” “to sow one’s wild oats,” etc., have all the same significance, in the sense of preparation for sexual indulgence by means of such stimuli.
From beer-saloons and public-houses of all kinds, especially those at which the attendants are women, from the cabarets and variety theatres, the low-class music-halls and dancing-saloons, also, however, from better-class balls, soirées, and luxurious dinners, the road is open to the prostitute, or to the arms of a girl excited by similar sensual stimuli to a similarly transitory sexual desire.
A great physician has said: “We eat three times too much.” I might add, in amplification of this saying, Not only do we eat three times too much, but we look for all other sensual pleasures in excess, and for this reason =we love also three times too much=, or rather, we indulge =too often= in sexual intercourse.
One of our most talented psychologists, Willy Hellpach, has described these relationships with great insight:
“To the enormous majority of our young men sexual indulgence is a matter of course, like their card-parties, their evenings at the club, their glass of beer; and of the few who live otherwise, a considerable proportion do so simply from timidity, or from poverty of spirit (they would like to, but they cannot screw their courage up). Another portion is honourably continent, but does not dare to make any display of this adhesion to principle, and rather pretends not to be distinguished in any way from the majority; and the very few young men who openly set their faces against the custom may be counted on the fingers of one hand. It is obvious that in this way the extra-conjugal sexual act loses the distinction of the unaccustomed; it is effected continually in a more heedless, light-hearted, frivolous manner--until, finally, the very idea of danger connected with indiscriminate sexual indulgence is forgotten; the preventive is thrown aside with an easy “Nothing has ever happened to me.” Indeed, many a man goes to his fate in the shape of infection with his eyes open, and with the most light-hearted confidence: if he is infected, there will be plenty of time before his marriage to be thoroughly cured.
“This factor comes the more readily into play in proportion to the degree in which the whole arrangement of the sensual life culminates in the stimulation of erotic activities. Such a tendency is inevitably associated with the development of the modern large town; and there ensues an imitation of the sensual life of large towns in smaller towns, and even in country villages.[220]
“Every large town provides the means for a much more extensive stimulation of the senses than country life; and the alternate stimulation and deadening of the senses, characteristic of town life, has in the very large towns of our time reached an unheard-of degree of intensity. The town is the typical habitat of that sensual and nervous condition of irritability which historically characterizes our own generation; the townsman is the typical representative of “nervousness” in its modern form. The verbal connexion between “senses” and “sensuality” represents an actual transition; and in ordinary parlance, by the “sensual” we understand the “erotic.” Where the senses are more strongly stimulated, there erotic desire grows, there it loses its periodical course in favour of a continuous wakefulness, or, at any rate, in favour of a light slumber, which the slightest stimulus will disturb. And the townsman is more easily impelled to the sexual act, not merely because the town offers him prostitutes, “intimates,” etc., in much greater numbers, but also because his over-stimulated nervous system impels him much more powerfully to search for these objects, and makes it much more difficult for him to safeguard himself against their allurements.
“And town life is nocturnal life! The more so, the larger the town; and we see the extreme form of this in the great capitals of Europe. The consequences in regard to the opportunities for and incitations to sexual enjoyment are not lacking. First of all, nocturnal life gives rise to a summation of stimuli, to an incredible variety of nervous titillation, and this induces an increasing sensuality; and once the sensual life has become habitually nocturnal, now, by a vicious circle, all enjoyment is unavoidably fettered to the town. Natural recuperation has become a secondary consideration, and in place of the relief of tension, we have apparent restoration by means of variety. All, all, tends in favour of a sharpening of sensual stimuli, of arousing the wish for erotic pleasures. And the town is untiring, inexhaustible, in its discovery of means for the gratification of these instincts. Variety theatres, gin-palaces, low music-halls, and all the amusements of similar kind, are simply unthinkable without the sensual note; and even where they maintain themselves to be free from that note, it will be unconsciously sought by the audience, will be easily found, and if it were absent, its absence would be angrily resented. The same is true, more or less, of entertainments of a higher æsthetic rank. With very few exceptions, our theatres are compelled to take into consideration the instincts of the public, and the instincts of the population of our large towns are chiefly concerned with eroticism. Even where sexual questions are elevated into the sphere of the highest art, and by the artist himself the common is detested, the audience will, after their kind, merely extract erotic stimulation; and that the opera and the stage are sought by many merely on account of these accessory influences, is too well known to need proof--not to say a word regarding the pantomime and the ballet.
“Perhaps the worst of all is yet to come. In his public dinners, his
## parties, his clubs, his balls, etc., the man of the upper classes, and
also the man of the middle classes, does not find the much-to-be-desired ethical counterpoise to this characteristic sensual life of our young men; but rather finds the prolongation of it in a somewhat more masked and artificial form. From the outset, the relationship between the sexes is of so suggestive, so purposive a character, that this exercises a gentle, stimulating influence upon desire; and a man is thrown into a state of tension for which he often finds only one outlet, sexual gratification--which he must either buy or obtain by cunning--and thus he passes straightway from the influences of the public sensual life, to become the customer of the prostitute, the partner in the “intimacy,” the seducer in the nocturnal life of the great town. He then either runs the danger of infection with venereal diseases, or he occupies himself with their dissemination; for the man suffering from venereal disease is not merely a victim: he is commonly also a focus of infection, one who finds new victims in the shape of girls hitherto uninfected.
“To this evil a remarkable trait in the sensual life of the simpler woman extends ready assistance--I mean that servility, that erotic obsequiousness which finds expression already in the gossip, and in the favourite reading of the lower classes, and which makes them feel to some extent flattered if they are treated as means of enjoyment by a man of good position. It is well known that the prostitute in her talk gladly makes her lover a baron; but, unfortunately, a similar tendency characterizes the feminine half of the lower classes throughout, and to our regret, this is more especially true of the German people. Our commercial-traveller nature, to which, according to Sombart, we owe a portion of our ascendancy in the markets of the world, finds its most regrettable and disastrous seamy side in the readiness with which the masses forget their pride and self-respect, when it is a question of snatching a pleasure. This characteristic has, in recent lustra, unfortunately become not better, but rather worse; the desire to look well at any cost, with which the simple girl so often makes herself laughable, inspires also her longing to ‘walk out’ with a distinguished admirer.”[221]
But not only does the simple girl of the people sacrifice her life and health in this pursuit of pleasure; the young men also are not behindhand in the pursuit, which they regard as “gentlemanlike,” of enjoyment and of women. It is astonishing what an increase in recent times there has been in the number of youthful embezzlers, learners and clerks in merchants’ offices, whose offences have been committed simply in order to provide funds for the gratification of their pothouse pleasures. Among them one meets lads between the ages of fourteen and eighteen years, a symptom of the earlier sexual maturity of the present day. When, as usually happens, they are arrested after a few days, it comes out in evidence that the embezzled money was squandered in the society of prostitutes, but we learn that the tendency to such excess had existed in the embezzler long before he actually committed a crime. If the heads of businesses were to keep themselves better informed regarding the mode of life of their employees, many a disillusion and many a loss would be spared them.
Sexual seduction is at the present time effected less by individuals than by the environment. =The sensual life as such=, the entire stimulating sensual atmosphere of that life, plays to-day a rôle which at an earlier time, when our social life and pleasures were less fully developed, fell to the “seducer,” the _galant homme_ and Don Juan of earlier days. Our young people are subjected rather to the general influences of the pursuit of amusement, which fascinates all circles, than to the allurements of the habitual seducer. =To-day, the victims of public seduction, by means of the sensual life characteristic of our time, are far more numerous= than those seduced by isolated individuals, though such there have been, and will be, at all times.
Before I pass to the consideration of the individual influences of the modern sensual life, those by which wild love is especially favoured, and before I describe the general seduction of the present day, I propose to touch upon the interesting question of “=professional seduction=,” to consider Don-Juanism and the practice of the “_ars amandi_.”
It is remarkable how strongly the history of the art of seduction reflects the general tendency of the evolution of love from purely physical impulses to spiritual love. This we learn simply from the study of the numerous =text-books of the art of love=, the so-called “_ars amandi_.”
Whereas in the earlier text-books of this subject, from Ovid’s “Ars Amandi,”[222] widely celebrated in antiquity, to the “Practica Artis Amandi,”[223] the “Morale Galante, ou l’Art de Bien Aimer,”[224] of the seventeenth century, and Gentil Bernard’s “L’Art d’Aimer,”[225] of the eighteenth century, the principal stress was laid upon all the possible sensual stimuli, and upon the superficial gallantry associated with this; in the modern text-books, in that of Manso[226] (still belonging to the eighteenth century), but especially in the more recent works by Stendhal,[227] Paul Bourget,[228] A. Silvestre,[229] Catulle Mendés,[230] Robert Hessen,[231] and Hjalmar Kjölenson,[232] we find much more stress laid on all the =spiritual= influences of the art of love. In this way it is possible to follow in these works the whole course of the enrichment of the spiritual and emotional life in love.[233]
The same process of development can be recognized also in the figure of Don Juan. His type has undergone gradual alteration, always becoming more and more intellectual. The =purely sensual= Don Juan, as Lord Chesterfield, for example, characterizes and embodies him, is to-day quite out of date even among sensual men of the ordinary type; whereas though Kierkegaard’s “Diary of a Seducer” describes an extreme type, that of the purely reflective libertine, yet in this extreme, the author has very rightly recognized the general tendency of evolution.
Recently, Oscar A. H. Schmitz has published an extremely original and thoughtful study of “Don Juan, Casanova, and other Erotic Characters” (Stuttgart, 1906), in which he distinguishes very sharply the seducer type of a Casanova from the seducer-type of a Don Juan. Don Juan is a deceitful, cunning seducer, to whom the =sense of possession= associated with the attainment of his aim, the =danger=, the activity of his =desires for power and dominance=, are the principal matters, but who is in himself =unerotic=; whereas Casanova is pre-eminently the erotic, also crafty and deceitful, not, however, for the gratification of his need for power, but rather for the agreeable satisfaction of his need for sensual love. Don Juan knows only “women”; for Casanova each one is “the woman.” Don Juan is demoniacal, devilish he goes on to the complete destruction of the women seduced by him, deliberately he ensures their unhappiness; Casanova is human, cares always for the happiness of the women he loves, and devotes to them a tender reflection. Don Juan =despises= women, he is of the type of the misogynist, of the satanic woman-hater; Casanova is the typical feminist, he possesses a profound understanding of woman’s soul, is not disappointed by love, and needs for his life’s happiness continuous contact with feminine natures. Don Juan seduces by means of his own elemental nature, by the attractive power of brutal wild force; Casanova does so by means of the sensual atmosphere which surrounds him.
With an accurate psychological insight, Schmitz remarks:
“It seems as if the love of one, or, where possible, of several, women inoculates the man, as it were, with a vital fluid, and gives his glance a fire which at times makes him irresistible. Men of pleasure declare that after the most fortunate nights, when, exhausted, they were returning home to sleep, on the way the most eager and meaning glances were cast upon them by the women whom they passed.”
This distinction between the two types of seducer, which Schmitz makes in his original book, containing excellent observations on the psychology of love, is indeed not new. Stendhal, in the chapter “Werther and Don Juan” of his book, “Ueber die Liebe,” pp. 241-251 (German edition, Leipzig, 1903), points out the same types. “The genuine Don Juans,” he says, “ultimately come to regard women as their enemies, and find actual pleasure in their manifold unhappiness”; whereas Werther, the equivalent of Casanova, regards all women as entrancing beings, towards whom we are far too unjust. The love of Don Juan is “a similar feeling to the love of the chase”; Werther’s love is gentle, idealizes the reality, is full of tender and romantic impressions. Don Juan is the conqueror; Werther is the erotic.
I myself also, in my work on “Sexual Life in England,” vol. ii., p. 159 (Berlin, 1903), have, earlier than Schmitz, clearly distinguished from one another these two seducer types, in a passage in which I depict the British Don Juan, in contrast to the French and Italian Don Juan.
The passage runs:
“The principal characteristic of the British Don Juans, who are completely distinct from the libertines of the Latin and of the other Teutonic countries, is the =cold, brazen= quietude with which they indulge in the sensual pleasures of life; =love is much less to them an affair of passion than one of pride and of the gratification of their consciousness of power=. The French, the Italian Don Juan is driven by ardent sensuality from conquest to conquest. This is the =principal motive= of their actions and of their mode of life. The English Don Juan seduces on principle, for the sake of experiment; he pursues love as a sport. Sensuality plays a part only in the second degree, and in the midst of his sensual enjoyment the coldness of his heart is still painfully apparent.
“This is the =rake=, the type of =Lovelace=, which Richardson, in his ‘Clarissa Harlowe,’ has described with incomparable mastery.”
Taine, also, in his “History of English Literature,” has described this British Don-Juanism, which hates rather than loves.
Finally, we find these types also in Rosa Mayreder’s book, “Zur Kritik der Weiblicheit” (“Critique of Femininity,” Leipzig, 1905), especially in the chapter, “A Few Words on the Powerful Faust” (pp. 210-243). Her type of the “=masterful erotic=” closely resembles the Don Juan type of Schmitz, and my own British seducer type.
“Erotic excitement,” says Rosa Mayreder, “gives rise in these men to the lust of dominion; to them the relationship with women signifies a grasping possession, an enjoyment of power, and they are unable to think of women except as subject and dependent. Only in so far as woman adapts herself to them as a means do they know her; as a personality, with individual aims, she does not exist for them.”
This masterful eroticism exists among men of quite low social position, just as much as among men of high position.[234] Their diametrical opposite is the love-perception of delicately sensitive, erotical, highly differentiated men, whose highest type constitutes the “=erotic genius=.” Rosa Mayreder characterizes this latter type in the following terms:
“The increasing differentiation of erotic perception brings with it a new faculty, which extinguishes the consciousness of superiority and transforms the need for contrast into the need for community, for reciprocity--the capacity for devotion. Thus comes to pass the most remarkable phenomenon in the masculine psyche, the great miracle, which effects a complete transformation of the primitive mode of perception, a transformation of the teleological sexual nature.
“The erotic genius grasps the nature of the opposite sex with intuitive understanding, and is capable of assimilating it completely. The other sex is to him the primevally akin and primevally allied; his love-relationships are accompanied by ideas of enlargement, fulfilment, liberation of his own essential nature, or even by the idea of a mystical union. To him sexuality does not denote an annulment or limitation of personality, but rather an enlargement and enrichment by means of the individuals with which, in this way, his personality is associated.”
As an erotic genius of such a kind, Rosa Mayreder points to Richard Wagner, as he manifests himself in his letters to Mathilde Wesendonk.
The sensibility and refinement of the modern woman, her emergence as a personality, must continually repel the masterful type of erotic--although doubtless that type will never be entirely eliminated. I do not believe in a complete transformation of the teleological sexual nature of man, which has always assigned to him the active aggressive rôle. But it is true that the possibilities of existence for the masterful erotic, the Don Juan type, have become limited. He must, as Schmitz rightly insists, intellectualize himself if he wishes to continue to exist. This psychological satanism of the modern Don Juan is wonderfully described by Kierkegaard, in his “Diary of a Seducer.”[235]
The hero of this book learns best from the girls themselves how they can be betrayed; he develops in them “spiritual eroticism,” in order then suddenly to abandon them, but =they themselves= must loosen the tie. Woman and love are not to him in themselves the principal need; what is important to him is, as he says at the conclusion, that he has been able to enrich himself with numerous erotic perceptions. The modern Don Juan is, therefore, nothing more than a =cold psychological experimenter=. It is in this way that, with prophetic insight, Choderlos de Laclos has described him in the Vicomte de Valmont, the hero of his “Liaisons Dangereuses.”
Yet another interesting Don Juan type of our time has to be considered, one which indeed is not a genuine Don Juan, but a =pseudo= Don Juan, or rather a pseudo Casanova; and this type makes its appearance also in the female sex.
Like Rétif de la Bretonne, it is the man or woman seeking eternally for the ideal, for true love; a type which only, in consequence of the ever-repeated disillusions and errors, assumes a Don Juanesque character. At the present day, we meet this type very often. It is only the expression of the increasing difficulty of the proper love choice, owing to the progressive differentiation of our time; and it is not originated by the desire for sensual lust, but rather by the eternally disillusioned yearning for genuine individual love.
But we must return after this excursion to the consideration of the commonest type of public seduction by means of the sensual life of our time. It is significant that this also possesses its literary guides and course of instruction, in the form of the numerous printed =handbooks for the world of pleasure=. Among these we may mention, “Guides du Viveur,” “Guides de Plaisir,” “Führer durch das Nächtliche Berlin” (“Guide to Berlin by Night”), “New London Guide to the Night Houses,” “Die Geheimnisse der Berliner Passage” (“Secrets of the ‘Passage’ of Berlin”), “Paris by Night,” “The Swell’s Night Guide through the Metropolis,” “Bruxelles la Nuit, Physiologie des Établissements Nocturnes de Bruxelles” (for Englishmen of pleasure, published under the title of “Brussels by Gas-light”), “Paris and Brussels after Dark,” “The Gentleman’s Night Guide,” “Hamburgs galante Häuser bei Nacht und Nebel” (“Hamburg’s Fast Houses by Night and Cloud”), “Das Galante Berlin,” “Naturgeschichte der galanten Frauen in Berlin” (“Natural History of the Fast Women of Berlin”), “Paris Intime et Mystérieux,” “Guide des Plaisirs Mondains et des Plaisirs Secrets à Paris.” All these have appeared during the last thirty years, some of them in several editions. For Vienna, Buda-Pesth, St. Petersburg, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Marseilles, Rotterdam, and New York, there also exist such guides to all open and secret enjoyments.
In order to give an idea of the contents of such a guide to the sensual life, I need merely enumerate the chapter headings of a book published in 1905, and, as the Paris bookseller from whom I obtained it informed me, immediately confiscated, but =none the less= still openly sold in the bookshops of the Boulevards and the Rue de Rivoli. It bears the title, “=Pour s’Amuser=. Guide du Viveur à Paris, par Victor Leca” (Paris, 1905). In his versified dedication, the compiler writes:
“Nous connaissons la Capitale, Et nous l’aimons avec ferveur; Ma science expérimentale A fait ce ‘Guide du Viveur.’”
[“We know the Capital, And we love it with fervour; My experimental science Has made this Guide for the Man about Town.”]
And he states in the preface that all the various pleasures of Paris, for the eye, the ear, and the sense of taste, lead ultimately to--woman, in complete agreement with the definition which I gave above of the sensual life of our time. All these pleasures concur in leading to sexual indulgence--that is the end, the climax of every “amusement,” the true _punctum saliens_ of the life of pleasure of our large towns. Thus Leca, in his comprehensive and elaborate guide for men of pleasure, lays the principal stress on announcements regarding eroticism and on opportunities for erotic adventures in the individual places of pleasure. He enumerates these in series: the theatre, especially the “théâtres très légers,” the “cafés-concerts,” the dancing-saloons, the hippodromes, and circuses, the cabarets of Montmartre, the Quartier Latin, the women’s cafés, the boulevards, the halls of the central market, the brothels (with an exact indication of the streets, and with the numbers of the houses!!), the houses of accommodation (_maisons de rendezvous_), the likenesses of a few “ladies of pleasure,” the arcades, the parks and public gardens, the popular festivals, the races, drives, public bathing establishments, cemeteries, museums, and exhibitions--all, always, in relation to the feminine element.
These handbooks of the art of enjoyment are existing proofs, from the point of view of the history of civilization, of the fact =that the sexual impulse is, in every possible way, influenced, increased, elaborated, and complicated, by the civilization of the present day=. Especially the life of great towns, where the essence of modern civilization is found in its most concentrated form, is a sexual stimulant in the highest degree, with its haste and hunting, its “nocturnal life,”[236] with its multiplicity of enjoyments for all the senses, with its gastronomic and alcoholic excesses--in short, with its new device that after work comes =pleasure=, and not repose.
In my “Sexual Life in England” (vol. ii., p. 261 _et seq._) I have described the momentous influence of the mode of life upon sexuality, and have proved how both in the old England and in the new the excessive consumption of meat and of alcoholic beverages has unnaturally stimulated the sexual impulse, and has conducted it into devious paths.
But of Germany also we may say that, apart from the times of “meat famine,” we eat =too much meat= and drink =too much alcohol=, the former especially among the higher classes, the latter among all classes of society.
The sexually stimulating influence of luxurious feeding, which, for example, Gabriele d’Annunzio describes in the early part of his romance “Lust,” and which Tolstoi, in the “Kreutzer Sonata,” describes as the principal cause of incitation to lasciviousness, is indeed a well-known fact of experience; and the =later= in the day these heavy meals are consumed, the more dangerous are they in respect of their influence on the sexual impulse. I am fully convinced that the good old German custom of taking the principal meal of the day at noon =is greatly preferable= to the so-called “English dinner,” when the principal meal is deferred to four or six o’clock. Luxurious suppers, or even midnight dinners, such as at the present day are quite customary, must be definitely regarded as aphrodisiac.
A far more momentous rôle is played by =alcohol= in the modern sensual life. A writer who is not himself a strict teetotaller may yet feel it his duty to lay all possible stress on this fact. Indeed, from the standpoint of medical experience and observation, I am prepared to term alcohol the =evil genius= of the modern sexual life, because in a malicious and underhand manner it delivers its victim to sexual misleading and corruption, to venereal infection, and to all the consequences of casual sexual intercourse.[237]
This is not the place for a detailed discussion of the drink question, or for stating the reasons for my own opinion, that complete abstinence is a Utopian idea, and that the =moderate= and careful use of alcohol, in quantities suited to the particular individuality, and at =suitable= times, does no harm worth mentioning. Though this be so, I cannot fail to recognize the deeply tragic rôle which the customary abuse of alcohol plays in the sexual corruption of our time. As to the connexion between alcohol and the sexual life, I must therefore speak at greater length.[238]
The influence of alcohol upon the sexual life and upon the psyche is a very peculiar one. Beer or wine, taken in =very moderate= quantities, unquestionably give rise, in addition to their general psychical stimulating influence, to sexual excitement of greater or less degree. This sexual excitement, if more alcohol is now taken, endures =longer= than the psychical excitement, which soon gives place to psychical paralysis, to a discontinuance of the inhibitory influences proceeding from the brain. It is in this unequal influence exercised upon the purely sensual-sexual and upon the psychical processes, that the peculiar danger of alcoholic excesses appears to me to depend. The sexual stimulation produced by the first draught of alcohol continues at a time when the man has already lost all control over reason and will, and thus he becomes an easy prey to sexual seduction.
It is only in this way that we can explain the momentous influence of alcohol, for we know, generally speaking, it is not a means for the increase of sexual power. On the contrary, it increases voluptuousness and sexual desire, but almost always hinders erection and delays the sexual orgasm.
=Thus, a man under the influence of alcohol requires a longer time for the completion of the act of sexual intercourse than a sober man=, and in this way the danger of venereal infection is notably increased, for the contact with the infecting person is considerably longer. I have inquired of many patients who were infected during intercourse with prostitutes after alcoholic excess, and was almost always informed that the act of intercourse, owing to the well-known relative impotence produced by alcohol, was exceptionally long in duration, and this naturally gave more opportunity for excessive contact, for mechanical injuries dependent upon increased friction, etc., and thus brought about infection.
In medical literature, numerous cases are reported in which two men have completed intercourse with an infected prostitute, shortly after one another, and, remarkable to relate, one only became infected, whilst the other remained healthy. More exact inquiry would show without doubt in many such cases that the uninfected man was sober, in comparison with the infected man, who must have been under the influence of alcohol.
In the case of women, with regard to whom there can be no question of any specific effect upon sexual “potency,” the influence of alcohol in exciting libido, in association with its withdrawal of all psychical inhibitions, makes itself all the more manifest. Thus, to woman, who, speaking generally, is far more intolerant of the drug than man, very moderate enjoyment of alcohol entails dangers.[239]
The seducer, the procuress, and the prostitute are all familiar with the above-described peculiar influence of alcohol upon the libido sexualis and upon the psyche, and it is precisely this discriminative duplex influence which is utilized by them. Not only in the so-called “Animierkneipen”--that is, the drinking-saloons with women attendants--and in the brothels does alcohol subserve this purpose, but the street-walkers also await their victims by preference outside the doors of the great restaurants, or after festival dinners, and keep an eye especially on drunken men, because in the case of these, in whom all self-command has been lost, they have, in every respect, an easy prey.[240]
A man under the influence of alcohol is as easily led and as devoid of will-power as a child. He is not particular in his choice: he generally fails to notice whether the prostitute who accosts him is young or old, pretty or ugly, clean or dirty; he follows her blindly, and in most cases with results disastrous to his pocket and to his health. The following case illustrates very clearly this loss of will produced in a man by indulgence in alcohol:
An officer of high rank, a married man, in general a man of solid repute, left the officers’ casino after a banquet late at night, very tipsy, to seek his house. Suddenly he felt an arm thrust into his; it was a prostitute who had noticed his condition, and she had turned it to her own advantage. Without reflection and without exercise of will, he allowed her to lead him to her dwelling, and there, still in a quite apathetic condition, had intercourse with her, without taking any precautions whatever. It was not until afterwards that he saw, being then somewhat sobered, that he was in the company of an elderly prostitute of the lowest class. His dread of venereal infection was justified a few days later by the appearance of a urethral discharge. In great alarm he consulted me. Microscopic examination of the urethral secretion, and the cure which ensued in a few days, showed me that he was suffering from a simple urethral catarrh, and not from gonorrhœa.
Such cases as this, however, do not always end so fortunately. It is notorious, and has been proved by the researches of leading physicians and medical statisticians, that the majority of venereal infections take place under the influence of alcohol.
For this reason, =the continued increase in the consumption of alcohol leads to a further diffusion of venereal diseases=. While our ancestors consumed alcoholic beverages to excess only on Sundays and festival days, at the present time spirits are freely consumed on weekdays--above all, during the evenings. Brandy and beer have become everyday beverages, especially beer, whose consumption increases year by year, so that in the year 1898 the beer drunk in Germany was valued at £100,000,000! Strümpell showed that labourers earning three marks a day are accustomed to spend eighty pfennige--that is, more than one-third of their income--on beer; these are by no means notorious drinkers, but steady fellows who only follow the general “custom.” The part played by beer in Germany is played by absinthe in France; the well-known “apéritif” to which prostitutes of Paris so often invite their male clients is in most cases absinthe. Wine, as the experienced Fiaux says, is merely an “ideal drink” in the dreams of the ordinary Parisian prostitute.
We shall return in subsequent chapters of this work to the consideration of alcohol in its relations to the sexual life in general, and to abnormal sexual manifestations in particular. We shall also have occasion to speak of the momentous rôle played by alcohol in the causation of offences against morality. Baer goes so far as to assert that alcohol is the cause in 77 per cent. of such offences.
Here we shall only once more insist upon the high degree to which the excessive enjoyment of alcohol assists in seduction and favours wild love--that is, sexual intercourse free from all choice and all regulation. This is to be seen with especial clearness at popular festivals and other occasions giving rise to alcoholic excesses; and the effects are later shown by the resulting increase in the number of illegitimate births.
Magnus Hirschfeld relates that when he was a student he spent one Christmas Eve in the company of a professor of medicine in Breslau. Among the guests were two of the maternity assistants, and first one, then the other, was called away to attend confinements. An old physician who was present thereupon remarked: “Yes, yes; these are the children of the Emperor’s birthday.” Hirschfeld, who asked for an explanation of this incomprehensible phrase, was told that on Christmas Night the lying in hospitals were overcrowded, because then the illegitimate children were born which had been procreated nine months earlier, on March 22, the birthday of the old Emperor, celebrated as a popular holiday.
The increase in wild love, in sexual intercourse dependent upon the inclination of the moment and upon chance, with a rapid succession of different individuals--this increase, which is associated in the way above described with the sensual life, is a characteristic of our own time.
In addition to prostitution, which we shall treat in a separate chapter, the so-called “=intimacy=” constitutes the true nucleus of wild love. When those who support coercive marriage speak of free love, they do not mean the free love, the higher individual love, which we have described in the previous chapter, but they always refer to the latter-day “intimacy,” which, in fact, does involve the most serious dangers, alike from the physical and from the moral point of view; for, on the one hand, the “intimacy” forms the principal intermediate agent in the wider diffusion of venereal diseases, and, on the other hand, this new form of sexual relationship has above all introduced the element of hypocrisy, lying, and mistrust, which poisons love to-day, separates the sexes continually more each from the other, and gives rise to that tragic =sexual hate=, enmity of men on the part of women, and misogyny on the part of men, which is also peculiarly characteristic of our own time.
The gradual differentiation of the originally ideal intimacy, to the wild love of the present day, has been admirably described and psychologically elucidated by Hellpach in his short work on “Love and Amatory Life in the Nineteenth Century.”
In this admirable characterization of the “intimacy,” the fact is first established, that it is above all and through and through a product of great towns, and consequently that it is closely connected with the capitalistic evolution which compels thousands of young girls to earn their own living, so that from them are especially recruited the great human class of shop-girls, and all the allied varieties, so typical of large towns. This is the soil in which the “intimacy” naturally develops. [Hellpach writes first of conditions of a generation ago, and then passes on thirty years to our own day.]
“By day these girls were occupied. When the evening came, bringing with it the greatly desired closing of the shop, the prospect opened to them of going home to poor surroundings, often enough of taking
## part in painful family scenes, then going to bed, and the next morning
early returning to business. This was their life, day in, day out. Here was no very pleasant calendar, especially when the way from the places of business to their home led through streets crowded with brilliantly lighted beer saloons, cafes, theatres, and concert-halls. And all this during the years of sexual blossoming, when the ardent sensual desire for the first time ran through all the nerves! Who can wonder that the longing became absolutely fiery, after all the work of the day, to enjoy a little share of all the glories of the great town which lay extended before their gaze? After the confinement of the shop, not to return straightway to the confinement of the family, but to learn to know a little about the freedom of pleasure--and this under the most entrancing form of a little love affair?
“And the social conditions were such as to make it possible for this yearning to be fulfilled. Were there not thousands of young shopmen, hundreds of students, clerks, non-commissioned officers, who would rather walk about in the evening with a girl on their arm than alone? Prostitutes would be little suited for such companionship. Besides, it would not be always the young man’s intention to proceed to an extremity, to have a night of love following the evening of amusement; the young man simply was in the mood to walk about with the girl, to gossip, perhaps to embrace and kiss her a little.
“Here was the beginning. The young man accosted a shop-girl, accompanied her a little way, made an appointment for the following evening; then he went a little further; he saw how pleased the little one was; the _tutoyer_ and the kiss followed. So it went on for a few evenings, and the young man felt that the happy girl was quite as eager as he himself was to take the last step; and when this was done, there was the “intimacy” complete. And in all respects it appeared preferable to prostitution; it was inexpensive, unassuming, very pleasant, and--involved no risk to health. Moreover, to both this amatory life did not seem a ‘necessary evil’ on the contrary, it was a glorious pleasure, and there were only two little shadows in the bright picture: the fear of having a child, and the thought of separation. Moreover, this cloud troubled the man only; girls then, as to-day, thought very little about matters so remote.
“In the development of the ‘intimacy’ during the last thirty years, many details have undergone change, but the picture as a whole has been but little affected. The young shop-girl of to-day does not need a long courting; she enters her business already fully aware that she will soon be ‘intimate’ with some one. At first she will always prefer to choose a man of whom it is possible to assume that he may marry her. A young shopman, a non-commissioned officer, will, therefore, be most in demand. It is not till later, when resignation comes, and the only remaining wish is for amusement, that University students have the preference; they are jollier, more entertaining, and the girl is vain about their position. That has all remained just as it used to be; only thirty years ago there were many shop-girls who, notwithstanding all their desire, remained untouched. For the girl brought up in the atmosphere of the lower middle classes there was a certain ill-odour about free sexual intercourse. =This has completely passed away.= The girls of this stratum, who, with open eyes, withstand all allurements, might be counted on the fingers. At the present day, these ‘intimacies’ extend deeply into the middle classes of society.
“As regards the men, there has certainly been one marked change. The illusion that sexual intercourse with an ‘intimate’ offered any guarantee against the danger of venereal disease has now long been dispelled. We are to-day confronted with the fact that the intimacy is the focus of venereal infection to a far greater extent[241] than is actual prostitution. In order to understand this, we must glance at the dissolution of the intimacy.
“We have already pointed out that in the German ‘intimacy’ there has never occurred a thorough development of a life like that of the Parisian ‘grisette’; and there will be no change in this respect within a time which we can at present foresee. Even in Berlin there are not many dwellings in which the landlord would tolerate the visits of ladies of doubtful reputation on any account whatever. But even those who let quarters on easy terms, or, as the student calls them, ‘storm-free’ rooms, would never allow their lodger to entertain a woman day after day, and could not do so without running the risk of being suspected by the police of procurement. Thus, the only thing that unites the two parties in the intimacy is in almost all cases sexual intercourse. The characteristic of grisette-love, the prose of the life in common, day after day, is hardly ever experienced in the ‘intimacy.’ =In consequence of this, on the man’s side satiety very readily ensues.= New impressions enchain and stimulate him. He breaks off the intimacy, and this is not usually done with tenderness. The possibilities are numerous, but the only decent way, the open verbal communication of the fact, is probably the rarest. He breaks off the intimacy without a word, and as far as he is concerned the matter is at an end; he is richer by an agreeable experience, and after a while begins to look round once more.
“The girl also. But for her, this dissolution of the intimacy is very often the first step upon a very steep downward path. At first there perhaps ensues a short period of bitterness, but the sexual impulse makes light of all other activities; a new intimacy begins. And now, gradually, the idea gains ground in her mind that a change in love is, after all, not such a bad thing. The second breach is borne with equanimity; =and very soon it is by no means rare for the girl to limit her love associations to a few days, and ultimately, as a matter of daily custom, to seek fresh gratification with a new associate=. It is not yet professional prostitution; psychologically also there is still a difference. There is still sensual perception at the root of her actions, and of such a strength, increasing owing to excess in sexual intercourse, that the personality of the partner in the sexual act becomes almost a matter of indifference. But now an economic difficulty commonly intervenes: discharge from her position, expulsion from her parents’ house, either or both being due to her dissipated life, with its heedlessness and the resulting dislike to hard work--and then the avalanche falls. Hunger drives her to do that for payment which hitherto she has done only for the gratification of her own desires. Prostitution has one victim the more.
“But the whole period between the beginning of the second intimacy and her enrolment in the list of prostitutes by the police offers to all her lovers the greatest possible danger of venereal infection. =For the majority of girls actually become infected in their very first intimacy.= The explanation of this goes back to the time in which the intimacy first began to become fashionable, and in which the control of prostitutes with regard to their condition of health was even more defective, and the safeguarding against the danger of venereal infection was even less understood than at the present day. In the majority of cases the young men of the large towns were infected in their very first experience of love; for it was with prostitutes that they always sought their first sexual gratification, as is still customary at the present day. For the inexperienced youth this course is easier, making, as it does, fewer demands on his adroitness, and none at all on his seductive skill; whereas in the formation of an ‘intimacy’ these qualities are somewhat in demand. Later, when he had had enough of prostitution, he sought an ‘intimate,’ and since at that time the treatment of gonorrhœa was still extremely defective, he promptly infected his partner in the intimacy. =In this manner the girls engaged in intimacies, since they first became fashionable, have been systematically infected.=”
Next to =prostitution=, the =intimacy= is the great focus of sexual infection; and wild love, from the psychological and ethical points of view, involves the same danger as prostitution. The frequent changes, the multiplicity of sexual intercourse in intimacies, allows no deeper spiritual relationships to be formed; thus, the girls are debased to become the simple objects of physical sensuality, and they are forced more and more to depend on the financially stronger men; thus, they rapidly become partial or complete prostitutes. To them now the sensual life, the pursuit of pleasure, is the principal thing, not love. Venereal infection is soon superadded, to deprave them more thoroughly. Still worse is the corruption of the world of men, who transfer to the intimacy the practices they have learned in their association with prostitutes; but, above all, they come finally to seek and to desire the rude sexual act solely for its own sake, without feeling the need for any deeper spiritual association. Hence results the fugitive character of these sexual relationships, the frequent changes on both sides, and the end--=lies, mistrust, hatred=.
Belief in and hope for true love disappear for ever; there remains only the cold, desolate, unspeakably embittered disillusionment, the =distrust= of the other sex which is so characteristic of our time. Never before were there so many woman-haters and man-haters on principle. In the intercourse between the sexes, neither believes the other any longer; and on both sides the “intimacy” is entered on without any illusions, the sole aim of both parties being to satisfy in the intensest possible way their desire for enjoyment and their sensual lusts.
Prostitution can destroy no illusions, for its true character is manifest at the first glance; but the modern intimacy has become the grave of love, and has given rise to a new corruption of the sexual life, which appears almost more dangerous than the old corruption dependent on prostitution. It has, moreover, become a second, and not less dangerous, focus of venereal infection, to the diffusion of which it is extraordinarily favourable.
He, therefore, who wishes to take part in the fight against the moral degeneration of our amatory life, and to assist in the campaign against venereal diseases, =must attack and endeavour to suppress the modern development of the life of “intimacy” just as energetically as he attacks prostitution=.
The =wild love= of the present day, “extra-conjugal” sexual intercourse (which, as I cannot too often repeat, has nothing whatever to do with “free love”), and =coercive marriage=, are the true causes of sexual corruption. They are intimately associated one with the other. The social, economic, and spiritual civilization of the present day demands free love, with which neither coercive marriage nor wild love is compatible.
Neither for prostitution, nor for the wild extra-conjugal sexual intercourse of our time, can any justification be found from the point of view of medicine, racial hygiene, or sociology. In their nature both lead to the same end: the death and destruction of all individual love, of all the finer activities of love, by which the spiritual nature of man is so greatly enriched; and they both give rise to a continuous increase and rapid diffusion of venereal diseases.
The salvation of our people is not to be found in the “recommendation” of extra-conjugal sexual intercourse for all those who are not in a position to marry--and the number of these grows from day to day--but it is to be found in the =reform of marriage=, in a =freer= configuration of the amatory life, in connexion with which we can confidently trust Ibsen’s saying in the “Lady from the Sea”:
“We can’t get away from this--that a voluntary promise is to the full as binding as a marriage.”
There shall not and must not be “=sexual freedom=,”[242] but there must be “freedom of love.”
When anyone asks me whether I should advise him to indulge in “extra-conjugal sexual intercourse,” as a physician and a man of science I am compelled to answer with a bald “No,” because I cannot undertake the responsibility of the consequences of such advice.
Fortunately, alike in the world of women and in the world of men, there manifests itself an increasing disapproval of wild love as it exhibits itself in the modern “intimacies.” There are already numerous intimacies which closely resemble free love, and in which all the conditions of free love are fulfilled, in respect of duration, of a profound spiritual relationship, a sense of sexual responsibility alike physical and moral, and in the joyful acceptance of the consequences in respect of offspring.
We must, however, continually keep up the fight against wild love as the enduring associate of prostitution, to which it constitutes the bridge or stage of transition. Therein lies its greatest danger. This we shall recognize more clearly in the ensuing chapter, in which we turn to consider the subject of =prostitution=.
[219] In the titular heading to this chapter, throughout the chapter, and in most cases throughout the book, the German word _Verführung_ has been translated as _seduction_. _Verführung_ means “leading astray,” and one of the commonest uses of the term is to denote _sexual_ leading astray--the _seduction_ of a woman by a man. But in some cases _Verführung_, like the English _seduction_, is used in its more primitive and wider signification. The context will suffice to show the sense in which the word is employed.--TRANSLATOR.
[220] Thus, at the present day, in quite small country towns, we find variety theatres and low music-halls; and with these, prostitutes are commonly introduced into the town, so that the wild love, which was previously free from danger, now becomes a focus of venereal infection.
[221] Willy Hellpach, “Our Sensual Life and Venereal Diseases,” published in the “Reports of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases,” 1905, vol. iii., Nos. 5 and 6, pp. 103-105.
[222] Of this work there recently appeared an excellent German translation, admirably modernized in blank verse by Karl Ettlinger, “Ovid’s Art of Love: a Modern Translation.” (An English translation of Ovid’s “Art of Love,” revised by Charles W. Ryle, was published in 1907 by Sisley.--TRANSLATOR.)
[223] Hilarii Drudonis, “Practica Artis Amandi” (Amsterdam, 1652).
[224] Paris, 1659.
[225] Paris, 1775.
[226] J. F. C. Manso, “Die Kunst zu Lieben” (Berlin, 1794).
[227] Henry Beyle (Stendhal), “On Love.”
[228] Paul Bourget, “Physiologie de l’Amour Moderne.”
[229] Armand Silvestre, “Le Petit Art d’Aimer” (Paris, 1897).
[230] Catulle Mendés, “L’Art d’Aimer” (Paris).
[231] Robert Hessen, “Das Glück in der Liebe: Eine technische Studie” (Stuttgart, 1899).
[232] Hjalmar Kjölenson, “Die Erschliessung des Liebesglückes” (Leipzig, 1905).
[233] An exhaustive study of the history and literature of the _ars amandi_, by the author of the present work, is in course of preparation, and will appear shortly.
[234] _Cf._ regarding masterful erotics, also the exposition of Georg Hirth in “The Ways to Love,” p. 563.
[235] S. Kierkegaard, “Entweder--Oder. Ein Lebensfragment,” pp. 221-311. German translation by O. Gleib (Dresden and Leipzig, 1904).
[236] “The sun,” says Grillparzer in his “Diary,” “is hostile to voluptuousness. But the artificial sun of our nocturnal illumination in our large town, has the opposite effect.”
[237] The old proverb says: “From the two V’s, Vinum (wine) and Venus (woman), there arises a big W, Weh (woe or pain).”
[238] _Cf._, in addition to the great works on the subject of alcohol, the special monograph by B. Laquer, “A Lecture on Alcohol and Sexual Hygiene,” published in the “Reports of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases,” 1904, vol. ii., Nos. 3 and 4, pp. 56-63; W. Hellpach, _op. cit._, pp. 100-102; Magnus Hirschfeld, “The Influence of Alcohol on the Sexual Life,” Berlin, 1905; Magnus Hirschfeld, “Alcohol and Family Life,” Berlin-Charlottenburg, 1906; Otto Lang, “Alcohol and Crime,” Basel; Oscar Rosenthal, “Alcohol and Prostitution,” Berlin, 1906; G. Rosenfeld, “Alcohol and the Sexual Life,” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1905, pp. 321-335.
[239] It has been established by Bonhoeffer, Hoppe, A. H. Hübner, and others, that chronic alcoholism constitutes an important cause of prostitution in the case of the so-called “late prostitutes”--that is to say, in those women who do not commence a life of professional prostitution at puberty, but usually after the age of twenty-five years. _Cf._ Artur Hermann Hübner, “Prostitutes in Relation to Criminal Jurisdiction,” published in _Monatsschr. für Kriminalpsychologie_, edited by G. Aschaffenburg, 1907, p. 5.
[240] At the great public dinner which, in 1890, the town of Berlin gave in the Rathaus to the members of the International Medical Congress, and at which 4,000 persons consumed 15,382 bottles of wine, 22 hectolitres (484 gallons) of beer, and 300 bottles of brandy, there were witnessed in and outside the Rathaus the most disgusting scenes of drunkenness. “As the blowflies gather round a piece of carrion, so in the street in front of the Rathaus there had gathered a swarm of prostitutes, who found a rich booty among the drunken, staggering guests” (_cf._ Rosenfeld, _op. cit._, p. 325).--A striking example of the manner in which alcohol sometimes completely annihilates every æsthetic perception is reported by E. Kraepelin (“The Psychiatric Duties of the State,” p. 6; Jena, 1900): “A number of students were infected by a prostitute, who from early youth had been weak-minded, and who was suffering from both lupus of the nose and recent syphilis.”
[241] It is not yet quite so bad as this. But the number of venereal infections that occur in consequence of wild love, and of free sexual intercourse in these relations of “intimacy,” is continually on the increase.
[242] Sexual freedom--that is to say, the formal organization of sexual promiscuity--was demanded by a certain Dr. Roderich Hellmann in a book which has now become very rare, because it was confiscated immediately after publication. Its title was “Sexual Freedom: a Philosophic Attempt to Increase Human Happiness” (Berlin, 1878). The author demands that immediately after puberty “the sexual organs shall have the opportunity of a regulated activity,” and that it shall now be allowed to persons of both sexes “to indulge in sexual intercourse as much as they please,” of course, with the avoidance of injury to health and of pregnancy. This remarkable freak proceeds to demand that public lavatories shall be done away with, so that persons of both sexes shall relieve themselves freely in one another’s presence in the open street, and, with equal freedom, shall display their sexual organs to one another for the purpose of sexual allurement!!
## CHAPTER XIII
PROSTITUTION
“_On that one degraded and ignoble form are concentrated the passions that might have filled the world with shame. She remains, while creeds and civilizations arise and fall, the eternal priestess of humanity, blasted for the sins of the people._”--LECKY.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XIII
Prostitution and venereal disease the central problem of the sexual question -- My belief in the possibility of the suppression of both -- Only in recent years has the scientific attack on both begun -- The _plaie sociale_ -- Internal and local treatment -- The scientific literature of prostitution -- Rosenbaum’s work on prostitution in antiquity -- Aretino, Delgado, and Veniero on the prostitution of the renascence -- Franckenaus’s first medical polemic against brothels -- The commencement of the scientific study of prostitution and venereal diseases in the eighteenth century -- Rétif de la Bretonne and his “Pornographe” -- “Moral Control” -- Parent-Duchatelet’s fundamental work -- Analysis of this book -- Contemporary works on prostitution in Paris, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lisbon, Lyons, and Algiers -- First employment of the term “male prostitution” -- A peculiar species of souteneur -- Prostitution in Hamburg -- Dr. Lippert’s book -- “Memoirs of a Prostitute,” the predecessor of the “Diary of a Lost Woman” -- Gross-Hoffinger’s book on “Prostitution in Austria” -- Demonstration of the connexion between prostitution and coercive marriage -- Celebrated chapter on “Maidservants and Prostitution” -- Schrank on prostitution in Vienna -- Prostitution in Leipzig -- In New York -- General works on prostitution -- Jeannel, Acton and Hügel -- Books on secret prostitution, on prostitution of girls under age, on regulation and on brothels, and on the social importance of prostitution -- Blaschko’s recent critical investigation on the subject of prostitution -- Results of this investigation -- Lombroso’s anthropological theory -- The works of Tarnowsky and Ströhmberg, of Fiaux and von Düring.
Conception and definition of prostitution -- Genuine and pseudo-prostitutes -- Prostitution among primitive peoples -- Religious prostitution as the germinal form of modern prostitution -- This latter the product of the growth of large towns -- Medieval conditions -- Diminution in the number of brothels since that time -- The demand for prostitutes -- Relation between the number of prostitutes and the male population -- The supply greater than the demand -- Causes of the male demand for prostitutes -- Prostitution as a product of civilization -- Repression of primitive sexual instincts by civilization -- The sexual supra- and sub-consciousness -- Transient elemental activities of the sub-consciousness -- Reports of J. P. Jakobsen and other writers on this subject -- Gratification of these instincts by means of prostitution -- This in part the product of the physiological masochism of men.
The numerous causes of prostitution -- The anthropological theory and the doctrine of the congenital prostitute -- Criticism of this view -- Proof that many of the physical and mental peculiarities of prostitutes are acquired -- The obliteration of the secondary and tertiary sexual characters in prostitutes -- The nucleus of Lombroso’s theory -- The economic factors of prostitution -- Actual and relative poverty as a cause -- Poverty a cause of prostitution in the mass -- Women’s and children’s work -- Prostitution as an accessory occupation -- Insufficient wages -- The inquiries of 1887 and 1903 on this subject -- Examples -- The large proportion of maidservants who become prostitutes -- Explanation of this -- Relative poverty of maidservants -- Psychological factors of maidservant prostitution -- Overcrowded dwellings -- Families living in single rooms, and taking in lodgers for the night -- Alcoholism -- The traffic in girls -- Sources of this -- National and international preventive measures -- Work done by the Jewish Committee to prevent the traffic in girls in Galatia -- Measures taken in Buenos Ayres -- The central police organization in Berlin for the suppression of the traffic in girls.
The localities of prostitution -- Public prostitution -- Street prostitution -- Character and dangers of street prostitution -- Still _greater_ dangers of brothels -- Brothels as centres of sexual corruption and perversity, and as foci of venereal infection -- The high school of psychopathia sexualis -- The brothel jargon -- “Animierkneipen” -- Dancing saloons, variety theatres, low music-halls, cabarets, and “Rummel” -- “Pensions” and houses of accommodation -- Massage institutes -- Cafés with female attendants.
_Appendix: The Half-World._ -- Origin of the name -- The “Demi-Monde” of the younger Alexandre Dumas -- Change undergone by the conception at the present day -- Analogy with the Greek hetairæ -- Connexion of the half-world with high life -- Origin -- The social influence of the “grandes cocottes” -- The half-world in Germany -- The international prostitute.
## CHAPTER XIII
=Prostitution=, and the =venereal diseases= so intimately connected with it, constitute, properly speaking, the =nucleus=, the =central problem=, of the sexual question. The abolition of prostitution and the suppression of venereal diseases would be almost tantamount to the solution of the entire sexual problem. Imagine the extension and the intension of the idea: No prostitution, no more venereal disease!
There is, in fact, no more gratifying notion, no more illuminating ideal, than that of moral and physical purity in the relations between the sexes. At a time in which, especially in social spheres, such abundant activity and such far-seeing ideas of reform are apparent, this notion of a campaign against prostitution and venereal diseases, in the hope of eradicating both evils, should stand in the forefront of all the demands of civilization, in order that finally the tragical influence, the poisonous sting, should be removed from the disordered, unhappy, amatory life of the present day, and herewith, unquestionably, a proper =foundation= should be laid for a more beautiful future for that life. This idea is unique; it is the greatest of all that man, at length become self-conscious,[243] has ever grasped; and to this idea belongs the future!
The French term prostitution and venereal diseases _une plaie sociale_, a rodent ulcer in the body of society. I take this apt comparison, and carry it a stage further, to show a clear picture of the way along which we must go in order to eradicate prostitution; for in this respect I am a confirmed optimist. I =believe= in the possibility of the eradication of venereal diseases, and of the abolition of prostitution within the civilized world by national and international measures. I do not join in the chorus of those who say, “because prostitution has always existed, it must always exist in the future; because venereal diseases have always[244] existed, they are unavoidable accompaniments of civilization.”
=How long is it=, then, since any attempt has been made to oppose prostitution and venereal diseases? As regards the latter, it is only within the =last few years= that we have begun, in the battle against them, to make systematic use of the results of scientific research; and the study of prostitution, and the measures based on that study for its control and prevention, do not date further back than the second half of the eighteenth century. In fact, for practical purposes, they date from the appearance of the classical and epoch-making work of Parent-Duchatelet (1836).
We are, indeed, =in the very first stages= of the campaign against prostitution and venereal diseases. All that has hitherto been done has been to make inadequate, isolated attempts to introduce unsuitable and half-considered regulations, based upon successive misconceptions, which have only made matters worse. =To-day= medicine, social science, pedagogy, jurisprudence, and ethics have combined in a =common= campaign; and this is not national merely, but unites all civilized nations in a common cause.
Here we find an actual prospect, a credible hope, of a radical cure of the _plaie sociale_. But such an ulcer can only be radically cured when we are not content merely with the =local= treatment of the existing sore; we must simultaneously attack the =internal= causes of this chronic disease, and in the case with which we have to do the internal causes are even more important than the external--that is to say, =ethics=, =pedagogy=, and =social science= are even more important and indispensable in the campaign against prostitution than =medicine= and =hygiene=. We shall never attain our goal by considering and fighting prostitution and venereal diseases, the consequences of prostitution, purely from the medical and hygienic standpoint. In this case, one-sidedness will prove tantamount to failure. The problem of prostitution must be approached from many sides, because the causes that have to be considered are =manifold=, alike anthropological, economic, social, and psychological, in their nature. There are =many varieties= of prostitution; in the same way there are numerous and various =types= of prostitutes. It is, therefore, impossible for one who is acquainted with actual life to hold fast in a one-sided manner to a single theory. Thus, in one and the same case the most various points of view have to be considered.
The =history= of prostitution is an extremely interesting chapter of the general history of civilization, which has =not hitherto= been written in a manner satisfying scientific and critical demands; but the =literature= of prostitution is already alarmingly comprehensive. Here, also, critical grasp and mode of presentation are still entirely wanting. It is impossible, in this place, in which we speak only of the present-day conditions, to enter at any length into the historical and literary aspects of the question of prostitution. This I must leave for a later, comprehensive work, for which I have for several years been collecting the materials. Here I shall only briefly refer, for the sake of the reader interested in the matter, to the most important writings on the subject of prostitution which have any scientific and historical importance.
Prostitution in antiquity is treated in a masterly manner by Julius Rosenbaum in his celebrated “History of Syphilis in Antiquity” (Halle, 1839); this is, down to the present day, the chief source of our knowledge of the conditions in antiquity. It is true that he starts from the false assumption that syphilis already existed in ancient times, a view which in the second volume of my book on the “Origin of Syphilis” (now in course of preparation) I show to be incorrect; this work will also contain a thorough study of prostitution among the ancients, based upon the more recent researches published since the year 1839, when Rosenbaum’s book appeared.
The first truly classical descriptions of the nature of modern prostitution dated from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; these are not scientific, belonging rather to the province of belles-lettres; but they are of great value in respect of the accuracy of their observations, and of their psychological insight into the nature of prostitution. I refer above all to the celebrated “Ragionamenti” of Pietro Aretino;[245] next, to the not less important work, published earlier, in 1528, “Lozana Andaluza,” by Francisco Delgado (Francesco Delicado).[246] Both these books, and also the celebrated “Zafetta” of Lorenzo Veniero (_circa_ 1535), describe the conditions of prostitution at the time of the Italian renascence; these display a most astonishing similarity to the conditions of the present day, and the books mentioned have therefore still an instructive value.[247]
From the seventeenth century we have as important documents of civilization the description of prostitution in Holland in the interesting work “Le Putanisme d’Amsterdam” (Brussels, 1883; the original Dutch edition, Amsterdam, 1681), and also in the work published in the same year, 1681, “Disputatio Medica qua Lupanaria ex Principiis quoque Medicis Improbantur,” by Georg Franck von Franckenau,[248] noteworthy as being the first medical polemic against brothels.
Down to the middle of the nineteenth century the study of prostitution was most active in France.[249] In the second half of the eighteenth century, according to the expression of the de Goncourts, “pornognomonie” was a scientific problem. Various attempts at reform were made; as early as 1763 “=moral control=” was recommended; and in 1769 there appeared the celebrated “Pornographe” of Rétif de la Bretonne,[250] the first extensive work on the =state regulation= of prostitution, the great historical importance of which was recognized by Mireur, the well-known syphilologist of Marseilles, by the publication of a new edition (Brussels, 1879).
But it was with the publication of the immortal and most admirable work of Parent-Duchatelet,[251] on prostitution in Paris, that in the year 1836 the modern =scientific= literature of prostitution really began. It is the first work in which full justice is done to the importance of prostitution in =all= its relations, and it is based upon exact medical observations and psychological and social studies. Even to-day it remains unique in its kind, and a standing example of critical research and of French learned zeal.
A very short account of the contents of this epoch-making book of Parent-Duchatelet will best teach us its importance, and will give us an insight into all the problems connected with prostitution, and considered by the French author.
In the introduction, Parent-Duchatelet explains the reasons which led him to undertake the work, and the literary sources he has consulted. The first chapter then proceeds to the consideration of certain general problems, gives a =definition= of the term prostitute, an estimate of the =number= of prostitutes in Paris, their =origin= in respect of native country, position, culture, profession, their =age=, and the =first cause of their adoption of this profession=. The second chapter discusses the =manners and customs= of prostitutes, the opinion they have of themselves, their religious ideas, their sense of shame, their spiritual qualities, tattooing, occupation, uncleanliness, speech, defects and good qualities, the various classes of prostitutes, and, finally, the _souteneurs_. The third chapter contains =physiological observations= concerning prostitutes--namely, concerning their obesity, the changes in their voice, peculiarities in the colour of the hair and the eyes, the stature, the condition of the genital organs, and fertility. In the fourth chapter he deals with the =influence of professional prostitution on the health of the girls=, and describes the various morbid conditions which may result from their occupation. The fifth chapter treats of the public =houses of prostitution= (brothels), their advantages and disadvantages, the question of brothel streets, and the localization of prostitution in definite quarters of the town. In the sixth chapter the =inscription of prostitutes in police lists= is discussed; in the seventh =procurement and the owners of brothels=. Chapters eight, nine, and ten deal with =secret prostitution= in houses of accommodation, drinking-saloons, coffee-houses, tobacconists’ shops, etc.; chapter eleven discusses =street prostitution=; chapter twelve, the =diffusion of prostitution= in the various parts of Paris; chapter thirteen, the =relation of prostitution to military life=; chapter fourteen, =prostitution in the environs of Paris=. The fifteenth chapter describes the =ultimate destiny= of prostitutes; the sixteenth deals with their =medical treatment=--above all, the methods of examination to ascertain their state of health are accurately described. Chapters seventeen and eighteen deal with =hospitals= and =prisons= for prostitutes; chapter nineteen, with the former taxation of prostitutes; chapter twenty considers =questions relating to administration, and the special branch of police dealing with the institution=--for example, the suggestion (recently revived) is discussed of the medical examination of the male clients of prostitutes; prurient pictures and books are also considered, and thefts in brothels. The twenty-first chapter is devoted to the question which still attracts attention at the present day, viz., the =peculiar relationship between the owner of a house and the prostitutes living there=, and deals also with the legal aspect of the punishments decreed against prostitutes. Chapter twenty-two is occupied with a general discussion of the =legal questions= connected with prostitution. At the conclusion, in chapters twenty-three and twenty-four, the author discusses the question =whether prostitutes are necessary=, and this question (_nota bene_, from the standpoint of coercive marriage morality) he answers in the affirmative; he asks also =whether the police should be entrusted with the application of measures for the prevention of venereal diseases=, and this he agrees to conditionally only, for he considers that the =public= recommendation of protective measures should be forbidden by police ordinance. Finally, in the last chapter, the twenty-fifth, he speaks of the =institutions for the rescue of fallen women=, and he concludes his comprehensive work, in which he has dealt so thoroughly with all the subdivisions of his general topic, with the words:
“My work is at an end. When I commenced it, I pointed out what reasons I had for undertaking it, what aim I wished to attain. Had I not been firmly convinced that the investigations begun by me regarding the nature of prostitutes might favour health and morality, I should not have published them. I have exposed to the public gaze great infirmities of mankind; thoughtful men, for whom I have written, will thank me for doing so. He who loves his fellow-men will without anxiety follow me into the department of knowledge I have described, and will not turn away his glance from the pictures I have drawn. =He who wishes to know the good that remains to be done, and who wishes to learn how to pursue with good results the way by which something better is to be attained, must first know what actually exists; he must know the truth.=
“The profession of prostitution is an evil of all times, all countries, and appears to be innate in the social structure of mankind. It will perhaps never be entirely eradicated; still, all the more we must strive to limit its extent and its dangers. With prostitution itself it is as with vice, crime, and disease; the teacher of morals endeavours to prevent the vices, the lawgiver to prevent the crimes, the physician to cure the diseases. All alike know that they will never fully attain their goal; but they pursue their work none the less in the conviction that he who does only a little good yet does a great service to the weak man. I follow their example. A friend whose loss I shall always mourn drew my attention to the fate of the prostitute. I studied them, I wished to learn the causes of their degradation, and wherever possible to discover the means by which their number could be limited. What experience has taught me on this subject I have openly stated, and I am convinced that the lawgiver, the man whom the State has empowered with authority to care for public health and morality, will find in my book useful information.”
Parent-Duchatelet’s book, no less admirable in its execution than in its design, still remains the foundation for the scientific study of prostitution. It is the exemplar for all contemporary and subsequent works.
The powerful influence exercised by this book was shown above all in this--that works on prostitution appeared in rapid succession in the various capitals of the civilized world. These were all based to a greater or less extent upon the work of Parent-Duchatelet, and thus they constitute extremely valuable scientific monographs regarding the conditions of prostitution in particular towns, such as since that date have not been issued. Here there still lies hidden a wealth of material, a large part of which has not yet been utilized.
As an enlargement and continuation of the work of Parent-Duchatelet, there appeared three years later, in the year 1839, the work of the Commissary of Police Béraud[252] on the prostitutes of Paris and on the Parisian _police des mœurs_. The book is more especially distinguished by an elaborate history of prostitution, and by the wealth of psychological observations it contains; also by its exact information regarding secret prostitution.
In the same year a well-known London physician, Dr. Michael Ryan,[253] published his important book on =Prostitution in London=,[254] with a comparison of the conditions in Paris and New York. Ryan first dealt with the general =social= and =economic= causes of prostitution, with critical acumen, as we could not but expect from an Englishman. His book also contained an interesting account of the extraordinary diffusion in England at that time of pornographic books and pictures,[255] and concerning their publication and sale by pedlars, and the measures undertaken to repress this traffic. Valuable also are the detailed reports given in this book, on pp. 212-252, regarding prostitution in the United States, and especially in New York.
The example of Ryan was followed by his countrymen, Dr. William Tait and the Rev. Ralph Wardlaw. The former treated in a comprehensive work the subject of prostitution in Edinburgh;[256] the latter, in a shorter book, described prostitution in Glasgow.[257]
Very interesting is the book, of which a few copies only ever reached Germany (one of which is in my own possession), and which even in Portugal is extremely rare, of Dr. Francisco Ignacio dos Santos Cruz regarding prostitution in Lisbon,[258] in which the whole subject of Portuguese prostitution is admirably described, with special reference to the capital city. Santos Cruz gives most careful attention to the legislative aspect of the question. He was the first to advocate a measure which has recently been proposed also by Lesser (doubtless in ignorance of the work of his predecessor)--viz., the =formation of polyclinics for the gratuitous treatment of prostitutes=.[259]
Regarding prostitution in the town of Lyons, renowned for its immorality, Dr. Potton wrote a celebrated book, which received a prize from the Medical Society of Lyons in the year 1841. This work was based on official sources, and had especial reference to the relationships of prostitution to the hygienic and economic conditions of the population.[260]
A valuable book, also, is the work on prostitution in Algiers by E. A. Duchesne.[261] It contains an elaborate account of “=male prostitution=”--that is, prostitution of men for men--an expansion of the idea of prostitution which is, as far as my knowledge goes, found here for the first time. Naturally, in earlier works we find allusions to men who practise pederasty for money, but the idea “prostitution” had hitherto been strictly limited to the class of purchasable women.
We see this, for example, in the anonymous book “=Prostitution in Berlin, and its Victims=,”[262] published in Berlin seven years before the appearance of the work of Duchesne. The author definitely states that “the admirable book of Parent-Duchatelet on prostitution in the town of Paris, and its remarkable success, have chiefly given occasion to the publication of my own work.” The book is, however, quite independent in character, and treats of the individual relationships of prostitution in Berlin, on the basis of =official= sources and experience, in historical, moral, medical, and political relations, and also from the point of view of police administration. It contains an appendix on “=prostituted men=” (p. 207), who, however, are not homosexual prostitutes, but, according to the writer’s own definition, “men who make it their profession to serve for payment =voluptuous women= by the gratification of the latter’s unnatural passions.” This species still exists at the present day, but there is no particular name for the type. (In the seventies, in Vienna, men who could be hired to perform coitus were known locally as “stallions”--Ger. =Hengste=.) We must include them in the great army of _souteneurs_, although the term is not strictly applicable. Later we shall return to the consideration of this peculiar variety of male prostitution.
As an enlargement of the work just mentioned, we can regard the book published in the same year, 1846, by the Criminal Commissary, Dr. Carl Röhrmann, on =Prostitution in Berlin=.[263]
This book is especially remarkable from the fact that it contains “complete and candid biographies of the best-known prostitutes in Berlin,” an idea which has recently been revived, for example, in W. Hammer’s “The Life-History of Ten Public Prostitutes in Berlin” (Berlin and Leipzig, 1905).
Very valuable official material is, finally, to be found in a third work on prostitution in Berlin, written by the celebrated syphilologist F. J. Behrend.[264] It begins with a careful history of the police regulations regarding prostitution in Berlin, then discusses the consequences of the abolition of the Berlin brothels in the year 1845, and proceeds to demand new measures and regulations for the control of prostitution and for the prevention of syphilis in Berlin. As a collection of material, the book is of considerable value.
Little known, but thoroughly original, is the work of the Hamburg physician, Dr. Lippert, on =prostitution in Hamburg=.[265] Blaschko even fails to mention it in the bibliography at the end of his own work, presently to be described. Lippert adduces numerous and interesting new contributions to our knowledge of “the many-headed hydra, the colour-changing chameleon,” of prostitution. After an introductory sketch regarding the historical development of prostitution in Hamburg, he gives a “characterization of the present moral condition of Hamburg,” embodying important information regarding the number of brothel prostitutes and street-walkers, the topographical distribution of prostitution and of brothels, the secret houses of accommodation, the remarkable decline in the number of marriages, the relationship between legitimate and illegitimate births, and the number of drinking-saloons and dancing-halls; and he goes on to describe with more detail these individual factors of prostitution, and especially the opportunities for prostitution. The third chapter contains an extremely interesting physiological and pathological description of the Hamburg prostitutes. According to Lippert, the principal motives of prostitution are “=idleness=, =frivolity=, and, above all, the =love of finery=.” He rightly lays especial stress upon the last-named cause, which, in the more recent scientific investigations regarding the causes of prostitution, has, unfortunately, been too much neglected. Then follow data regarding the age, nationality, class, and occupation of prostitutes. We learn that as early as the date of this book of Lippert’s the greatest number of public prostitutes had originally been =maidservants= (p. 79), not girls of the labouring classes. Thus the fact that prostitutes recruit their ranks chiefly from the servant class is not, as recent writers assert, exclusively the consequence of the increasing mental culture of the modern proletariat, but is most probably rather connected with the freer configuration of the amatory life among the labouring classes, where the nobler form of “free love” has long been dominant. From the very nature of the case, this must lead to a limitation of the supply of prostitutes from this class. The
## chapter closes with an elaborate description of the physical and mental
peculiarities of the Hamburg prostitutes, and of the diseases observed in them. In the fourth chapter the various classes of prostitutes are considered more closely--the brothel prostitutes (with an exact description of the celebrated brothel streets of Hamburg), the prostitutes living alone, the street-walkers, the “kept women,” the large group of secret prostitutes. There follow in an appendix interesting accounts of the public places which are related to prostitution; of prostitution in the Hamburger Berg and in the suburb of St. Pauli; and of the rescue work of Hamburg.
A very good account of prostitution in Hamburg is also found in a book contemporary with that of Lippert, entitled “=Memoirs of a Prostitute, or Prostitution in Hamburg=” (St. Pauli, 1847). This work, which is now extraordinarily rare, resembles the book which recently gained such celebrity, the “Tagebuch einer Verlorenen” (“Diary of a Lost Woman”), by Margaret Böhme, in that it was edited by a Dr. J. Zeisig, professedly after the “original manuscript.” As usual, it has all happened before!
In the preface to his book, Lippert remarks that, since prostitution in Berlin and in Hamburg has now been adequately described, it was desirable that an analogous book should be compiled regarding Vienna, in order that we might have the necessary comparative statistics of “the three principal towns and principal factors of German prostitution.”
The actual account of prostitution in Vienna did not, however, appear till forty years later, in the year 1886. Still, as early as 1847 the book of Dr. Anton J. Gross-Hoffinger was published, describing exclusively the conditions of prostitution in Austria, and naturally chiefly concerned with conditions in Vienna.[266] In my opinion, this book has an epoch-making significance, because therein we find asserted for the first time, with all possible emphasis, that the institution of =coercive marriage= is the ultimate cause of prostitution, to which all the other causes are subsidiary. In no other book do we find so painful a description, drawn with such astonishing clearness, of the horrible conditions resulting from the artificial preservation of the official and ecclesiastical coercive marriage, which was really based upon economic conditions peculiar to the remote past. The two first sections, “Woman the Slave of Civilization” and “Woman in her Degradation,” are the most frightful accusations of conventional marriage. On pp. 190 and 191 the author formulates in fifteen paragraphs a law of marriage reform, which has a very close resemblance to the previously described ideas of Ellen Key. A perfect classic is the chapter on servant-girls (pp. 226-284), unique in its thoroughness, and affording an admirable description of the legal, moral, and economic relationships of domestic service.
“=The great army of domestic servants=,” he writes, “=constitute the ever-ready reserve force of prostitution. Daily from this reserve are drawn new recruits for the regular service, and daily the vacant places in the reserve are once more filled.=”
Gross-Hoffinger, in 1847, came also to the conclusion that in “free love” or “free marriage” was to be found the only salvation from the misery of prostitution.
The comprehensive work of Schrank upon prostitution in Vienna[267] is distinguished by an abundance of interesting isolated observations, and these are especially to be found in the earlier historical portion. The second part is occupied with the administration and hygiene of prostitution in Vienna. The work gives an exhaustive account of Viennese prostitution down to the year 1885.
Prostitution in Leipzig was described in three chapters of a general work on prostitution, published in the year 1854.[268] The titles of these three chapters are: “Moral Corruption in Leipzig”; “Tolerated Prostitutes and Tolerated Houses in Leipzig”; “Tolerated Prostitutes in Leipzig: their Morals, their Customs, their Hygienic Condition, their End.” Very interesting is the statement of the author that of the 3,000 maidservants in Leipzig, _one-third_ were engaged in secret prostitution.
The prostitution in the largest town of the new world, in New York, also found an admirable description in the sixth decade of the nineteenth century in the great historical work of the New York physician, William M. Sanger.[269] Of the 685 large octavo pages which the book contains, pages 450 to 676 are devoted to the description of the conditions of prostitution in New York. The historical portion of the book is also extremely valuable, being based upon the best historical authorities.
With the year 1860, or thereabouts, this first period of the scientific literature of prostitution, characterized by monographs dealing with individual =towns=, in pursuance of the example of Parent-Duchatelet, came to a close. Just as Parent-Duchatelet had inaugurated this kind of description, so the French now undertook the introduction of the further researches into prostitution. First of all, Dr. J. Jeannel summarized the results of the books we have already mentioned in a general work on prostitution,[270] which contained a comparative view of the conditions in various countries and towns. An Englishman, W. Acton, also wrote a similar general work on prostitution;[271] whilst yet another general work on the subject was written by the German Hügel.[272]
The extremely important question of =secret= prostitution has been elucidated especially by the writings of Martineau[273] and Commenge;[274] the not less important question of prostitution practised by =girls under full age= is treated by Augagneur;[275] the =problems of regulation and of brothels= have been studied by Fiaux, whose work is comprehensive and based upon carefully compiled statistics, and the author attempts the solution of these problems;[276] the sometime French Minister Yves Guyot has discussed the problem of prostitution from the higher philosophical and social point of view;[277] in short, the French physicians illuminated this obscure province of thought from every side, and =laid the foundations for the scientific and critical study of prostitution=, which began with the last decade of the nineteenth century.
To Alfred Blaschko unquestionably belongs the credit of having broken entirely new ground in connexion with the problem of prostitution, by means of the debate instituted by him in the year 1892 in the Medical Society of Berlin, and by several works distinguished by a sharp-sighted, critical faculty.[278] Upon his exhaustive scientific studies, and upon the most careful practical considerations, Blaschko bases the demands:
“=Abolish Regulation!= =Away with Brothels!=”
At the same time, Blaschko is a convinced advocate of the economic theory of prostitution.
Almost at the same time, Cesare Lombroso, the celebrated alienist and criminal anthropologist of Turin, propounded his =anthropological= theory of prostitution, and enunciated the doctrine, which attracted so much attention, of the “Donna delinquinte e prostituta,” of the “=congenital prostitute=.”[279] This doctrine found an unconditional supporter in the St. Petersburg syphilologist Tarnowsky; whilst the latter strongly opposed the efforts made by the International Federation, founded in 1875 by Mrs. Josephine Butler, for the abolition of the regulation of prostitution.[280] Ströhmberg, in an interesting work on prostitution,[281] takes the same standpoint as Lombroso and Tarnowsky.
It is, however, noteworthy that quite recently the French observers also, and, above all, the experienced Fiaux, are inclining to the views of Blaschko, of the accuracy of which I myself am now fully convinced, notwithstanding the fact that in my work on prostitution in England,[282] which appeared eight years ago (October, 1900), I still advocated regulation. E. von Düring also, who, as professor of medicine in Constantinople for many years, has made elaborate study of the conditions of prostitution in that town, adheres, in an essay well worth reading, without qualification to the opinion of Blaschko regarding the uselessness of regulation and of brothels.[283]
After this brief enumeration of the most important descriptive and scientific studies of prostitution, we shall now proceed to a short account of the conditions that obtain at the present day.
The idea of “=prostitution=” is in no respect clearly and sharply limited. Parent-Duchatelet considered that prostitution only occurred
“when a woman was known to have accepted money for this purpose on several successive occasions, when she was openly recognized as being engaged in this occupation, when an arrest had occurred and the offence had thus been definitely discovered, or when in any other way it was proved to the satisfaction of the police” (vol. i., p. 11).
But in this way he entirely excluded the so-called “secret” prostitution--that is to say, he excluded by far the largest category of prostitution.
As soon as we take this latter into consideration, we find it necessary to have a wider conception of the term “prostitution.” This is recognized by the French physician Rey in his little book on “=Public and Secret Prostitution=” (German edition, p. 1; Leipzig, 1851). He regards as prostitution the act “by which a woman allows the =use of her body by any man, without distinction=, and =for a payment made or expected=.”
In this admirable definition we see the two most important characteristics of prostitution: =complete indifference with regard to the person of the man demanding the use of her body=, and the fact that =the act is done for reward=. The only point omitted from consideration is the condition mentioned by Parent-Duchatelet--namely, the =frequent repetition= of the act of prostitution with =different= men.
Schrank combines all these characteristics of prostitution in a much briefer phrase, by defining them as “=professional acts of fornication performed with the human body=,” by which, in the first place, we include male and female =homosexual= prostitution, which are not covered by the definitions previously quoted, and, in the second place, Schrank’s definition lays stress on the fact that in =genuine= prostitution the =monetary reward= is the aim of the act of prostitution much more than any kind of enjoyment. Where enjoyment plays a prominent part, =in addition to= the earning of money, we are no longer concerned with genuine prostitution. Even a prostitute, who in other respects is typically a woman of that class, ceases at that moment and for that time to be a prostitute, when her earnings become a secondary consideration, and the =man= to whom she gives herself the principal consideration.
For this reason, strictly speaking, a large proportion of secret prostitutes and numerous members of the half-world cannot be reckoned as prostitutes in the proper sense of the term--at any rate, =not always=; not when, for instance, the man who supports and pays them is at the same time their “lover”;[284] they then belong for the time being to the not less dangerous province of “wild love.” But in practice this distinction cannot be strictly maintained, for the =same= woman will very frequently undertake a genuine act of prostitution.
It is only the “sale of the sweet name of love,” as the celebrated politician Louis Blanc expresses it, which constitutes prostitution--the =complete lack= of all spiritual and all personal relationships on the one side, and the ignominious predominance of the =mercantile= character of the sexual union on the other. Hence there may be prostitution in marriage, although this always remains widely different from the sale of the body to =numerous= and =frequently changing= individuals.
The “prostitution” of primeval times, in which social relationships were so utterly different from ours, unquestionably resembled rather the wild love of the present day than our own prostitution. It was sexual promiscuity, not professional fornication. According to Heinrich Schurtz, prostitution is indeed not an exclusive product of higher civilization, but occurs also among primitive peoples, and appears everywhere where the unrestricted sexual intercourse of youth--wild love--is prevented, without early marriage taking its place. But what he describes as prostitution--for example, the living of several unmarried girls in the houses of men--is still no more than a peculiar form of wild love. Still, according to the reports of numerous travellers, there are among primitive peoples also =purchasable= women, and this must be explained, just as in our own case, from the combined influence of individual, social, and economic conditions.
To my mind there is no doubt that the so-called “=religious=” prostitution is to be regarded as at least a =germinal form= and =predecessor= of the prostitution of the present day. In this case also we had to do with =professional= fornication; only, although the temple-girls, just like our modern prostitutes, gave themselves =indifferently to any man= that offered the money paid for this service, that money did not, in the case of religious prostitution, go to the girl herself, but to the deity, or to the crafty priests who represented him; thus the priests really played the part of our modern brothel-keepers. It is absolutely unquestionable that in this religious prostitution a more ideal element also played a part. This subject was discussed at considerable length above (pp. 100-112).
Prostitution is everywhere a product of the =growth of large towns=; its peculiar characteristics are developed only in large towns. To the country it was always foreign until those beautiful times of the middle ages, in which prostitution was regarded as a =necessary of life=, like eating and drinking, and was organized in guilds, so that everywhere “women-houses” were instituted for the public, unconstrained use of all classes, for peasant and prince. At that time quite small towns also had their brothels. The appearance of syphilis, and the awakening of modern individualism, brought these conditions to an end; the brothels disappeared everywhere; and this tendency to a =continuous decrease= of barrack prostitution, to a progressive diminution in the number of brothels, has continually strengthened. On the whole, the rural districts to-day do not know prostitution; there we have only free love and wild love. The existence of prostitution is confined to the large towns, because in these all the necessary conditions are fulfilled, and, above all, because in large towns the possibilities for the gratification of the sexual impulse by marriage or by free love are in the case of men much more limited than they are in the country. In the town there is even a =demand= for prostitutes, but not in the country. It is true that the demand on the part of men does not correspond to the extension which modern prostitution has assumed in the large towns; this demand corresponds, as it were, to a portion only of prostitution. In his admirable work on the campaign against prostitution (_Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, vol. ii., pp. 311-313) F. Schiller proves that prostitution has not increased merely in proportion to the increase in the male population, =but that in reality, in recent decades, it has increased, on the whole, in a much greater proportion than the population, and that different towns exhibit the most remarkable contrasts in the respective ratios of prostitutes to male population=.
For example, in Berlin prostitution has increased =to an extent almost double= that of the increase in male population. A similar relationship is to be observed in other large towns. Everywhere the supply of prostitutes =exceeds= the demand; and we cannot doubt that by this great supply the need for prostitutes is to a large extent at first aroused. Street-walkers and brothels =allure= many men to sexual intercourse who otherwise would not have felt any need for it.
But, on the other hand, the existence of a =voluntary demand= for prostitutes on the part of =men= is a fact which cannot be denied. In this sense prostitution has been described as mainly a “man’s question.”
Here we touch upon an extremely difficult problem, and one which, as far as I can see, no one before myself has definitely stated, perhaps because no one has =ventured= to do it--and yet, for our knowledge of prostitution, the question is one of great importance.
What precisely is the “need of man for prostitution” of which Blaschko speaks? Is it merely the sexual impulse? Or is there any other factor in operation?
Certainly the sexual impulse, simple sensuality, plays a large part in this male demand for prostitutes; but this does not explain the fact why married men, and so many men who, if not married, have yet opportunities for other sexual intercourse, have recourse to prostitutes; it does not explain the fact, by which I am myself continually and anew astonished, of the peculiar attractive force which prostitutes exercise upon cultured men with delicate æsthetic and ethical perceptions. Is there any deeper physiological relationship here involved?
I answer this question unconditionally in the affirmative.
It is not by chance that prostitution is mainly a product of civilization, that it finds in civilization its proper vital conditions, whereas in primitive states it cannot properly thrive.
In primitive times, unrestrained by the (just) demands of a higher civilization, and by the social morality intimately associated therewith, men could, without fear or regret, satisfy their wild impulses, no less in the sexual sphere than in others; they could give free play to those peculiar biological instincts of a sexual nature which lie hidden in every man. Their sexual “supra- and sub-consciousness,” to use the happy phrase which Chr. von Ehrenfels invented to denote the dualism of modern sexuality, were still =monistic=. To-day, however, the primitive instincts are =repressed= by the necessities of civilized life, and by the coercive force of conventional morality; but these instincts still slumber in every one. Each one of us has also his sexual sub-consciousness. Sometimes it awakens, demands activity, free from all restraint, from all coercion, from all convention. In such moments it seems as if the man were an entirely different being. Here the “two souls” in our breast become a reality. Is this still the celebrated man of learning, the refined idealist, the sensitive æsthetic, the artist who has enriched us with the most magnificent and the purest works of poetry or of plastic art? We recognize him no longer, because in such moments something quite different has awakened to life; =another= nature stirs within him and urges him with an elemental force to do things from which his “supra-consciousness,” the consciousness of the civilized man, would draw back in horror.
Such a delicate sensitive nature, open to the finest spiritual
## activities, as that of the Danish poet J. P. Jakobsen, must feel this
contrast in an especially painful manner; it is precisely such natures--those in which the extremes we have described appear most sharply and most clearly--which afford us proof of the existence of a double consciousness. The primitive instinct breaks out, like a monomania--of which old psychiatric doctrine of “monomania” we are involuntarily reminded when we see how even men of light and leading, men who in other respects live only in the highest regions of the spirit, are subjected to the domination of this purely instinctive sexualism, so that they lead a “secret” inner life, of whose existence the world has no suspicion.
In “Niels Lyhne” J. P. Jakobsen has admirably characterized this double life.
“But when,” he writes, “he had served God truly for eleven days, it often happened that =other powers= gained the upper hand in him; by an overwhelming force he was driven to the coarse lust of coarse enjoyments; he yielded, overcome by the human passion for self-annihilation, which, while the blood burns as blood only can burn, demands degradation, perversity, dirt, and foulness, with no less force than the force which inspires the equally human passion for becoming greater than one is, and purer.”
These human instincts can be satisfied only by prostitution. By the purchasable prostitute this desire, described so aptly and with so much insight by Jakobsen, can be fully satisfied. To the origin of the desire we shall return in another connexion. The common, the rough, the brutal animal in the nature of prostitution, exercises a formal magical attractive force on large numbers of men.
Ludwig Pietsch, in his “Recollections of Sixty Years,” vol. ii., p. 337 (Berlin, 1894), tells of the celebrated cocotte of the Second French Empire, Cora Pearl, whom he saw in Baden-Baden:
“I have never been able to understand how it was that she exercised so powerful an attraction. In her appearance, her tumid, painted ‘pug-face,’ the secret was certainly not to be found. Perhaps the influence which she exercised on so many men rested principally in the quality which the royal friend of the Danish Countess Danner described to the latter, when explaining to her the reason of the power, to others quite incomprehensible, which Cora Pearl had exercised on his own heart. He said: ‘=She is so gloriously vulgar=.’”
This word speaks volumes, and illuminates the peculiar influence of prostitutes and prostitution upon man in an apt and powerful way.[285]
Admirably, also, has Stefan Grimmen, in his novelette “Die Landpartie” (published in _Die Welt am Montag_, No. 22, May 28, 1906), described this influence, which in this case was exercised by two demi-mondaines lying in the grass, upon the masculine members of a picnic-party, who were so enthralled as completely to forget the ladies of their company. The de Goncourts were also aware of the specific allurement exercised by prostitutes, for in one place in their diary they recommend a wife to adopt certain customs of prostitutes, in order to bind her husband to her for a long time.
In this respect, we cannot fail to recognize a certain masochistic trait in the sensibility of men, which appears especially remarkable when we call to mind the contrast between the nature of the above described spiritually lofty persons and the nature of a prostitute. In this way we should be led to the view that =prostitution is in part a product of the physiological male masochism=--that is to say, of the impulse from time to time to plunge into the depths of coarse, brutal, sexual lust and of self-mortification and self-abasement, by surrender to a comparatively worthless creature. This attraction towards prostitutes is one of the most remarkable phenomena in the psyche of the modern civilized man; it is the curse of the evolution of civilization.
“The most ideal man also is unable to free himself from his body,” says Heinrich Schurtz; “refinement leads ultimately to an unnatural over-nicety, =which must necessarily be permeated from time to time by a breath of fresh unrefinement and coarse naturalism=, if it is not to perish from its own inward contradiction.”
In a certain sense the same need finds expression also in Gutzkow’s remark in the “Neue Serapionsbrüder,” vol. i., p. 198 (Breslau, 1877), that man sometimes has a need for “=woman-in-herself=,” not woman with the thousand and one tricks and whimsies of wives, mothers, and daughters.
Without question, this need is much more characteristic of man than of woman. Still, I am not prepared altogether to deny its existence in the latter. In another connexion I shall return to this extremely important question.
Naturally in this we see no more than a =favouring factor= of the appearance of prostitution =in the mass=; we do not speak of it as the definite cause of the production of any individual prostitute.
Speaking generally, I consider the dispute regarding the causes of prostitution as superfluous; a number of causes are in operation, and in each individual case it is always an unfortunate =concatenation= of circumstances, of subjective and objective influences, which have driven the girl to prostitution. The various =theories= regarding the causes of prostitution have therefore only a relative value. Not one of them explains it wholly; each explanation demands the assistance of others.
This is, above all, true of the celebrated theory of Lombroso, regarding the “=born prostitute=,” a theory which states, to put the matter shortly and clearly, that the girl is born with all the =rudimentary characteristics= of a prostitute, and that these rudimentary characteristics have also a =physical= foundation, in the form of demonstrable =stigmata of degeneration=.
Lombroso’s “born prostitute” is, above all, distinguished by a complete lack of the moral sense, by typical “moral insanity,” which is the true “=root=” of the prostitute life, for he regards that life as very little dependent upon the sexual. Prostitution, therefore, according to Lombroso, “is only a special case of the early tendency to all evil, of the desire which characterizes the morally idiotic human being from childhood upwards, to do that which is forbidden.”[286] The individual cause of prostitution, according to this view, is to be found, not in the sexual, but in the ethical province. With the ethical defects are associated greediness, the love of finery, a tendency to drink, vanity, dislike of work, mendacity, and an inclination towards criminality. To this moral degeneration there corresponds the presence of stigmata of degeneration, such as anomalies of the teeth, cleft palate, abnormal distribution of the hair, prominent ears, asymmetry of the face, etc.
The above-described type of degenerate woman does, as a fact, exist. But, in the first place, such women constitute only a small fraction of prostitutes, and such women are found =following other occupations=. Thus, the expression “born prostitute” is a false one; it should run, “born degenerate,” for not all born degenerates become prostitutes.
In the second place, =not all degenerate prostitutes are born degenerates=. In many cases the degeneration is a result of the professional unchastity.
“No one,” says Friedrich Hammer, “who has not personally investigated the matter can conceive how =rapidly= and =completely= the =process of transformation from an honourable girl into a prostitute proceeds=--the transformation into a street-walker. A few weeks before she was clean-looking and trim, perhaps with a somewhat frivolous appearance, but still able to understand the position in which she found herself; now, however, she seems to have completely ‘gone to pieces’; she is dirty and verminous, and on her face is an expression of absolute wretchedness, not, as you perhaps might imagine, of unbridled sensuality--=no, rather one of indifference=, of complete helplessness and loss of will, of unresponsiveness alike to punishment and to benefit.”[287]
The earlier investigators of prostitution, including the first of all, Parent-Duchatelet, did not fail to recognize that the mental and physical abnormalities of the prostitute were =changes= due to her mode of life. In many prostitutes we can observe a =typical obliteration of the secondary and tertiary sexual characters= after a prolonged practice of their profession. Virey remarked, very justly, that “in consequence of the frequent embraces of men, prostitutes gain a more or less masculine appearance”: their neck is thicker, their voice harsher and more masculine (J. J. Virey, “Woman,” pp. 157, 158; Leipzig, 1827).
Most prostitutes have done more or less injury to the functions of the human body, have completely disordered their sexual life, and are sterile. It is not to be wondered at that this sometimes manifests itself in their outward appearance--as, for example, in the slight development of the breasts, which often amounts to a simple atrophy. The “unmistakable development” of the tertiary characters of the male in individual prostitutes, which has led Kurella to propound the interesting hypothesis that prostitutes are a sub-variety of the homosexual,[288] rests for the most part upon their assumption of a masculine mode of life and masculine habits, which in the long-run cannot fail to influence also the bodily development--as, for example, smoking and the excessive use of alcohol, pot-house life, gluttony, and other masculine habits. The “deep masculine voice” of many prostitutes is unquestionably in most cases the result of the excessive use of tobacco and alcohol. To this striking =gradual= change in the voice Parent-Duchatelet devoted considerable attention (vol. i., pp. 86-88, of the German edition); it also attracted Lippert’s notice. Parent-Duchatelet refers the common development in prostitutes of the masculine voice to their excessive indulgence in alcoholic beverages, and to their exposure to frequent changes of weather (catching cold, etc.). Smoking also certainly plays a part.
Lippert draws attention to other changes (“Prostitution in Hamburg,” pp. 80 and 90):
“By the daily practice of their profession for many years their eyes acquire a piercing, rolling expression; they are somewhat unduly prominent in consequence of the continued tension of the ocular muscles, since the eyes are principally employed to spy out and attract clients. In many the organs of mastication are strongly developed; the mouth, in continuous activity either in eating or in kissing, is conspicuous; the forehead is often flat; the occipital region is at times extremely prominent; the hair of the head is often scanty--in fact, a good many become actually bald. For this reasons are not lacking: above all, the restless mode of life; the continued running about in all weathers in the open street, sometimes with the head bare; the often long-lasting fluor albus from which they suffer;[289] the incessant brushing, manipulation, frizzling, and pomading of the hair; and, among the lower classes of prostitutes, the use of brandy.
“The rough voice is the physiological characteristic of the woman who has lost her proper functions--those of the mother.”
However, the =majority= of =youthful prostitutes= exhibit purely =feminine= characteristics; it is only late in life that the above-described type becomes predominant, and this shows us that the masculine characteristics are the result of =objective= influences. From five to ten years bring about a notable difference. In the year 1898 I treated a maidservant for syphilis. At that time she was of an elegant, genuinely feminine appearance. Seven years later, in the year 1905, I saw her once more. What a change! Her face was bloated and widened; her eyes, once so bright and clear, had become cloudy and expressionless; her voice was rough; all the specific feminine forms and characters had been obliterated by extreme corpulence. It was no longer a woman, it was a “prostitute,” a special type of humanity, but one which had been =gradually produced=, and as a result of no more than six years of the practice of professional prostitution.
These facts do not by any means exclude the existence of =genuine degenerates= among prostitutes in a greater percentage than among non-prostitutes;[290] nor do they exclude the existence of genuine homosexuals among prostitutes. To this extent Lombroso’s theory contains a nucleus of truth; but it concerns only a fraction of the entire world of prostitutes. Lombroso has himself been repeatedly compelled to recognize the frequency with which he has encountered among prostitutes women of normal appearance, and even beautiful women.[291]
Finally, the doctrine of the “born prostitute” is contradicted by the fact that the same types of degenerate which are described by Lombroso among prostitutes are found also among women who are not prostitutes.[292] In fact, Lombroso has been led to this view by the recognition of an “equivalent of prostitutes among the upper classes”; but in this way he has only proved that the =same= moral degeneration that is encountered in a certain proportion of prostitutes is also seen in misconducted women of other and higher classes. There are, in fact, prostitute natures among the “upper ten thousand.”
The best limitation of the general value of the doctrine of the “born prostitute” is the concluding chapter of Lombroso’s book upon “Occasional Prostitutes.” He begins with the pertinent remark:
“Not all prostitutes are ethically indifferent--that is to say, they are =not all born prostitutes=; in this province =opportunity= also plays its part.”
Lombroso proceeds to develop this thesis, thus markedly limiting the application of his own theory, and recognizing that, in addition to natural predisposition, quite other causes and influences come into play in the production of prostitution.
Above all, the =economic= factors are of greater importance in the genesis and growth of prostitution, even though their influence is not an exclusive one.
I distinguish here between =real, genuine poverty= (lack of food, proper housing accommodation, etc.) and merely =relative poverty=. Hitherto, in considering the economic causes of prostitution, these two elements have not been distinguished with sufficient clearness.
=The fact that real, absolute poverty and lack of the necessaries of life drives many girls to a life of prostitution can, in view of recent statistical data, no longer be disputed.= More exact material dealing with this subject is to be found in the above mentioned writings of Blaschko, one of the principal advocates of the economic theory of prostitution; also in the works of Georg Keben,[293] Oda Olberg,[294] Anna Pappritz,[295] Pfeiffer,[296] Paul Kampffmeyer,[297] E. von Düring,[298] and many others. Here we have a superabundant material, a quantity of distressing and tragical individual data and proofs of Gutzkow’s thesis, that =the material evils of society always and everywhere undergo transformation into immorality=. Here unquestionably must we =first= apply the lever for the removal of this economic predisposing condition of prostitution. _Hic Rhodus, hic salta!_ I am myself firmly convinced of this fact, although I do =not= consider that the causes of prostitution are to be found =exclusively= in economic conditions--an opinion which Anna Pappritz, for example, maintains in the most extreme form. It is quite true, however, that our entire sexual life at the present day is so intimately connected with the =social question= that the reform of the sexual life demands as an unconditional preliminary a reform of economic conditions. Prostitution =on the large scale=, as it manifests itself in modern days, and its =continuous increase= to an extent quite unparalleled in former times, is only explicable by the rapid transformation of economic conditions--as, for example, by the concentration of population in large towns, by the industrial revolution, and by the development of great aggregations of capital, by the consequent greatly increased severity of the struggle for existence, the postponement of marriage, and the ever-increasing number of individuals who are not economically and professionally independent. The increase in =child-labour= (naturally we refer especially to children of the female sex) has also to be considered as a remarkable phenomenon of modern industrial life; but, above all, we must take into account the fact that =woman’s work= is on the average regarded at a very low valuation, and is paid accordingly.
The insufficiency of their earnings is the immediate cause of the fact that so many women and girls seek =accessory earnings= in the form of prostitution. It is well known that employers reckon on this fact in drawing up their pay-lists, and frequently are so brutally cynical as to point out to their female employees the possibility of increasing their earnings in this manner--one very convenient to the employer!
The _Reichsarbeitsblatt_, No. 2, of the year 1903, publishes a very remarkable account of the conditions of work and life of the =unmarried female factory employees= in Berlin. It is based upon the reports of the professional factory inspectors in Berlin, who have access to material affording them accurate information regarding the mode of life of factory women. The reports concern 939 unmarried factory hands, and include all occupations in which in Berlin a considerable number of women were employed. The average age of the women who came under observation was 22-1/2 years; the oldest was 54 years; 53·5 % of the whole number were over 21 years of age; 42 % were between 16 and 21 years of age; 4·5 % were below 16 years of age. The average number of hours of daily work was 9-1/2; 3·2 % of all the women worked from 7-1/2 to 8 hours; 37·2 %, 8 to 9 hours; 47·7 %, 9 to 10 hours; and 11·9 %, 10 to 11 hours. The weekly wage amounted on the average to 11·36 marks (shillings); individually, the wages were very variable; 4·3 % of the women were paid less than 6 marks (shillings); 1·1 % were paid from 20 to 30 marks (shillings). =In a very large majority of instances the wages varied between 8 and 15 marks.= Supplies from a source independent of their wages, in the form of money, clothing, and means of subsistence, were received, according to their own statement, by 88 of the women; among these, 41 were assisted by parents, 4 by other relatives, 3 in other ways; 542 of those examined lived with their parents, 57 with other relatives--that is, altogether 64·2 of the total number--21·5 % lived in common lodging-houses, 14 % in their own rooms. The worst-paid workwomen lived chiefly with their parents; as soon as the wage sufficed to support them away from home a great many left their parents’ houses. The housing accommodation was ascertained in 846 instances; in 758 of these a single room constituted the dwelling, in 82 cases a kitchen, in 2 cases an attic, in 3 some other room. In isolated cases quite unsuitable places were used to sleep in. =Speaking generally, the conditions were worse= than appears from the above figures. Of 832 workwomen, only 169 had a room to themselves; 193 slept in a room with one other person, and 470--that is, 56·6 %--=with several persons=. With regard to the cost of their dwellings, there were 464 reports; the average payment was 1·79 marks (shillings) per week. The cost of the food (dinner and lesser meals) amounted on the average, in the case of 568, to 6·77 marks (shillings); of these, 205 paid less than 6 marks (shillings), 109 more than 8 marks (shillings) per week. The total cost for lodging and food amounted in the case of 867 workwomen on the average to 7·62 marks; 44·7 % had their principal meal at midday; 55·3 % in the evening; 79·4 % took it at home; 9·4 % in the factory; 11·2 % in a public kitchen, a cooking-school, or an eating-house. With regard to the expenditure for clothing, etc., =very scanty= details were obtained--too scanty to be worth recording. Of the 939 workwomen of whom inquiry was made on the point, 197, or 21 %, contributed money to the education or support of relatives or children; about 10 % paid (direct) taxes, with a mean expenditure of 8 pfennige (one penny) per week. For amusement, 233 women recorded an average weekly expenditure of 1 mark (shilling). To a considerable number of those examined it was possible to put a little money by; in most cases the amount averaged from half to one mark (sixpence to one shilling) per week; in many cases, however, the money saved =was spent at some other time during the year=, in consequence of diminished earnings or illness. The figures obtained, although in many cases they require further examination, elaboration, and illustration, still suffice to show that much remains to be done for the improvement of the conditions of life of female factory employees.
That these wages are quite insufficient is shown by the following table of the daily expenditure of a sempstress for food and lodging (based on the reports of von Stülpnagel):
Mk. Pf. Bedroom and coffee 0 20 Second breakfast 0 15 Dinner (midday) 0 30 Afternoon tea 0 15 Supper 0 20 Two bottles of beer 0 20 ------- Total 1 20
That amounts per week to 8 marks 40 pfennige (eight shillings and fivepence) for board-lodging. For the rest, clothing, washing, and a little amusement, have to be provided for, and this is only possible in the case of the highest wages, varying from 12 to 15 marks; but this higher wage =often enough= suffices, as Anna Pappritz herself admits. In many cases the weekly wage is only 5 to 8 marks. In the majority of occupations connected with the manufacture of ready-made clothing, trade is only brisk for four to six months in each year. Thus, there is necessarily a great deal of unemployment.
According to the Statistical Annual for the town of Berlin for the year 1907, the =annual wages= amounted:
For tailoresses to 457 marks „ sempstresses „ 486 „ „ hand buttonhole workers „ 354 „ „ machine buttonhole workers „ 700 „ „ other women factory employees „ 354 „
According to the report of the Statistical Bureau, the average yearly income of women factory employees throughout the German Empire was only 322 marks!
It is, therefore, no matter for surprise that the industrial councillors of Frankfurt-on-the-Main and of Wiesbaden, in their published reports on the wages of female factory employees for the year 1887, state:
“In Frankfurt, at the end of last month, among 226 persons under the observation of the _police des mœurs_ (that is, not reckoning secret prostitution), 98 were female factory employees. Since for their necessary bare support (food and sleeping accommodation only), the minimum daily sum needed is 1·25 marks, it appears that the wages which can be earned by female employees of 1·50 to 1·80 marks can hardly suffice to provide for all their needs. It would seem, therefore, that the lowness of their earnings must play some part in the matter under discussion.”
The reports of the industrial councillors of Düsseldorf, Posen, Stettin, Neuss, Barmen, Elberfeld, Gladbach, Erfurt, etc., have a similar signification.
Important in relation to the incontrovertible connexion between material poverty and prostitution is the fact that in the majority of cases the prostitution of female factory employees is only =occasional=, and not professional prostitution--that is to say, such women have recourse to prostitution only when compelled thereto by deficient means.
As regards genuine =professional= prostitution, female factory employees, who live in a state of comparative freedom, contribute a smaller contingent of recruits than =maidservants=, whose position is always a =more dependent= one, and who are much less experienced in the struggle for existence, although, generally speaking, they live in better conditions. From a computation based upon figures for the years 1855, 1873, and 1898 (those for 1855 and 1898 relating to far too small a number of cases), Blaschko derives the opinion that formerly female factory employees provided a greater number of recruits to prostitution than they do at present; but that, on the contrary, the contribution of maidservants to the ranks of professional prostitution has enormously increased. This assertion cannot pass without contradiction. Gross-Hoffinger, in the work previously mentioned, pointed out that the class of maidservants was the true nucleus of prostitution, and devoted to this fact a long and illuminating chapter of his book. And at about the same time (1848) Lippert also wrote (_op. cit._, p. 79): “The principal sources of prostitution are =maidservants=, sempstresses, flower-girls, tailoresses, hairdressers, shop-girls, and barmaids.” (Gross-Hoffinger himself emphasizes the word “=maidservants=.”)
We see, therefore, that the preponderance of ex-maidservants in the ranks of professional prostitution is by no means a new phenomenon, although, possibly, that preponderance is even =greater= now than it was in former times. And though in isolated instances it may happen that simple poverty forces a maidservant to become a prostitute, this explanation does not suffice for the generality of cases. The same reservation must be made in respect of seduction and illegitimate motherhood as causes of prostitution. And in so far as poverty is a cause, we must speak rather of =relative= poverty, poverty which has more of a subjective than an objective character.
Schiller rightly remarks, in his admirable essay on the “Prevention of Prostitution,” that in respect of prostitutes who have been maidservants, in the majority of cases there can be no question of insufficient wages and actual poverty (if we except the badly paid servants in public-houses, laundry-maids, and a few others), since the maidservant receives, in addition to her wages, free board and lodging, and therefore is in a much better position than the majority of female factory employees and of women engaged in home industries. Notwithstanding this, maidservants supply the largest proportion of prostitutes.
The majority of maidservants come from the country, where lax views prevail regarding sexual relationships. In addition, girls usually come to town when still very young. The want of education and experience of life is, in their case, very striking; and this is increased by their permanently dependent position, in contrast with the early independence of the town factory-women, who are speedily initiated into all the possible evils of town life. In addition, there comes into the question an influence which hitherto has been underestimated: the =love of finery=. Among maidservants this is especially powerful, since, in this respect, they are continually exposed to suggestive influences, arising from the clothing of their mistresses. This love of dress, in association with a far greater unscrupulousness in sexual matters than exists among workwomen, drives many servant-girls, even =without= real poverty, to prostitution. After they have lost their place, after they have acquired a distaste for work, have given birth to an illegitimate child, or have been infected with venereal disease, they very readily enter the ranks of professional prostitution.
This =subjective psychological= factor plays nearly as great a rôle as the economic factor. Blaschko himself draws attention to the fact that, in proportion to the hundreds of thousands of women who are compelled to earn their bread by hard, badly paid toil, the number of those who ultimately become prostitutes is really almost infinitesimally small; and that, therefore, we must regard as accessory causes of prostitution, defective will-power, want of industry, of perseverance, and of moral instincts, and, finally, also--and here Lombroso is justified--congenital deficiency. Hellpach is right when, in his most readable essay on “Prostitution and Prostitutes” (Berlin, 1905), he lays the principal stress on this “social-psychological” explanation of prostitution, and regards the purely economic factor as “the ultimate turning-point” in the fatal road that leads to prostitution. (Earlier than Hellpach, Anton Baumgarten attempted to give a social-psychological explanation of prostitution. See his essays, containing much valuable material, “Police and Prostitution,” and “The Relations of Prostitution to Crime,” published in the eighth and eleventh volumes respectively of the “Archives of Criminal Anthropology.”)
We must, therefore, hold firmly to the fact that the most =diverse= and =heterogeneous= vital conditions may ultimately lead to prostitution. Among these, =lack of education=, =premature habituation= to sexual depravation by =casual observation= and by =deliberate seduction=, play an important rôle. And these causes are themselves to a large extent secondary to the =miserable housing conditions= in great towns, recently so dramatically described by von Pfeiffer and Kampffmeyer.
“It is easier,” says Pfeiffer, “to thunder against immorality from the top of a lofty tower, than it is to resist every allurement in dull, narrow dwellings, in the midst of poverty and deprivation.... The lodger flirts with the wife; the married or free-loving pair, also living in the house, do not wait to begin their caresses until the children are out of the way. The children are witnesses of many scenes which are little adapted to the preservation of pure morals; they see things which they later come to regard as matters of course, and when they have the opportunity they act in the same way themselves, for they have not learned otherwise, and they think that every one does the same....
“The servant-girl becomes pregnant; no one knows what has become of her child’s father. Driven out of her place, she remembers that she has a married sister, and after long search she finds her in a damp basement dwelling. This dwelling consists of a single room and a dark kitchen; three shivering, dirty children are playing on the floor; the husband is out of employment; but still they can find room for this sister-in-law and her illegitimate child. Then perhaps there are better days for a time. But within the narrow limits of the one-roomed dwelling the association is too intimate, and the sister-in-law again becomes pregnant, and ultimately in the same week both the sisters are delivered as the result of impregnation by the same man. When we think how all this has taken place in the =only= available room, we can understand that the children must have seen a great deal little suited to childish eyes.”
The housing statistics of Berlin for the year 1900 give horrible reports regarding this, and even much worse conditions--conditions which are sufficiently explained when we consider how often families living in a single room take in a =male= or a =female lodger= for the night. One-roomed dwellings in which from four to seven sleep every night are common; those in which eight to ten sleep are by no means rare!
After what has been said above, no elaborate demonstration is needed to show that =alcoholism= everywhere, in the most diverse conditions, prepares the soil for prostitution. Kräpelin and O. Rosenthal have thoroughly exposed this intimate connexion between prostitution and alcoholism.
An even more important source of prostitution is to be found in =procurement= and in the =traffic in girls=--this grave social evil of our time. How often are children initiated into the practice of prostitution, for the sake of pecuniary gain, by their own parents, or by some other individual devoid of all moral feeling, and taught to serve as mere instruments of earning money by lust! Paris offers more examples of this traffic than any other European city, but London is not far behind, as was proved by the _Pall Mall Gazette_ scandals of 1883, to which we shall return in another connexion. In Berlin itself in recent years the number of half-grown, and even childish, prostitutes has enormously increased. Prostitutes from thirteen to fourteen years of age are no longer rare.
An even sadder phenomenon is the modern =traffic in girls=, a characteristic product of the age of commerce, although earlier times were, indeed, familiar with it, especially France in the eighteenth century,[299] witness more especially the accounts of the celebrated _Parc-aux-Cerfs_.
The modern traffic in girls[300] is intimately connected with the =brothel question=. We can, in fact, assert that if there were no brothels there would be no traffic in girls. This is proved also by the =growing dislike= to brothels felt by prostitutes, who prefer a free life. For this reason, it becomes more and more difficult for the keepers of brothels to obtain inmates, and the international traffic in girls attempts to fill the continually increasing deficiency in the number of girls entering brothels.
The traffic in girls is to-day almost exclusively recruited from Eastern Europe. As regards its original sources, we find that Galicia--_i.e._, Austrian Poland--supplies 40 %, Russia 15 %, Italy 11 %, Austria-Hungary 10 %, Germany 8 %, of the “White Slave Trade.” Most of the girls are transported to the Argentine, where we find them in the brothels.[301]
The traders in girls, or “kaften” as they are called in Brazil, are, for the most part, Polish Jews. Rosenack shows, in his report on the campaign against the traffic in girls (a campaign actively taken up by the Western European Jewish Unions, and especially by the Jewish Association for the Protection of Girls and Women), that five out of six of the Galician Jews engaged in this traffic are what are called “Luftmenschen” (men of air)--that is, men without any definite or secure means of livelihood--and that only an improvement in their social conditions can put an end to the traffic in girls. As regards that part of the world, he considers that the measures resolved upon by the =National= and =International Conference for the Suppression of the Traffic in Girls= (Berlin, 1903; Frankfurt-on-the-Main, 1905) are not adapted to offer any important hindrances to the traffic. More effective has been the work of the Jewish Branch Committee in Germany for the suppression of the Galician traffic in girls. Dr. Rosenack, Berta Pappenheim, and Dr. Sera Rabinowitsch, in furtherance of the work of the committee, studied the local conditions; the population was instructed verbally and by leaflets and pamphlets. Endeavours have been made to improve the economic condition of the workwomen of Galicia. For this purpose, instructed female assistants are sent from Germany to Galicia. It has been possible to awaken in Galicia general interest in the work of the suppression of traffic in girls. In a Conference held at Lemberg, the Galician clubs and Jewish committees made representations to German and other societies, in order to formulate a plan, and to devise measures for the improvement of Galician conditions.
In Buenos Ayres, the principal town of entry for Galician girls, a committee has been formed to oppose the traffic in girls, the members of this committee being of all religions and nationalities. This has had one good effect--that the traders in girls have become alarmed; they no longer practise their profession so openly as before. The Argentine police are also taking an active part in the fight with the traffic. Not more than two of the judges at Buenos Ayres were found to make common cause with the “traders,” and to discharge them on receipt of large bribes. A law has been drafted for the punishment of those engaged in this traffic, by imprisonment for six years and confiscation of their property.
The traders in girls constitute an international ring, and the centre of their organization is in Buenos Ayres.
In Berlin, since 1904, there has existed a =central police organization= for the suppression of the international traffic in girls, the activity of which extends throughout the Empire. Every case of this traffic which comes to the notice of the police in Germany is reported to the central police organization. This draws up a list of all the traders in girls whose names are definitely known. It has started an album containing photographs of traders who have been punished, and it exchanges experiences with the police of other countries. It is to be hoped that in comparison with the other countries of Europe the number of German girls exported to brothels abroad will continually grow smaller, and that the local measures undertaken in Galicia and the Argentine will have a good effect in limiting, and ultimately suppressing, this traffic.
Henne am Rhyn has shown that to and from other countries--for example, from England to Belgium and Germany (Hamburg), from Galicia to Turkey, from Italy to North America, etc.--individual girls are transported. According to Felix Baumann, the number of traders in girls in New York approaches 20,000. They have close relations to the police, and they employ young handsome men, called “cadets,” to attract the girls. The abolition of brothels would here also be the best means of abolishing the traffic in girls.
Having now learned the sources of prostitution, we must proceed to give a brief account of the places in which it is carried on. Here we have first of all to distinguish =public= from =secret= prostitution.
As regards public prostitution, there are only =two= principal varieties to consider: street prostitution, where the women seek their victims in the streets, in order to carry them off either to their =own dwellings= or to =houses of accommodation=; and =brothel prostitution=. At the present day in most countries public street prostitution is far the most general form, and this is especially true as regards Germany, where in a few towns only brothels continue to exist. In many places this street prostitution--for example, in the Friedrichstrasse of Berlin, and also on the boulevards of Paris--gives rise to conditions which recall the worst days of imperial Rome. The =contact= between public life and professional prostitution is unquestionably a great evil. The activity of prostitutes in the open streets, the shameless and lascivious display of their sexual charms, their bold solicitation _coram publico_, the stimulating character of professional unchastity--all these poison our public life, obliterate the boundary between cleanliness and contamination, and display daily a picture of sexual corruption--alike before the eyes of the pure, blameless girl, those of the honourable wife, and those of the immature boy. Aptly has this =street= prostitution been termed the _cloaca_ of our social life, which empties into the open street, whereas at least =brothel= prostitution only represented a hidden _cloaca_, whose offensive odour need not annoy all the world, as inevitably happens in the case of street prostitution. In addition, we have to consider the serious dangers involved in the practice of professional fornication in private dwellings and houses of accommodation, as they involve the decent families living in such houses. What do the children living in such houses see and hear? Frequently prostitutes are admitted to confidential family intercourse, and they seduce the daughters of poor people to join them in the practice of prostitution, and the sons to a vicious life or to become souteneurs. That the danger of contamination of the lower classes of the population by means of prostitution is by no means imaginary, is clearly shown by numerous examples from actual life. I subscribe to all that the advocates of brothels say in this respect.
And yet =brothels= are a =still= greater evil! They constitute an incomparably =more dangerous= centre of =sexual corruption=, a worse =breeding-ground of sexual aberrations= of every kind, and last, not least, the =greatest focus of sexual infection=. With reference to the last point, the matter will be discussed more fully in the chapter dealing with the question of regulation in connexion with the suppression of venereal diseases.
The brothel is the =high-school= of refined sexual lust and perversity. The detailed proof of this I must leave to the descriptions of the two writers most experienced in the life of brothels, Léo Taxil[302] and Louis Fiaux.[303]
It is a fact well known to all that many young men learn in brothels for the first time the manifold and artificial ways in which natural sexual intercourse can be replaced by perverse methods of sexual activity. =Here, in the brothel, psychopathia sexualis is systematically taught.= And what the old debauchee demands from the prostitute and pays her for, perverse intercourse, is =spontaneously offered to the youthful initiate=, because competition between the prostitutes, and the hope of a higher payment, lead them to do so. The opinion of the French authors just mentioned is perfectly credible--that there are young men who in this way have learned about perverse sexuality =before= they were fully acquainted with natural sexuality, and who thus have permanently acquired more inclination for these mysteries of Venus than for a natural and normal sexual intercourse.
“=Brothel-jargon=,” or “=brothel-slang=,” contains a number of words almost peculiar to this dialect, by which the contra-natural, abnormal methods of sexual intercourse are denoted in a more or less cynical manner; for example, _faire feuille de rose_ = anilinctus; _sfogliar la rosa_ (to pluck the leaves from the rose) = pædicare; _faire tête-bêche_ = reciprocal cunnilinctus of two tribades; _punta di penna_ = masturbatio labialis; _pulci lavoratrici_ (learned fleas!) = tribades, etc.
A learned investigator like Fiaux is led by his observations of many years to the conclusion that =brothels= constitute not only the most =dangerous= form of public prostitution, but the most dangerous kind of prostitution that exists at all, and that it is urgently necessary that they should be abolished in all countries as soon as possible.
In addition to the two varieties and localities of “public” prostitution--that is, prostitution carried on under the observation of the police--there is a much more extensive =secret= prostitution, in connexion with which, however, the word “secret” must always be accepted with reserve, since in its case also it comes more or less under the eye of the public. This secret prostitution is, for example, accessible at numerous places, and these are very different one from another. Secret prostitution also has its types, its peculiarities--in short, its definite local colouring, according to the place in which it is practised. Let us give a brief account of the various localities of secret prostitution.
1. =Public-houses with Women Attendants, the so-called “Animierkneipen.”=--The =waitress= (barmaid) is the true exemplar of the secret prostitute, and further, in consequence of the perpetual association with alcoholism, is the most dangerous variety;[304] for the barmaid allures the guest even more to the excessive consumption of alcohol than to sexual indulgence. For this purpose barmaids receive a percentage of the receipts from the sale of liquor, and this sum, in addition to free board, is their only wage.
The “animierkneipen”[305] and the restaurants with women attendants can be plainly distinguished from a considerable distance by their =curtained= windows, and by the =red, green, or blue glass panes= over the doors of entry. These coloured panes are so characteristic of these places of lust and gluttony that at the last year’s District Synod of the Friedrichswerder section of the town of Berlin the attempt was made (_cf._ _Vossische Zeitung_, No. 248, May 30, 1906) to forbid the use of such illuminated panes for the advertisement of the houses of entertainment in Berlin with female attendants. To this proposal the reasonable objection was made that if this distinguishing mark were abolished, there would be no means of recognizing such places, and therefore no warning signal for blameless individuals.
Many “animierkneipen”--the French similarly term the girls in such places “_les inviteuses_”[306]--by their mysterious-looking interior; by the heavy curtains, which produce semi-obscurity; by small very discreet _chambres séparées_, lighted by little coloured lanterns and with erotic pictures on the walls; by their Spanish walls and their enormous couches--obtain the appearance of small lupanars. To these the richer customers and the initiates are brought, whilst the ordinary habitual guests commonly assemble in the larger bars, where also music--it must be admitted very bad music--in the form of a piano- or a zither-player, is not wanting.
The whole shameless activity of these “animierkneipen,” in which alcohol and indecency play the principal rôle, has recently been described by Hermann Seyffert in a manner no less perspicuous than true to life.[307] The clients of such places are, for the most part, immature lads, who squander here the money of their parents or their employers; but we find there also the habitual guests, usually elderly married men, who find in this atmosphere a welcome variety in comparison with the monotony of their homes. The quantities of alcohol which are consumed in the “animierkneipen,” both by the guests and by the attendants, are enormous. The barmaids must always drink at the cost of the guests, in order that the sales of liquor may be larger. O. Rosenthal[308] speaks of barmaids who consume twenty to thirty glasses of beer a day, and more, without mentioning brandy and liqueurs!
2. =Ball-Rooms and Dancing-Saloons.=[309]--Properly speaking, these are only a sub-variety of the places described in Section 1; they are enlarged “animierkneipen,” with the addition of (better) music and of dancing. But the beautiful days of the Bal Mabille and the Closerie des Lilas, or of Cremorne Gardens, the Portland Rooms, the Argyll Rooms, and the Orpheum have long passed away. The majority of the ball-rooms of Berlin and Paris (in London they disappeared long ago) have sunk to a lower level. Prostitution is now dominant. The “intimacy,” which in the earlier more idyllic ball-rooms felt so much at home, is now no longer to be found there. It is only necessary to visit the celebrated ball-rooms of Berlin--the Ballhaus in the Joachimstrasse, the “Blumensäle,” etc., not to speak of the seats of baser prostitution, as, for example, Lestmann’s Dancing-Saloon--in order to be aware of this fact. Here also the principal thing is drinking, and always more drinking! In Paris, in the dancing-rooms of Montmartre, we can see the “inviteuses” in full cry; some of the French dancing-rooms, however, appear more attractive from the æsthetic point of view than the haunts of Terpsichore in Berlin. A dancing-saloon that was not exclusively concerned with prostitution was that of Emberg in the Schumannstrasse, but in the year 1906 this was closed for ever. Now, similar great ball-rooms exist, properly speaking, only in the suburbs--in Halensee, Grünau, Nieder-Schönhausen, etc. Here also, however, the dance is not the principal thing--procurement and prostitution are widely diffused, as was pointed out fifty years ago by Thomas Bade in his essay, in this respect most convincing, “Ueber Gelegenheitsmacherei und Öffentliches Tanzvergnügen”--“Procurement in Relation to Public Ball-Rooms” (Berlin, 1858).
3. =Variety Theatres, Low Music-Halls, and Cabarets.=--The principal object of these places, so characteristic of our time, is “to kill time” in as amusing a manner as possible, “amusement” being what the “average sensual man” of to-day, dull and empty-headed, demands. What he wants is the satisfaction of his desire for sensations by the appearance of more or less décolleté singers, dancers, acrobats, male and female, by the representation of tableaux vivants in which the parts are played by beautiful women, by the kinematograph, or by pantomime, by spicy songs, by the performance of clever jugglers, by wrestling and boxing matches between men and women, by juggling, and all kinds of spectacles, etc. In short, the most diverse “varieties”--hence the name--of amusement are offered here, and it is significant that these places of pleasure first appeared in the great seaports of Liverpool, London, Hamburg, and Marseilles, where the sailors, after the weary monotony of long sea voyages, found satisfaction in the variegated display of enjoyment offered to them in such places. Now the monotony, the emptiness of their life, drives innumerable crowds of townsmen to the variety theatres, which, even though as little as the drinking-saloons can they be called true “places” of prostitution, still serve as localities in which prostitutes meet their clients; and in this way evening after evening a large number use them as the field of their activities.
The lowest class of variety theatre, the “_Tingel-Tangel_” (low music-hall), also euphemistically called “Academy of Music,” is, in fact, nothing more than a brothel, the only difference being that the actual sexual intercourse does not take place in the house itself, as so often occurs in the similar “animierkneipen.” The singers appearing in these “tingel-tangel” are all low-class prostitutes. In most cases, whilst one of their number is practising the “art of song” (_sit venia verbo_), the others, sitting about the hall in shameless décolleté, display their charms, and incite (“animieren”) the visitors to drink. Clerks and students form the indulgent audience; in seaport towns the audience consists generally of sailors. Who is not familiar with the most celebrated tingel-tangel streets in the world, the Spielbudenplatz and the Reeperbahn, in St. Pauli, near the docks of Hamburg? In these streets we see one variety theatre after another, and all are crowded by a smoking, drinking audience, taking part in the choruses of the songs. A peculiar kind of these places of pleasure is constituted by the so-called “=Rummel=,” a speciality of Berlin. Wherever, within or without the town limits, by the demolition of old houses or in any other way, a large area remains free from building for a considerable time, these tingel-tangel proprietors invade the place, erect merry-go-rounds and cake-stalls, and there develops in the place a manifold activity, in which the lower classes of the population exclusively share. Here the very lowest types of prostitute seek their prey, and find it.
4. “=Boarding-Houses=” (“=Pensionate=”) =and Maisons de Passe= (=Houses of Accommodation=).--Anyone walking through the streets of Berlin will not fail to notice boards at the doors of certain houses, bearing the inscription, “Here rooms can be hired by the month, week, or day.” I do not assert that this announcement =always= represents an invitation to fornication, or the provision of an opportunity therefor; but in many cases these announcements serve as indications of the “intercourse” obtainable in such dwellings. Often several stories, or even the entire house, is devoted to this purpose. It professes to be a “Private Hotel” or Furnished Lodgings; but in reality it is a masked brothel, a “house of accommodation” for prostitutes and their clients, a place in which the landlord--in most cases the landlord is of the female sex--has for principal occupation the practice of procurement. Other dwellings, =without= these sufficiently well-known and suspicious boards attached to the door-posts, passing under the less striking name of a “pension,” are adapted rather for the exquisite and artificial enjoyment of the richer classes, and are employed for sexual orgies of a more extensive character, for the procurement and seduction of young girls, and for the assignations of the higher classes of the demi-monde and their clientèle.
5. “=Massage Institutes.=”--To these distinctly modern establishments, which mainly subserve the purposes of masochistic prostitution, we shall return in the chapter on masochism. Many prostitutes have some knowledge of massage, and masquerade as “masseuses”; their supplementary profession is ordinary prostitution, and for this reason we are justified in alluding to them in this section.
6. =The Weibercafés.=--These are found in all the large towns, especially in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Buda-Pesth, and they serve as the principal places in which =prostitution is carried on by day=. Prostitutes sit here in great numbers hour after hour, and wait for their clients, who, of course, must pay for drinks which are consumed. Certain cafés in Berlin--as, for example, the “Café National,” the Café Keck in the Leipziger Strasse, etc.--are typical =nocturnal cafes=, in which from the onset of darkness until early in the morning prostitutes await their clients.
Naturally, the above classification does not include all varieties of modern prostitution, which exhibits many other modes of activity. Most of these others, however, have some sort of relationship to the varieties already described, and it is, therefore, unnecessary to deal with them all at length. Prostitution can, of course, be practised anywhere; and its allurements are found in all places in which great numbers of human beings come together.
APPENDIX
THE HALF-WORLD
To prostitution in the wider sense of the term belongs also the “=half-world=” (“demi-monde”), under which name, first used by the younger Dumas, we include the various categories of “mistresses,” femmes soutenues (kept women), lorettes, cocottes, and fast women.
Alexandre Dumas, in the celebrated passage of his play “Demi-Monde” (Act II., Scene 9), gives by the mouth of Olivier de Jalin the following definition of the half-world:
“All these women have made a false step in their past; they have a small black spot upon their name, and they go in company as much as possible, so that the spot may be less conspicuous. They have the same origin, the same appearance, the same prejudices as good society; but they no longer belong to it, and they form that which we call the half-world (demi-monde), which floats like an island upon the ocean of Paris, and draws towards itself, assumes, and recognizes, everything which falls from the firm land, or which wanders out or runs away from the firm land, without counting the foreign shipwrecked individuals who come no man knows whence.
“Since the married men, under the protection of the legal code, have had the right to banish from the bosom of the family a woman who has forgotten her duty, the morals of married life have undergone a revolution which has created a new world--for what becomes of all these expelled, compromised women? The first of them who found herself shown the door, bewailed her fault, and hid her shame in retirement; but--the second? She sought the first one out, and as soon as there were two of them, they called the fault a misfortune, the crime a mistake, and began to make excuses for one another mutually. Having become three, they asked one another to dinner; having become four--they danced a quadrille. Now round these women there grouped themselves young girls also who had begun their life with a false step; false widows; women who bore the name of the lovers with whom they lived; some of those rapid ‘marriages’ which had lasted as liaisons of many years’ duration; finally, all the women who wished people to believe that they were something else than they really were, and did not wish to appear in their true colours. At the present day this irregular world is in full bloom, and its bastard society is greatly loved by young men. For here love is less difficult than in circles above--and not so expensive as in circles below.”
From the last sentence we see that the original idea of the “half-world” was not so wide as that of the present day; above all, the former notion did not, as it does at present, include the idea of prostitution. The ladies of the half-world of Dumas were “not so expensive” as ordinary prostitutes. Our modern demi-mondaines are characterized by the fact that their price is high. They are prostitutes for the upper ten thousand. And yet they have this in common with the other demi-monde--that they do not, like prostitutes properly speaking, give themselves indifferently to anyone able to pay the price, but they lay stress on the social position of their lover for the time being, and upon his character as a “gentleman.” They can even exhibit something of the nature of love. The modern half-world can most aptly be compared with the Greek hetairism. It forms a characteristic constituent of modern “high life.” Whether this especially manifests itself on the racecourse, at first nights at the theatre, in great charitable bazaars, at masked balls, at fashionable seaside resorts, at Monte Carlo, at floral festivals, and the like, there also we encounter the half-world; and its members, in respect of beauty, toilet, distinguished appearance, cultivation, and conversation, are in no way to be distinguished from the ladies of high society. Certain types of the demi-monde realize, in fact, the ideal of the Greek hetairæ; but even more than these, the modern demi-mondaine represents elaborated enjoyment. These women are thoroughly cultivated, the true law-givers of fashion, the arbiters in every question of taste. Mondaines and demi-mondaines are in outward appearance hardly to be distinguished one from the other; at least, this is the case in Paris, where a witty writer defined the distinction between them in this way--that the former received their lovers only in the daytime, the latter also by night.[310] It is only the connoisseur who is able to detect the “half-world aroma,” that indefinable quality which gives the demi-mondaine such an exceptional value in the eyes of the _jeunesse dorée_.
From what circles do the recruits of the half-world come? The ladies of the theatre, the stars of the variety stage and of the ballet, send their contingent; the aristocracy is also represented in their ranks; but many a distinguished lorette or “fille de marbre” is of low origin, and yet understands admirably how to adapt herself rapidly to all the demands of high life, to drive her dog-cart as smartly as the most genuine Countess, and in Longchamps, Karlshorst, Ostend, or Trouville, to play the part of the fine lady.
The one distinction between them--and it is the distinction of half a world--is the fact that this fashionable life of the demi-monde is not provided out of their own means, but out of the pockets of one, or more often of several, rich galants.
The type of the “grande cocotte” is encountered in its genuine and unadulterated form only in Paris. Here the demi-mondaine plays a great
## part in public life. The time of the earlier mistresses of princes, with
their political intrigues and their far-reaching spheres of influence, is indeed over--a Lola Montez, an Aurora Königsmark is to-day no longer possible; and yet the Parisian demi-mondaine maintains influential relationships with the new great power of our time--the power of the =press=. The journalists who are in the service of the demi-monde are by George Dahlen termed the “Press-Fridoline,” because “their pens are paid, not with ducats, but with more or less enviable hours of love in distinguished boudoirs”;[311] and Victor Joze also describes the advertisements--paid for by a night of love, or perhaps only by a smile--which the writers of Paris give in the newspapers to the distinguished cocottes of the Quartier Marbœuf or of the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, in order to attract the attention of Indian nabobs, Russian Grand Dukes, or American millionaires, to this or that fashionable beauty. This is characteristic of Paris. In other great capitals marketable gallantry does not seek publicity in this way, but pursues a more hidden course.
For what the German, and especially what the Berliners, term the “half-world” is very different from the type we have just described of the true Parisian demi-mondaine. Our half-world (the half-world of Berlin) is recruited for the most part from intelligent prostitutes, who are to be found chiefly in the public gardens, in the Zoological Gardens, in the Lehrter Ausstellungspark, and in the leading restaurants. Here =every evening= they seek new prey, every evening they sell their charms to a new lover for a definite sum of money; whereas the true lady of the half-world never has at any time more than one or two admirers, who provide for all the expenses of her life, and she never--at any rate =in public=--practises professional prostitution, as do the women just described.
Finally, there is yet another type, which must not be confused with the demi-monde. This is the =international prostitute=, who journeys from one place to another, has indeed often the appearance of a distinguished lorette, but leads a much more insecure, unstable life than the true demi-mondaine, and often combines with prostitution the profession of an adventuress. Now she is in Paris, now in London, now at Biarritz, now at Monte Carlo (the principal field of her activity), now in Constantinople, Smyrna, St. Petersburg, or Berlin. Sometimes she undertakes a voyage of discovery to the New World. Germany provides a not insignificant percentage of these international cocottes. Such wanderers are especially well known in the circles of officers and of speculators on the Bourse; by these they are not seldom “recommended,” after the manner in which a traveller is given letters of introduction. They may even be “raffled for,” as recently happened in an officers’ mess in Munich, and so pass to the share of the fortunate (generally much to be commiserated) winner. Abroad they prefer to adopt French or exotic names.
[243] Here, in the phrase “man at length become self-conscious,” we have the animating idea of this work, as it is of all fruitful efforts at the amelioration of the human lot. See the admirable development of this idea in E. Ray Lankester’s Romanes lecture, “Nature and Man”; and also in H. G. Wells’s later writings, more especially “A Modern Utopia” and “New Worlds for Old.”--TRANSLATOR.
[244] That this opinion is false, I have proved incontestably as regards syphilis in my book, “The Origin of Syphilis” (Jena, 1901). For the European and Asiatic world, syphilis is a specifically modern disease, not more than 400 years old.
[245] Venice, 1534.
[246] “La Lozana Andaluza” (“The Gentle Andalusian”), by Francesco Delicado. Traduit pour la première fois, texte Espagnol en regard par Alcide Bonneau, 2 vols., Paris, 1888. Regarding this work, see my book “The Origin of Syphilis,” vol. i., pp. 36-43.
[247] _Cf._ also the interesting work of Salvatore di Giacomo, “Prostitution in Naples in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, based on Unpublished Documents,” revised in accordance with the German translation, and provided with an introduction by Dr. Iwan Bloch (Dresden, 1904).
[248] Reprinted in his “Satyræ Medicæ XX.,” pp. 528-549 (Leipzig, 1722).
[249] _Cf._ my work on “Rétif de la Bretonne,” p. 504 _et seq._ (Berlin, 1906).
[250] The contents of this work are enumerated in my above-mentioned book, pp. 505-512.
[251] A. J. B. Parent-Duchatelet, “De la Prostitution dans la Ville de Paris,” third edition, 1857 (Paris, 1836).
[252] F. F. A. Béraud, “Les Filles Publiques de Paris” (Brussels, 1839, 2 vols.).
[253] Dr. Michael Ryan was an acquaintance of Arthur Schopenhauer, who in June, 1829, sent Ryan a copy of his book “Theoria Colorum.” _Cf._ Eduard Grisebach, “Schopenhauer: the History of His Life,” p. 168 (Berlin, 1897).
[254] M. Ryan, “Prostitution in London, with a Comparative View of that of Paris and New York” (London, 1839).
[255] _Cf._ in this connexion also the report from other sources given in my “Sexual Life in England,” vol. iii., pp. 315-319, 440-447 (Berlin, 1903).
[256] W. Tait, “Magdalenism: An Inquiry into the Extent, Causes, and Consequences of Prostitution in Edinburgh,” second edition (Edinburgh, 1842).
[257] R. Wardlaw, “Lectures on Female Prostitution; its Nature, Extent, Effects, Guilt, Causes, and Remedy,” third edition (Glasgow, 1843).
[258] F. I. dos Santos Cruz, “Da Prostituiçao na Cidade de Lisboa” (Lisbon, 1841).
[259] “Estabelecimentos de Beneficencia para as Consultas Gratuitas,” pp. 203-206.
[260] A. Potton, “De la Prostitution et de ses Conséquences dans les Grandes Villes, dans la Ville de Lyon en Particulier” (Paris and Lyons, 1842).
[261] E. A. Duchesne, “De la Prostitution dans la Ville d’Alger depuis la Conquête” (Paris, 1853).
[262] “Die Prostitution in Berlin und ihre Opfer” (Berlin, 1846).
[263] C. Röhrmann, “Der sittliche Zustand von Berlin nach Aufhebung der geduldeten Prostitution des weiblichen Geschlechts”--“The Moral Condition of Berlin after the Abolition of Tolerated Prostitution of the Female Sex” (Leipzig, 1846).
[264] F. J. Behrend, “Prostitution in Berlin, and the Measures it is Desirable to Adopt against Prostitution and against Syphilis,” etc. A work based on official sources, and dedicated to His Excellency the Minister von Ladenberg (Erlangen, 1850).
[265] H. Lippert, “Prostitution in Hamburg” (Hamburg, 1848).
[266] A. J. Gross-Hoffinger, “The Fate of Women and Prostitution, in Relation to the Principle of the Indissolubility of Catholic Marriage, and especially in Relation to the Laws of Austria and the Philosophy of our Time” (Leipzig, 1847).
[267] Josef Schrank, “Prostitution in Vienna in Historical, Administrative, and Hygienic Relations” (Vienna, 1886, 2 vols).
[268] “The Moral Corruption of Our Time and its Victims in their Relationship to the State, to the family, and to Morality, with especial Reference to the Conditions of Prostitution in Leipzig” (Leipzig, 1854).
[269] W. M. Sanger, “The History of Prostitution” (New York, 1859).
[270] J. Jeannel, “Prostitution in Large Towns in the Nineteenth Century, and the Abolition of Venereal Diseases.”
[271] W. Acton, “Prostitution in its Various Aspects,” second edition (London. 1874).
[272] Hügel, “The History, Statistics, and Regulation of Prostitution” (Vienna. 1865).
[273] L. Martineau, “La Prostitution Clandestine” (Paris, 1885).
[274] O. Commenge, “La Prostitution Clandestine à Paris” (Paris, 1897).
[275] V. Augagneur, “La Prostitution des Filles Mineures” (Paris, 1888).
[276] L. Fiaux, “La Police des Mœurs en France et dans les Principales Villes de l’Europe” (Paris, 1888); “Les Maisons de Tolérance, leur Fermeture,” 3me édition (Paris, 1862); “La Prostitution ‘Cloitrée’” (Brussels, 1902).
[277] Yves Guyot, “La Prostitution: Étude de Physiologie Sociale” (Paris, 1882).
[278] A. Blaschko, “The Problem of Prostitution,” published in the _Berliner Klin. Wochenschrift_, pp. 430-435 (1892); “Syphilis and Prostitution from the Hygienic Standpoint” (Berlin, 1893); “Hygiene of Prostitution and of Venereal Diseases” (Jena, 1900); “Prostitution in the Nineteenth Century” (Berlin, 1902); “The Dangers to Health resulting from Prostitution, and the Contest with these Dangers” (Berlin, 1904).
[279] C. Lombroso and G. Ferrero, “Woman as Criminal and Prostitute.”
[280] B. Tarnowsky, “Prostitution and Abolitionism” (Hamburg, 1890).
[281] C. Ströhmberg, “Prostitution: a Socio-Medical Study” (Stuttgart, 1899).
[282] E. Dühren (Iwan Bloch), “The Sexual Life in England,” vol. i., pp. 201-445 (Charlottenburg, 1901).
[283] E. von Düring, “Prostitution and Venereal Diseases” (Leipzig, 1905).
[284] Goethe, in the poem “Der Gott und die Bajadere,” has very beautifully described the ennoblement of gross love by means of ideal love.
[285] Henry Murger, in his “Vie de Bohème,” also alludes to the “incomprehensible” fact that “persons of standing who sometimes possess spirit, a name, and a coat cut according to the fashion, out of their love for the common will go so far as to raise to the level of an object of fashion a creature whom their very servant would not have chosen as a mistress.”
[286] C. Lombroso, “Woman as Criminal and Prostitute,” p. 550.
[287] Friedrich Hammer, “The Regulation of Prostitution,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, vol. iii., No. 10, p. 380 (Leipzig, 1905).
[288] H. Kurella, “A Contribution to the Biological Comprehension of Physical and Psychical Bisexuality,” published in the _Zentralblatt für Nervenheilkunde_, 1896, vol. xix., p. 239.
[289] Syphilis is not to be forgotten.
[290] This modified Lombrosism is advocated by B. A. H. Hübner in his interesting work concerning prostitutes and their legal relations (_Monatsschrift für Kriminalpsychologie_, 1907, pp. 1-11). He found that among sixty-four insane prostitutes, under observation in the Hertzberg Asylum in Berlin, not less than 59·45 % were already intellectually defective at the time they had come under police control as prostitutes.
[291] C. Lombroso, “Recent Advances in the Study of Criminals.”
[292] Schrank observes (“Prostitution in Vienna,” vol. ii., p. 216) that striking physical peculiarities do not appear to be either more or less frequent among prostitutes than they are among the generality of the population.
[293] G. Keben, “Prostitution in its Relation to Modern Realistic Literature” (Zurich, 1892).
[294] Oda Olberg, “Poverty in the Domestic Industry of Making Ready-made Clothing” (Leipzig, 1896).
[295] Anna Pappritz, “The Economic Causes of Prostitution” (Berlin, 1903).
[296] Pfeiffer, “Poverty and Overcrowding in Great Towns and in Relation to Prostitution and to Venereal Diseases,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. i., pp. 135-144.
[297] P. Kampffmeyer, “Poverty and Overcrowding in Great Towns,” etc., published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. i., pp. 145-160; “Bad Housing Accommodation in Relation to Prostitution and ‘Night-Lodgers’; the Necessary Legal Reforms,” _op. cit._, 1905, vol. iii., pp. 165-229.
[298] E. v. Düring, “Prostitution and Venereal Diseases.” p. 11.
[299] _Cf._ the description of the astonishing development of the French procurement of that day which is given in my “New Researches concerning the Marquis de Sade,” pp. 88-98 (Berlin, 1904). The Marquis de Sade, in his novel “The One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sodom,” has very fully described the traffic in girls of his time. Incredible revelations of this traffic, of the almost absolute power of the procuresses, and of their relations to the police, led in October, 1906, to an action against the procuress Regine Riehl, who, under the mask of a dressmaker’s shop, had for years conducted a brothel, in which the girls were entirely robbed of their freedom, were subjected to corporal punishment, and never received payment for their “work.” _Cf._ A. Blaschko, _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., pp. 427-433; also Karl Kraus, “The Riehl Trial” (Vienna, 1906).
[300] The literature of the “White Slave Trade” is extensive. I shall mention a few works only: Alfred S. Dyer, “The Trade in English Girls” (Berlin, 1881); the celebrated work of Alexis Splingard, “Clarissa, from the Dark Houses of Belgium,” with an introduction by Otto Henne am Rhyn, fourth edition (Leipzig, 1897); Otto Henne am Rhyn, “Prostitution and the Traffic in Girls” (Leipzig, 1903); Julius Kemény, “Hungara--Hungarian Girls in the Market: Revelations regarding the International Traffic in Girls” (Buda-Pesth, 1903). _Cf._ also the extensive references in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, vol. ii., pp. 207-212 (Report of the Jewish Commission for the Suppression of the Traffic in Girls). Regarding the traffic in girls in Holland, _cf._ J. Rutgers, “Sketches from Holland,” _ibid._, 1906, vol. v., pp. 531-355.
[301] _Cf._ regarding the conditions in South America, the report of Major D. Wagner, Secretary of the German National Committee for the Suppression of the Traffic in Girls, published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1900, vol. v., pp. 378-382.
[302] Léo Taxil, “La Corruption Fin-de-Siècle,” p. 169 _et seq._ (Paris, 1894).
[303] Louis Fiaux, “Les Maisons de Tolérance: leur Fermeture,” troisième édition, pp. 169 _et seq._, 248, 250, 251 (Paris, 1892).
[304] According to recent statistical data, from 80 to 90 % of barmaids (in Germany) are infected with venereal diseases, so that they perhaps represent the most dangerous class of prostitutes.
[305, 306] “=Animierkneipen.=”--_Kneipe_ signifies a drinking-saloon or pothouse, equivalent to the French _cabaret_. The _Animierkneipe_ is a beer-saloon at which the attendants are women (_Kellnerinnen_), who are engaged on the terms described in the text, and whose function, therefore, is to attract the male customers of the place, to incite them (_animieren_) to drink freely, and to play the part of prostitutes when required. Thus they correspond to _les inviteuses_ of the similar drinking-saloons in Paris.--TRANSLATOR.
[307] H. Seyffert, “Die Animierkneipen und ihre Geheimnisse” (“Animierkneipen and their Secrets”), published in _Freie Meinung_, 1906, Nos. 26 and 27. See also “Impropriety at Inns with Female Attendants in Prussia, with especial Reference to the Conditions in Cologne” (1891).
[308] O. Rosenthal, “Alcoholism and Prostitution,” p. 46 (1905).
[309] _Cf._ the elaborate descriptions by Hans Ostwald, “Berliner Tanzlokale” (Berlin and Leipzig); regarding the earlier dancing-rooms of London, see my “Sexual Life in England,” vol. i., pp. 324-334.
[310] Victor Joze, “Paris-Gomorrhe. Mœurs du Jour,” p. 173 (Paris, 1898).
[311] Georg Dahlen, “Sketches of European Society,” p. 126 (Berlin, 1885).
## CHAPTER XIV
VENEREAL DISEASES
“_In co-operation with alcoholic intoxication and with tuberculosis, syphilis plays in our day the part which in the middle ages was played by bubonic plague._”--ALFRED FOURNIER.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XIV
Prostitution the focus, not the cause, of venereal diseases -- Philosophy of venereal diseases -- Their age -- Time and place of their first appearance -- The origin of syphilis -- Practical importance of the proof of the recent character of syphilis -- The theologico-animistic theory of venereal diseases -- Refutation of this theory -- Blameless infection (_syphilis innocentium_) -- The notion of specific infective disease -- Scientific campaign against venereal diseases -- Syphilis as a specific disease of modern times -- Description of its symptoms, its course, and its termination -- Consequences of syphilis to the family, to the offspring, and to the race -- Congenital syphilis of the first and second generations -- Racial degeneration in consequence of syphilis -- The age at which infection with syphilis occurs in man and in woman -- The soft chancre (chancroid) -- Gonorrhœa -- Change in our views regarding the dangers of gonorrhœa -- Urethral gonorrhœa in the male -- Acute and chronic stages -- Complications -- Gonorrhœa in women -- The “diseases of women” -- Blindness due to gonorrhœa.
_Appendix_: Venereal Diseases in the Homosexual.
## CHAPTER XIV
The central problem of the sexual question is, as I pointed out at the commencement of the previous chapter, the suppression of prostitution and of =venereal diseases=, the former evil being the principal focus of the latter. I say the principal “=focus=,” not the “cause.” For, if all prostitutes were =healthy=, we could leave prostitution quietly alone--leaving out of consideration the moral depravity to which it gives rise--and venereal diseases would spontaneously disappear.
This opinion I advance at the beginning of the chapter on venereal diseases because, even at the present day, there is a remarkable species of =philosophy, or rather theology, of venereal diseases=, which propounds the most extraordinary hypothesis regarding their =origin=.
For example, the Alsatian writer Alexander Weill, in his confused work “The Laws and Mysteries of Love,” writes:
“Why should we bother our heads about the cure of syphilis? If anyone wishes to get rid of any evil, he must first of all ascertain its causes in order to remove these. If the cause of it is removed, the evil disappears spontaneously. If the snake has been killed, its poison no longer does any harm. But how can we put an end to the causes of syphilis, when this disease is spontaneously renewed and increased day by day by means of neglected prostitution, and by our social laws which combine to oppose the monogamy of youth and the increase of population? If to-day we could cure all patients suffering from syphilis, =to-morrow the same disease would return in a new form, for it would be recreated by the same irregularities that first led to its production= (!) It is absolutely useless to employ iodide of potassium and mercury, for every new infringement of natural laws would again bring into being new incurable diseases, which can only be avoided by those who have firmly resolved to observe these laws strictly.”
Weill, indeed, goes so far as to maintain that every man who =simultaneously, or rather in brief succession, has intercourse with two healthy women, acquires syphilis=, even although both these women remain faithful to him, because “=any kind of libertinism in sexual intercourse suffices by itself to give rise to this disease=!”
According to this view, which is shared by many members of the laity, venereal diseases, and, above all, the worst of them, syphilis, would be as old as sexual licentiousness itself--that is, =as old as the human race, and an inalienable associate of that race=.
In my book on “The Origin of Syphilis” I have disproved this view. I have answered the question, so important alike on general philosophical and on social-hygienic grounds, regarding the true nature of syphilis, and have proved that syphilis (and also the other venereal diseases) had a definite =local= and =temporal= origin; that syphilis has not existed since the beginning of time; and that some day, when certain definite conditions are fulfilled, the disease will disappear.
The history of syphilis is a matter of profound =practical= importance. From that history we learn with certainty that the most dangerous and most dreaded of the venereal diseases has, for the European world, and for the “old world” in general, the character of a =pure chance comer=; and we learn that =retrospectively=--regarded from the point of view of our present experience--at the time when the disease first began to flourish, it might perhaps have been nipped in the bud.
It is hardly possible to overestimate the =practical= importance of the recognition of this fact--that for the old civilized world syphilis represents a historical phenomenon, that it has a history, a beginning, or, as Voltaire half-ironically remarks, a genealogy.
Is there not a deliverance, a redemption, in the idea that for the old world there was a time in which syphilis did not exist; that this time, in comparison with the time which has elapsed since syphilis first appeared, was almost infinitely long; and that for this reason, when we look out into the future, the history of the lues venerea assumes the character of a simple episode in the history of European civilized humanity?
At the same time, the definite acceptance of this view would be an urgent warning to all those obscurantists of both sexes who imagine that the problem of the diffusion of venereal diseases can be solved exclusively by religious and moral considerations, and who thus confuse the simplest and clearest relationships, place everything upon an insecure foundation, and exclude every possibility of a successful campaign against syphilis.
Even to-day it unfortunately happens that many continue, as of old, to believe that sexual intercourse is a sin for which a punishment has been provided, and that this punishment is a venereal disease--for example, syphilis. Tylor, the celebrated English anthropologist, has proved that this idea has developed out of the =animism= extending back into prehistoric times, which regarded all illnesses as the work of demons. We are still influenced by this doctrine, this gloomy, demoniacal conception in respect of everything sexual. I need hardly remind the reader of the ideas of Tolstoi, and of his disciple, the unhappy Dr. Weininger, a disciple exceeding even his master in respect of fanatical condemnation of sexual intercourse. Until recently the laws regulating our German system of workmen’s insurance against illness continued to exhibit definite traces of our legislators’ adhesion to this view. The majority of physicians and historians who said that syphilis was as old as sexual intercourse itself, who employed the phrase _ubi Venus ibi syphilis_, were unconsciously influenced by this idea, that venereal diseases are to be regarded as a mark of the Divine wrath.
This theological theory, as we may call it, of the origin of syphilis is opposed by certain incontrovertible facts, which suffice to show its utter nullity and untenability.
The mere fact that there exists a =blameless= infection with syphilis (_syphilis innocentium_), that, for example, in certain districts of Russia as many as 90 % of the cases of this disease are acquired =quite independently= of sexual intercourse, by simple contact, shows the absurdity of this superstitious idea.
In the second place, it is a widely known fact that quite frequently persons who are still entirely uncontaminated, blameless initiates, become infected with syphilis on the very first occasion in which they have sexual intercourse, whilst greater experience and more exact knowledge of the threatening dangers induce notorious debauchees to adopt effective measures of protection (which, however, would be useless if syphilis were really a divinely decreed punishment for licentiousness of this kind!).
In the third place, the occurrence of syphilis =in little children=--partly owing to inheritance, partly, however, acquired in the way already mentioned by casual contact--affords a striking refutation of the above idea, which, unfortunately, still dominates and fascinates a large circle of people.
We could adduce further arguments against this view, but what we have said should suffice to show clearly the untenability of such a superstition. The syphilis of one individual is not the consequence of sexual intercourse, but the consequence of another case of syphilis in another individual--that is to say, syphilis is a =specific infective disease=, transmissible only by means of its peculiar specific virus, and this transmission can be effected =without any sexual intercourse=, by means of contacts of other kinds. =Syphilis arises only from syphilis.=
We have, therefore, to attack =this= disease precisely in the same manner as the other venereal diseases. As a Portuguese physician has most aptly remarked, to the tyranny of syphilis we must oppose the tyranny of human reason. The principal aim of a campaign against venereal diseases will be the =organization= of the means offered to us by reason and experience to cope with the disease. The knowledge of these means must be diffused in ever-wider circles of humanity, and care must be taken that every individual is fully and clearly informed regarding the importance and the dangers of syphilis and the other venereal diseases.
Here also history is our teacher, our lamp of truth, and promises us complete success as the result of our campaign against venereal diseases.
The results of my investigations regarding the origin of syphilis all point to a =single= extremely important fact--namely, that in the case of syphilis, and as regards the “old world,” we have to do with a =specific disease of modern times=, which made its first appearance =at the end of the fifteenth century=, and of the previous existence of which, even in the most distant prehistoric times, not the minutest trace remains. This view was held by very eminent physicians, even before the publication of my own critical work, based upon entirely new sources of study. Among these authorities I may mention Jean Astruc and Christoph Girtanner, in the eighteenth century; in the nineteenth century, the Spanish army surgeon Montejo, and of German physicians, above all, Rudolf Virchow, A. Geigel, von Liebermeister, C. Binz, and P. G. Unna. The great philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer held the same view.[312]
Ricord, the celebrated French syphilologist, spoke once of a romance of syphilis which still remained to be written. I should rather compare it with a =drama=, the separate acts of which are =centuries=. Of this drama, =four= acts have already been played. At the present moment we find ourselves at the =beginning= of the =fifth= act. Thus, we have an =entire= century before us, in which, with all the powers placed at our disposal by scientific medical research, by practical therapeutics, and by hygiene in association with social measures, we must work to this end, that this fifth act shall also be the =last=, as it is in the case of a proper drama.
The history of syphilis has remained so long obscure, because, until the time of Philipp Ricord--=that is to say, until the beginning of the second half of the nineteenth century=--the three venereal diseases, =syphilis=, or =lues=, the so-called =soft chancre= (=venereal ulcer or chancroid=), and =gonorrhœa=, were regarded as essentially one disease; whereas we know to-day that syphilis is a specific infective disease of a =constitutional= character, which permeates the whole body, and must be absolutely distinguished from the other venereal diseases, these latter being purely =local= in character. This earlier belief in the identity of all venereal infections, an error held even by so great an authority as John Hunter, who was misled by falsely interpreted experiments, renders it necessary that the historical side of the question should be considered also from this point of view.
If gonorrhœa and chancroid were of a syphilitic nature, then certainly syphilis must have existed from very early times. It would not be difficult to refer to syphilis some descriptions and accounts of diseases of the genital organs given by the ancient and medieval writers. It was the progressive enlightenment regarding the essential differences between the three venereal diseases which first proved the untenability of such opinions; we were further assisted by the knowledge of =pseudo-venereal= and =pseudo-syphilitic= diseases which we have obtained from modern dermatology. Moreover, in the old world syphilitic bones belonging to ancient or medieval times have =never= been discovered.[313] The first syphilitic bones date from =after the time of the discovery of America=. They appear, above all, =after the outbreak of the great epidemic of syphilis which followed the Italian campaign of King Charles VIII. of France, in the years 1494 and 1495=; it was then that syphilis first became diffused in the old world.
In my work on “The Origin of Syphilis” (Jena, 1901),[314] I have adduced proof, basing my views upon the criticism of older opinions, and assisted by the utilization of very abundant new sources of material, that syphilis was first introduced into Spain in the years 1493 and 1494 by the crew of Columbus, who brought it from Central America, and more especially from the island of =Hayti=; from Spain it was carried by the army of Charles VIII. to Italy, where it assumed an epidemic form; and after the army was disbanded the disease was transported by the soldiers to the other countries of Europe, and also was soon taken by the Portuguese to the Far East, to India, China, and Japan. At the time of its first appearance in the old world, syphilis was extraordinarily =virulent=. All the morbid phenomena produced by the disease had a more rapid and violent course than at the present day; the mortality was much higher; the consequences, even when a cure was effected, were much more severe. This virulence of syphilis at the time of its first introduction can only be explained, in accordance with our modern views of the nature and mode of appearances of the disease, by the fact that the nations of the old world (who, _nota bene_, were =all= attacked with equal intensity) had, until that time, been =completely free= from syphilis. =All classes= of the people and =all nations= were visited by syphilis to an equal extent and with the same violence.
Even to-day we observe everywhere, when syphilis is introduced into regions which have hitherto been =free= from the disease, that it has the same acute course, the same violence of morbid manifestations, that characterized its first appearance in Europe. In the four centuries that have elapsed since its introduction into Europe there has occurred a gradual =mitigation= of the syphilitic virus, or rather a certain degree of immunization of European humanity against the disease. Speaking generally, syphilis has to-day--in comparison with that earlier time--a relatively mild course. To this point we shall return later.[315]
The two other venereal diseases, =gonorrhœa= and =chancroid=, unquestionably existed in Europe in the days of antiquity. But they also are =specific infective diseases=, and are only produced by the virus peculiar to each, just as syphilis has its own peculiar virus.
Ricord (1800-1889), in the years 1830 to 1850, proved the complete =diversity= of syphilis and gonorrhœa, established the doctrine of the three stages of syphilis--primary, secondary, and tertiary--and, finally, taught us to distinguish the =soft, non-syphilitic chancre= (=chancroid=) from the =hard, syphilitic chancre=. Virchow, in his celebrated essay on “The Nature of Constitutional Syphilitic Affections” (_Virchow’s Archiv_, 1858, vol. xv., p. 217 _et seq._), then threw a clear light on the peculiar course of constitutional syphilis and on the causes of the occasional disappearance and sudden reappearance of the morbid phenomena. Hitherto, however, our knowledge of venereal diseases had rested on an extremely insecure foundation; and =the truly scientific study of the subject= may be said to have begun in the year 1879, with Albert Neisser’s epoch-making discovery of the =gonococcus= as the specific exciting cause of gonorrhœa. In the years 1889 to 1892 there followed the discovery of the =bacillus of chancroid= by Ducrey and Unna, by means of which discovery the complete distinction between the soft and the hard chancre was definitely proved; and, finally, the three years 1903 to 1906 were characterized by =remarkable discoveries=, the full importance of which is not as yet fully realized, =regarding the nature of the syphilitic virus=. In the year 1903 Eli Metchnikoff succeeded in transmitting syphilis from human beings to =apes=, and thus laid the foundation for progressive research regarding syphilis by means of experiments on animals; this was carried further by Lassar, by the inoculation of the syphilitic virus from one ape to another, and also by A. Neisser in his experimental researches in Java;[316] and in March, 1905, the Berlin protozoologist Fritz Schaudinn, since prematurely lost to the world of science, published his first studies on the probable exciting cause of syphilis, the so-called “=spirochæte pallida=.” Numerous subsequent investigations have established the connexion between this spirilla-form, belonging to the order of protozoa, and syphilitic disease. In this way we have been brought notably nearer to the discovery of the certain cure of syphilis and to the discovery of means of immunization against the disease. In this direction quite new views are opening before our eyes.[317] Numerous ideas suggested by recent discoveries in the province of syphilitic research are described in the admirable essay by J. Jadassohn, “Contributions to Syphilology,” published in the German “Archives for Dermatology and Syphilis,” 1907. _Cf._ also the account of the recent doctrines regarding syphilis by P. G. Unna and Iwan Bloch, “Die Praxis der Hautkrankheiten,” pp. 548-592 (Vienna and Berlin, 1908).
When some day humanity has been freed from the “=sexual plague=,” from the hydra of venereal diseases, and when a monument is erected to the liberators, four names will there be commemorated: Ricord, Neisser, Metchnikoff, and Schaudinn!
After these preliminary remarks on the nature of venereal diseases, I proceed to a short description of them, and I begin with the most dangerous of all the venereal diseases, =syphilis=.[318]
The first manifestations of syphilis make their appearance about three or four weeks =after= infection, at the place at which infection has occurred, and this is not in every case the genital organs. It is true that syphilis is most commonly transmitted by means of sexual intercourse, but frequently also by contacts of other kinds--for example, by =kissing=; by gynecological or surgical examinations and operations; by =drinking from a glass= which has previously been used by some one suffering from syphilis; by the use of uncleansed pocket-handkerchiefs, towels, and bedding, which have been used by a syphilitic patient; by the use of tobacco-pipes, wind-instruments, tooth-brushes, tooth-picks, a glass-blower’s mouthpiece, etc., belonging to strangers; =by an uncleansed razor=; by the nasty habit of licking the point of a pencil; by moistening postage-stamps with the tongue; by sucking the wound in circumcision; =by the suckling of the infant at the breast of a syphilitic wet-nurse=, etc.[319] In England the custom, when taking a judicial oath, of kissing the Bible has repeatedly sufficed to transmit syphilitic infection.
In certain districts in which the level of civilization is a low one--as, for example, in some parts of Russia and of Turkey--as many as 50 to 60 % of all infections occur independently of sexual intercourse.
All the =discharges= from syphilitic lesions in all three stages of the disease are infective. The infective character of the tertiary stage of syphilis was formerly doubted, but has recently been proved beyond dispute. =Blood= also, although more rarely, can prove infective. On the other hand, the =pure= secretions--that is, the physiological secretions, not contaminated by morbid products--such as the saliva, tears, and milk, are not infective. Syphilis is, however, very frequently transmitted by means of the =semen=.
Infection occurs in places in which there is a solution of continuity of the skin or mucous membrane, such as a scratch or a superficial wound, through which the virus can enter. In this way an apparently healthy syphilitic patient--when, for example, he gets a small abrasion on the penis (or, in the case of a woman, in the vagina)--can transmit syphilis if the other individual also has a similar abrasion through which infection can occur.
As we have said, it is not till the lapse of two to four weeks after infection has occurred that the first manifestations of syphilis appear, in the form of a small vesicle or nodule in the infected area; less often merely an abraded area of a peculiar red colour. Gradually this nodule or area enlarges, and becomes continually =harder= at the base, whilst the surface often undergoes ulceration, and secretes extremely infective pus (the so-called “=hard chancre=” or “=primary lesion=”[320]).
This induration is in most cases a certain sign that the syphilitic virus has already entered the body; at least, it has only been possible in a few very rare cases, by excision or cauterization of the hard chancre, to prevent syphilis from entering the blood. Almost always, notwithstanding such endeavours, the manifestations of general infection of the body soon appear.
From the place of infection--that is, from the place at which the hard chancre forms--the syphilitic virus next passes by way of the lymph-stream into the inguinal glands, so that these, in the third or fourth week after the appearance of the hard chancre, begin to swell and to become hard. This swelling of the inguinal glands is painless (the so-called “=indolent bubo=”), in contrast to the painful swelling which accompanies the soft chancre. From this region the poison now proceeds by way of the bloodvessels and lymph paths on its wanderings all over the body, the individual stages of which can be detected by swellings of the lymph-glands of the axilla, the elbow, the neck, etc. Sometimes other symptoms of general infection are noticeable; above all, the appearance of =fever= (never earlier than forty days after infection), =pains= in the muscles, joints, nerves, also severe headaches, a general feeling of =lassitude=, =pallor=, and a falling-off in the nutritive condition.
These are the forerunners of the so-called =secondary= stage of syphilis, which now manifests itself by the appearance of a multiform =skin eruption=, rendering the diagnosis of syphilis absolutely certain. For this reason, in doubtful cases of ulceration of the genital organs the patient should inspect his skin very carefully every day for several weeks or months, and keep watch for the appearance of red spots or nodules. This syphilitic eruption on the skin is also in the later periods one of the most certain and most characteristic insignia of the disease.
The eruption commonly appears first on the trunk, in the form of rose-coloured spots (the so-called “=roseola syphilitica=”), spreads thence over the whole body, and in many cases, simultaneously with or shortly after the spotted eruption, =nodules= appear on the skin, and marked thickenings form on the mucous membranes, especially at the anus, in the mouth, and on the tongue (the so-called “=plaques muqueuses=,” or “=condylomata=”). The patient’s attention is spontaneously directed to these lesions by painful sensations in the mouth or by itching of the anus. Often it is these painful sensations, associated with a violent inflammation of the tonsils and pharynx (the so-called “=angina syphilitica=”), which first lead the patient to consult a doctor, after all the earlier symptoms have passed by unnoticed! As characteristic forms of the secondary syphilitic changes in the skin must, therefore, be mentioned the so-called “=corona Veneris=,” by which distinguished name is denoted an eruption on the forehead, especially along the margin of the hair, which by members of the laity is easily confused with other affections of the skin common in this locality; the so-called “=collier de Venus=,” or =leukoderma syphiliticum=, a peculiar pigmentation of the skin on the throat and the back of the neck in the form of =brown= patches with =white= intervening areas. This symptom, =which occurs almost exclusively= in women, is an absolutely certain sign of syphilis. Equally characteristic is the so-called “=syphilitic psoriasis=,” the appearance of peculiar patches and thickenings on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet; characteristic also is the syphilitic =loss of hair=, by its sudden onset and by the patchy way in which it occurs. Not rarely do we see =purulent= eruptions on the skin in this secondary stage of syphilis.
The syphilitic eruption of the skin is only an external manifestation of a disease affecting the entire body, for the internal organs also suffer. The affection of the liver manifests itself by jaundice; that of the brain and the meninges by headaches and by =weakness of memory=, which is often well marked at this stage; that of the spleen by swelling; that of the kidneys by the appearance of albumin in the urine; that of the bones by very painful inflammatory swellings; that of the eyes specially by the well-known =syphilitic iritis= (60 % of all inflammations of the iris are syphilitic in nature!).
If the disease remains untreated, the appearances just described become more general and continually more severe; and after some time, quite new morbid symptoms are superadded (often as early as the third year, on the average five to ten years after infection, but also later), resulting from the transformation of the syphilitic morbid process into the =tertiary= stage. To these new manifestations belong the appearance of large =nodules= in the skin and other organs, which sooner or later undergo ulceration, the so-called “=syphilitic gummata=”; their ulcerative destruction may entail the greatest disfigurement or danger to life--for example, perforation of the hard palate; sinking of the bridge of the nose (the syphilitic “=saddle-nose=”); ulcerative destruction of large portions of the bones of the skull, of the intestine, of the liver, the lungs, the testicles, the bloodvessels (especially dangerous are gummous diseases of the bloodvessels of the brain), the brain, and the spinal cord. =Apoplectic strokes= occurring in comparatively young persons and =nervous paralysis= of the most various kinds, as well as sudden =deafness= and =blindness=, are in most cases referable to syphilitic disease. Many chronic diseases of the liver, kidneys, and nervous system, are consequences of previous syphilis; also =calcification of the arteries=, the very dangerous dilatation of the great bloodvessels, especially of the aorta (aneurism of the aorta), are very often of syphilitic origin.
By the researches of Alfred Fournier and Wilhelm Erb, we know to-day that two severe diseases of the central nervous system--=tabes dorsalis= or =locomotor ataxy=, and =general paralysis of the insane= (=paralytic dementia=)--are almost always (in about 95 % of the cases) referable to earlier syphilis. Among 5,749 cases of syphilis encountered in his own private practice, Fournier observed no less than 758 cases of brain syphilis, 631 cases of tabes, and 83 cases of softening of the brain. Tabes and general paralysis of the insane are all the more dangerous because they are no longer, properly speaking, “syphilitic” diseases, and therefore they cannot be cured by antisyphilitic treatment; they are severe degenerative changes of the central nervous system, which has been, as it were, prepared for their occurrence by the previous syphilis. These belong to the class of the so-called “=parasyphilitic=” diseases in which antisyphilitic treatment has little or no good effect.
Even more tragic are the consequences of syphilis to the =family=, the =offspring=, and the =race=. =Syphilis in married life=, =congenital syphilis=, and the =degeneration of the race by syphilis=--these are the tragic manifestations which come under consideration in this connexion.
In his admirable work on “Syphilis and Marriage,” Alfred Fournier, the greatest living authority on syphilis in all its manifestations and relationships, has described the momentous influence exercised by syphilis in conjugal life; and in his recently published work, “Syphilis a Social Danger,” he has dealt also with congenital syphilis and racial degeneration. He found that, on the average, among 100 women suffering from syphilis, 20 had been infected by their husbands, either at the very commencement of married life, or in its later course, or finally through the offspring after conception. Divorce on the ground of syphilitic infection by the husband is at the present day of frequent occurrence.
The transmission of syphilis to the child by =inheritance= may be effected either by the father or the mother; when both the father and the mother are syphilitic, it occurs with absolute certainty. The various possibilities of transmission, and the contingent immunity of mother or child, as they are expressed in Colles’s law (Baumès’s law), and in Profeta’s law, cannot here be further dealt with. If the mother has herself been infected with syphilis, or if she was previously syphilitic, either the child is not carried until term, abortion or miscarriage ensuing, or, finally, it is born with symptoms of congenital syphilis.[321]
The frequent occurrence of premature births and still-births in any family suggests strong suspicions that they are due to syphilis. The =general mortality= of the children in a family is regarded by Fournier as an important sign to the physician of congenital syphilis. Syphilitic infection of the father gives rise to a mortality in the children of 28 %; syphilis in the mother causes a mortality in the children of 60 %; when the disease affects both parents, the mortality among the children amounts to 68 %. Absolutely astounding is the mortality of the children of syphilitic prostitutes; it amounts to from 84 to 86 %.
Children born =alive=, suffering from congenital syphilis, are generally weakly,[322] of deficient body-weight; have often a flaccid, wrinkled skin, covered with typical syphilitic eruptions, and frequently with great purulent vesicles, especially on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet (“pemphigus syphiliticus”); the internal organs also, the spleen, the liver, and the bones, exhibit morbid changes. Characteristic is the syphilitic affection of the upper air-passages, especially the syphilitic “cold in the head” (=syphilitic rhinitis=--“snuffles”), of new-born congenitally syphilitic children. Congenital syphilis further gives rise to severe =disturbances of development= and to phenomena to which Fournier has given the name of “=late syphilis=” (“syphilis hereditaria tarda”), because they first make their appearance in the later years of life.[323] Permanent =debility=, =arrest of development=, =stigmata of degeneration=, in the form of various =malformations=--as, for example, notching of the edge of the upper central incisor permanent teeth (a symptom first described by Jonathan Hutchinson), malformations of the nose, the ears, and the palate, dwarfing, deaf-mutism, malformations of the external and internal reproductive organs, rickets,[324] epilepsy, and mental weakness--are the consequences of congenital syphilis. Tarnowsky, Fournier, and Barthélémy have traced the consequences of congenital syphilis into the second and third generation, and so have discovered an important cause of racial degeneration. Syphilis in the grandfather can still exercise its disastrous influence in the grandson, and give rise to the above-mentioned stigmata of degeneration.[325] Indeed, congenital syphilis of the second generation often appears with the same severity as that of the first generation; and, like acquired syphilis, congenital syphilis in women can cause a predisposition to miscarriages and still-births.
According to statistics obtained by Edmond Fournier, relating to 11,000 cases of syphilis (10,000 men, 1,000 women) from the private practice of his father, Alfred Fournier, regarding the age at which infection occurs, it appears that in =men= it most commonly occurs between the ages of twenty and twenty-six years (the maximum number of infections during the twenty-third year); in =women=, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one; 8 % of syphilitic males and 20 % of syphilitic females were infected before the age of twenty years. Syphilis is to a considerable extent at the present day a disease of =inexperienced youth=. This fact is important in relation to the problem of prevention and the problem of enlightenment.[326]
Of much less importance than syphilis is the purely local =soft chancre=, or chancroid, which never results in general infection. Chancroid is produced by a specific exciting cause, a chain-forming bacillus (streptobacillus), _Bacillus ulceris cancrosi_, which is found in the pus secreted by the ulcer. =One or two days= after infection, a small pustule forms at the site of inoculation, generally on the external genital organs. This pustule soon bursts, and a deeply hollowed ulcer makes its appearance, which usually undergoes rapid increase, and frequently, owing to the infective character of the pus, gives rise to new chancres in the neighbourhood of the original one, so that the soft chancre is commonly multiple. When suitably treated with antiseptic powders and cauterization, chancroid usually heals quickly; there are, however, very dangerous varieties of chancroid--for instance, the =serpiginous= chancre, which continues to creep irresistibly forward; and the =phagedænic= or =gangrenous= chancre, which puts the skill of the physician to the utmost test. A less dangerous but extremely disagreeable complication of chancroid is inflammation of the inguinal glands, most commonly only on one side; this painful “bubo” (painful in contrast with the painless syphilitic bubo) has a well-marked tendency to suppuration. If this occurs, and the pus finds its way to the surface, fistulas and new chancrous ulcers are liable to occur at the place where it opens. By rest in bed, the inunction of iodide ointment, the application of cold compresses, the injection into the bubo of a solution of nitrate of silver, and the internal use of iodide of potassium, this unfortunate course may be prevented.
A remarkable =change of views= has, in the course of the last thirty years, taken place in respect of the nature and importance of =gonorrhœa=.[327] Whereas formerly this was regarded as a comparatively harmless disease, we know to-day that gonorrhœa in the male, and still more in the female, gives rise to tedious dangers and painful morbid phenomena, and is the source of unspeakable sorrows, and of the miserable ill-health of numerous women, and that it is the chief cause of =sterility= in both sexes.
Gonorrhœa is principally a =disease of the mucous membrane=, and is, in this way, distinguished from syphilis, which is a general disorder, diffusing itself by way of the bloodvessels. In rare cases, indeed, gonorrhœa can exhibit general morbid manifestations, the so-called =gonorrhœal rheumatism=, gonorrhœal affections of the spinal cord and of the heart, and gonorrhœal nervous troubles, all of which are so rare, that for practical purposes they can be left out of consideration.
The typical seat of gonorrhœa is the =mucous membrane of the urinary and the genital organs= of the male and the female; in the male affecting =chiefly= the urinary organs, and in the female affecting chiefly the genital organs. The cause of =genuine= gonorrhœa is always infection, the transmission from one human being to another of the purulent inflammation produced by the =gonococcus= discovered by Neisser in 1879. =Simple urethral inflammations= with a purulent discharge also occur in which no gonococci are found. These arise also from infection, but their actual exciting cause has not yet been discovered. Not less obscure is the relationship of many of the irritants giving rise to simple urethral catarrh--for example, that which is active during menstruation--to the supposed exciting cause. In any case, these simple catarrhs have a very mild course, and undergo a cure after a few days or weeks, spontaneously or as a result of treatment with mild injections.
Quite otherwise is it with genuine gonorrhœa. In the male it begins from two to six days after the infective intercourse, with a burning sensation on passing water, itching at the urethral orifice, which very easily becomes reddened, and this is soon followed by the discharge, either spontaneously or as a result of pressure on the urethra, of a thick fluid, at first mucous, later purulent, and then of a yellow or a greenish colour. Inflammation, discharge, and pain, the latter especially in association with urination, increase during the subsequent weeks; in addition, in a good many cases there are slight fever, lassitude, and mental depression, and the patient is tormented, especially during the night, by violent, painful erections. In exceptional cases there are hæmorrhages from the urethra (the so-called “=Russian clap=”). In some cases the disease terminates favourably; this is especially observed after the first attack of gonorrhœa. As early as the third week the above symptoms become less severe, and in the fourth or sixth week after infection the whole morbid process may come to an end, the discharge ceases, the urine becomes clear once more, and, in fact, definite cure of the gonorrhœa ensues.
But the number of those who are so fortunate is comparatively small. In the majority of cases, there are other morbid phenomena and complications; the gonorrhœa becomes “=subacute=,” and later “=chronic=.” Ricord wrote many years ago: “When anyone has once acquired gonorrhœa, God only knows when he will get well again!” Happily, this pessimism is no longer fully justified at the present day; but it is a fact that in the majority of cases =even to-day= gonorrhœa is a very obstinate, wearisome illness, a long-continued burden, not only for the patient, but also for the doctor. The gonococci proliferate in the deeper layers of the mucous membrane, and pass upwards into the =posterior= part of the urethra, this latter migration being manifested especially by frequent and painful =strangury=; further, the =bladder=, the =prostate gland=, and the =epididymis= may be attacked. Bilateral epididymitis has often serious consequences as regards the procreative capacity. In about 50 % of the cases incapacity for fertilization (impotentia generandi) has resulted.
If the gonorrhœa becomes chronic, thickenings occur in isolated portions of the urethral mucous membrane; the urine remains turbid for a long time; the discharge, it is true, becomes scantier, but shows itself with the most annoying persistency every morning as soon as the patient leaves his bed, in the form of the so-called =“bon jour” drops= in the meatus; there are also troubles connected with the prostate (painful sensations, especially during defæcation), and symptoms of stricture of the urethra may occur. Very often, also, relative impotence and severe sexual neurasthenia are observed, as consequences of chronic gonorrhœa. Worst of all is the =long duration of the infectivity=. There is always the danger that somewhere or other some gonococci may remain hidden, and, given an opportunity, may start the process all over again, or may transmit the infection to another person. Zweifel reports a case in which a man actually infected a woman thirteen years after he had first acquired gonorrhœa!
The infection of a woman with gonorrhœa, as we know to-day, is a disaster. It is the immortal service of the German-American physician Noeggerath that, in the year 1872, he proved that the majority of the stubborn “=diseases of women=” were nothing more than the consequences of gonorrhœal infection. Gonorrhœa selects by preference the internal reproductive organs of woman; upon the extensive mucous membranes of these organs the gonococci find the most favourable conditions for their persistent life; they find a thousand out-of-the-way comers and hiding-places, where they can elude the therapeutic activity of the physician.
“They grow luxuriantly, like a weed which it has not been possible to uproot, over the entire surface of the genital mucous membrane, attacking with the same vigour the mucous membrane of the uterus and that of the Fallopian tubes. In women, as in men, they induce ulceration, they cause adhesions, and they give rise to sterility. But in the case of women, something further must be added--that, namely, this disease has upon them a miserably depressing effect, and that, in contradistinction from men, they are likely to suffer for many years from intense pains. Whenever they execute certain bodily movements, it may be during ten years in succession, they experience pains, often horribly severe, and in most cases they are condemned to a life of deprivation and misery--not usually for any fault of their own, since most women are infected by their husbands” (Zweifel).
Gonorrhœa in women, attacking successively the vagina, the uterus, the Fallopian tubes, the ovaries, and the peritoneum, is a true martyrdom, a hell upon earth. Sick in body and in mind, these unhappy women drag out a miserable existence; and to them so often the last consolation, that of motherhood, is denied, for gonorrhœa is the most frequent cause of sterility in woman.
Patients infected with gonorrhœa further run the danger of =blindness=, by transference of the gonorrhœal virus to the =eye=. This is one of the most distressing of the possible results of the disease. New-born children whose mothers are infected with gonorrhœa are during birth exposed to the same danger of eye infection, as they pass down the genital passage. In earlier days a very large proportion of the blind were persons who had lost their sight in this way very shortly after birth. Since Crédé advocated the admirable method of introducing nitrate of silver solution into the conjunctival sacs of new-born children, gonorrhœal inflammation of the eye has become one of the greatest rarities.
APPENDIX
VENEREAL DISEASES IN THE HOMOSEXUAL
It is an old belief, shared by the homosexual themselves, that venereal infections are extremely rare among them. If male homosexual persons had sexual intercourse =only with one another=, this assumption would be in some degree plausible. For the principal focus of venereal infection is feminine prostitution, by which venereal diseases are transmitted to heterosexual men. But since these homosexual men often undertake sexual acts with heterosexual men--apart from occasional sexual intercourse with women--a priori there is a possibility of infection in their case, and such infection is, in fact, observed. Above all, many male prostitutes also indulge in intercourse with women, and thus diffuse venereal troubles among homosexual men.
It is obvious that =syphilis= can be diffused among the homosexual as easily as among the heterosexual, for syphilis is transmitted by many varieties of contact--by kisses, other caresses, etc. But how is it as regards =gonorrhœa=?
In the case of heterosexual men and women gonorrhœa is almost exclusively transmitted by the sexual act, by the introduction of the male penis into the female vagina. The analogous act between men--that is to say, pæderasty, _immissio penis in anum_--is unquestionably far =rarer= than the ordinary sexual act between men and women; it is commonly replaced by mutual onanism, by kisses and other caresses, and quite frequently by _coitus in os_. This last is much commoner than genuine pædication. Of gonorrhœa of the rectum produced by pædication when the active man is suffering from gonorrhœa, we very rarely hear. But is there, in the case of homosexual men, any possibility of gonorrhœal infection due to _coitus in os_?
There can be no doubt that typical =gonorrhœa of the mouth= occurs. The observations of Kuttler, Atkinson, Rosinski, Dohrn, and Kast, have proved it.[328] Horand and Cazenave have even observed gonorrhœal infection of the urethra as a result of oral coitus![329] A homosexual patient told me that some years before, after _coitus in os_ with a man, he had for several weeks had a discharge from the urethra, which spontaneously ceased, and therefore cannot have been genuine gonorrhœa, but only urethritis resulting from infection by contagious angina. In the case in question, the urethral catarrh was certainly due to the _coitus in os_, since any other sources of infection could be excluded.
On the other hand, in a second case an apparently =gonorrhœal infection of the oral cavity= was transmitted from the urethra.
A homosexual man, forty-five years of age, one day allowed a =heterosexual= man to perform _coitus in os_ on him. Some days afterwards he experienced difficulty in swallowing, was feverish, and saw in the looking-glass that the uvula was swollen. A specialist for throat troubles diagnosed merely a catarrhal infection. The illness became worse, and a second throat specialist detected the presence of a purulent angina of both tonsils, ordered painting with argentamin, also vapour baths, and an astringent gargle, whereupon the affection gradually subsided. Six weeks later the patient had swelling and pain in the joints of the right knee and foot; under cold compresses these swellings subsided after a fortnight. Of the whole trouble nothing now remains.
This description, on the part of a patient who is thoroughly trustworthy, aroused strong suspicion of a =gonorrhœal angina=, with a consecutive gonorrhœal arthritis. Unfortunately, the purulent discharge from the tonsils was not examined for gonococci by either of the physicians in attendance. The case remains, anyhow, very remarkable.
In the case of homosexual women, it is obvious that syphilis, and also gonorrhœa, can be transmitted, the latter by mutual friction of the genital organs. I do not know what actually occurs in practice.
[312] _Cf._ Iwan Bloch, “Schopenhauer’s Illness in the Year 1823. A Contribution to Pathography based upon an Unpublished Document.” Published in _Medizinische Klinik_, 1906, Nos. 25 and 26. (This gives an account of all Schopenhauer’s utterances regarding syphilis.)
[313] At a meeting of the Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, held on April 19, 1906, I read a paper on “La Syphilis Prétendue Préhistorique,” in which I discussed this question. The important question of ancient bones is further considered in the second volume of my work on “The Origin of Syphilis,” pp. 317-364 (now in the press).
[314] The results of this study I have briefly epitomized in an address given before the Social Science Congress in Berlin, entitled “The First Appearance of Syphilis in Europe” (Jena, 1904).
[315] Regarding the gradual acquirement (by means of natural selection) of immunity to epidemic diseases, the works of Archdall Reid may be most profitably consulted (“The Present Evolution of Man,” London, 1896; “The Principles of Heredity,” London, 1905). Dr. Reid’s views on the part played in human history by the transference of diseases from immunized to non-immunized races are of especial interest. Unfortunately, as regards syphilis, he accepts Hirsch’s erroneous statements relative to the antiquity of that disease, and its origin in the eastern hemisphere (see also p. 384, note ^{346}).--TRANSLATOR.
[316] _Cf._ A. Neisser, “The Experimental Investigation of Syphilis as it Stands at the Present Day” (Berlin, 1906).
[317] _Cf._ Erich Hoffmann, “The Etiology of Syphilis” (Berlin, 1906); Hans Hübner, “Recent Researches into the Nature of Syphilis,” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., pp. 468-481.
[318] I must not omit allusion to some recent admirable works on venereal diseases: A. Blaschko, “Venereal Diseases”--a popular exposition--(Berlin, 1904); Paul Zweifel, “Venereal Diseases and their Importance to Health” (Leipzig, 1902); Alfred Fournier, “Syphilis a Social Danger”; Karl Ries, “Blameless Sexual Infection” (Stuttgart, 1904); O. Burwinkel, “Venereal Diseases” (Leipzig, 1905); Waldvogel, “The Dangers of Venereal Diseases and their Prevention” (Stuttgart, 1905). In view of the large number of popular works on venereal diseases, those without professional knowledge should confine themselves to the best names, because in this province trashy literature is extraordinarily abundant, and by the false and erroneous views it diffuses, it does much more harm than good. The writings mentioned in this note I am able to recommend as thoroughly scientific and =trustworthy=.
[319] Galewsky, “The Transmission of Venereal Diseases in the Suckling of Children,” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., pp. 365-371.
[320] It is true that such a hardening may also occur in other non-syphilitic affections of the genital organs--for example, when they are peculiarly situated or as a result of cauterization. Only the physician can determine whether in such a case syphilitic infection has actually occurred.
[321, 322] According to English experience, the congenitally syphilitic child rarely exhibits any sign of syphilis when born. Thus, Hutchinson writes (“Syphilis,” p. 73): “At the time of birth, the congenitally syphilitic infant almost invariably has a clear skin, and appears to be in perfect health.” According to Osler also (“Medicine,” sixth edition, p. 269): “The child may be born healthy-looking or with well-marked evidence of the disease. In the majority of instances the former is the case, and within the first month or two the signs of the disease appear.”--TRANSLATOR.
[323] _Cf._ the recently published admirable work of Edmond Fournier, “Recherches et Diagnostic de l’Hérédo-Syphilis Tardive” (Paris, 1907).
[324] Parrot regarded rickets as a manifestation of congenital syphilis, but this view has never found acceptance in England. Hutchinson remarks (“Syphilis,” p. 408): “The typical forms of rickets are constantly met with in conditions which do not lend the slightest support to the suggestion of syphilis.” As Cheadle remarks: “Syphilis modifies rickets; it does not create it.”--TRANSLATOR.
[325] This view must be accepted with reserve. See, for instance, Osler’s “Medicine,” sixth edition, p. 271: “Is syphilis transmitted to the third generation? The general opinion is opposed to this view. Occasionally, however, cases of pronounced congenital syphilis are met with in the children of parents who are perfectly healthy, and who have not, so far as is known, had syphilis, and yet, as remarked by Coutts, who reported such a group of cases, they do not bear careful scrutiny. The existing difference of opinion is well illustrated in the account by G. Boeck (_Berl. Klin. Wochenschrift_, September 12, 1904) of four instances of hereditary lues in the second generation, while in the same journal Jonathan Hutchinson expresses his belief that syphilis is not transmitted to the third generation.”--TRANSLATOR.
[326] As more important scientific works on syphilis I must mention that of Isidor Neumann (Vienna, 1899, second edition), containing the entire bibliography of the subject; that of Joseph Lang (Wiesbaden, 1896, second edition); but, above all, the epoch-making work of Alfred Fournier, “Traité de Syphilis” (Paris, 1898)--English translation, Fournier, “The Treatment and Prophylaxis of Syphilis” (Rebman Ltd., London, 1906).
[327] The most important scientific work on gonorrhœa is that of Ernest Finger, “Blennorrhœa of the Sexual Organs,” fifth edition (Leipzig and Vienna, 1901).
[328] _Cf._ M. von Zeissl, “Diagnosis and Treatment of Venereal Diseases,” third edition, pp. 171, 172 (Berlin and Vienna, 1905).
[329] _Op cit._, p. 172.
## CHAPTER XV
PROPHYLAXIS, TREATMENT, AND SUPPRESSION (BEKÄMPFUNG) OF VENEREAL DISEASES
“_The friend of humanity may with some confidence anticipate a gradual diminution in the prevalence of venereal diseases, and may hope for their complete extinction in a not too distant future. All that is requisite for the attainment of this end is that those engaged in the study and practice of general hygiene, and those concerned in the safeguarding of public morality, should not weary in their efforts; and that scientific research should pursue its aims firmly and clearly, uninfluenced by the tyranny of custom, and independent of prejudice._”--K. F. MARX.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XV
The suppression of venereal diseases -- Organization of the campaign against them -- International Conference in Brussels -- Foundation of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases -- Three methods of carrying on the campaign against venereal diseases.
_Personal Prophylaxis against Venereal Diseases_: Rôle of cleanliness -- The preputial secretion and balanitis -- Importance of circumcision -- Technique of the cleansing of the genital organs before and after sexual intercourse -- Examination for disease -- Dangers of repeated coitus -- Special protective measures -- The condom -- Varieties and technique of its use -- The instillation of solutions of silver salts -- Their relative value -- The inunction of fat -- Metchnikoff’s ointment for the prevention of syphilis -- Antiseptic washings -- The public advertisement of protective measures -- Legal protection against venereal infection -- Opinions of legal authorities on this subject (von Liszt, von Bar, Schmölder).
_The Suppression of Venereal Diseases by Medical Treatment_: Favourable conditions as regards syphilis -- Mitigation of the syphilitic virus -- Mercury and its importance -- A “triumph of medicine” -- Methods of employing mercury in the treatment of syphilis -- Mode of action of the mercury cure -- Means for the after-treatment of syphilis -- Curability of syphilis -- Treatment of gonorrhœa -- Necessity for microscopical examination and the scientific methods to be employed -- The different modes of treatment -- The determination of the cure of gonorrhœa -- Facilitation of the treatment of venereal diseases for the great mass of the public -- “Krankenkassen”[330] and venereal diseases.
_State Action and Public Action in the Campaign against Venereal Diseases_: Statistics of venereal troubles -- Blaschko’s researches -- Frequency of venereal diseases in Denmark -- Among various classes in Germany -- Prussian statistics of April 30, 1900 -- Conclusions deducible from these statistics -- The different sources of infection -- Prostitution the principal source of infection -- Danger of youthful prostitutes -- Measures to be taken by the State against the diffusion of diseases by prostitution -- Regulation -- Criticism of this measure -- Its illegality -- Its uselessness and its dangers -- Favourable results of the withdrawal of “moral control” -- Prostitution and crime -- Soutenage -- Criticism of Lombroso’s theory of the relations between prostitution and criminality -- The brothel question -- Diminution in the number of brothels -- Dangers of brothels -- Brothel streets and the limitation of prostitution to definite quarters -- Proposals for the examination of the male clientèle -- Criticism of these proposals -- The true way towards the suppression of prostitution.
## CHAPTER XV
The motto which I have placed at the head of this chapter on the campaign against venereal diseases and on the attempt to suppress them is taken from an interesting academic essay by the former professor of medicine at Göttingen, K. F. H. Marx, who is well known to have been the physician of Heinrich Heine during the latter’s student life in Göttingen. The title of this essay is “The Diminution of Diseases in Consequence of Advancing Civilization,” p. 35 (Göttingen, 1844).
The hopeful view which is here expressed by the university professor regarding the ultimate eradication of venereal diseases was shared at that time by the eminently =practical physician= Parent-Duchatelet. He appeals, unfortunately, not to medical men and students of social hygiene, but to the police:
“Pursue without cessation the diseases which are diffused by means of prostitutes; =take it as your goal to cause them to disappear from the list of human troubles; do not doubt that your labours will ultimately be crowned with success, although the task may be one that will occupy several generations=.”[331]
Two complete generations had, however, to pass away before =the campaign against venereal diseases and the attempt to suppress them became a burning question of the time=, became a question of =public health= and social hygiene, like those which concern the fight with tuberculosis, with infant mortality, and with alcoholism. Once again I must repeat that the =organized systematic campaign against venereal diseases is still in its very earliest stages=. Strictly speaking, it dates only from seven years ago, when the =first international congress for the prophylaxis of syphilis and other venereal diseases= was held in Brussels, from September 4 to 8, 1899. Almost all the civilized countries, European and other, took part in this congress, and not only physicians and dermatologists, but also lawyers, clergymen, attachés of embassies, authors, and philanthropists, explained their views, and thereby showed that the question of the suppression of venereal diseases was one of equal interest to all classes of society, and one which must exercise the activity of the community at large. At the conclusion of this first international conference in 1899, there was founded the =International Society for the Sanitary and Moral Prophylaxis of Syphilis and other Venereal Diseases=, which has its seat in Brussels, and meets at periodical intervals for international conferences.
Especially in Germany has this organization aroused active interest, and it was soon decided to found a national =German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases=, whose first meeting was held on October 19, 1903, in the hall of the Berlin Rathaus. The meeting was opened by a speech from Albert Neisser, after which Alfred Blaschko spoke on “The Diffusion of Venereal Diseases,” Edmund Lesser on “The Dangers of Venereal Diseases,” Martin Kirchner on “The Social Importance of Venereal Diseases,” and Albert Neisser on “The Aims of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases.” The =committee= of the Society consists of Messrs. A. Neisser, president; E. Lesser, vice-president and treasurer; and A. Blaschko, general secretary. The organ of the Society is issued six times yearly, under the title, _Reports of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, and has been published for the last four years; it is supplied gratis to members; to non-members the yearly subscription is only three marks. In the spring of the year 1903 there was founded a larger _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, of which five volumes have hitherto appeared; this serves for the publication of more comprehensive critical studies.
Still in the same year, 1902, there were formed the first =branches= and =local groups= of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases in Hanover, Wiesbaden, Breslau, and Berlin. Subsequently other branches were formed in Mannheim, Munich, Cologne, Beuthen, Danzig, Stettin, Posen, Dortmund, Elberfeld, Frankfurt-on-the-Main, Görlitz, Hamburg, Königsberg, Nürnberg, Stuttgart, and Heidelberg.
During the last four years, by means of lectures, the circulation of pamphlets and leaflets, and by public discussions, information regarding the dangers of venereal diseases has been diffused among the widest circles of the population. Of the other activities and measures of the Society we shall have to speak later.
We pass on to the consideration of the principal elements of the modern campaign against venereal diseases. In view of the limits of this work our discussion of this question must necessarily be a brief one. The eradication of venereal diseases must be effected in a =threefold= manner:
1. By measures of =personal prophylaxis= against infection.
2. By the proper =medical treatment= of all cases of venereal disease.
3. By measures belonging to the province of =public hygiene=, to that of =state action=, and to that of =education=.
The =personal prophylaxis= of venereal diseases[332] has made great progress with the increasing scientific knowledge of the causes and modes of infection of these diseases. We know now precisely where and how we can lay down =personal= rules which give us at least a =fairly secure guarantee= that in an individual case venereal infection will not occur. Various points of view must then be taken into consideration, the combined influence of which will alone promise a successful result. No one single measure will suffice to gain this end.
Above all, in this department of the prophylaxis of venereal diseases, experienced physicians, alike of earlier and more recent times, will unanimously agree in this proposition, that the principal preliminary means for the avoidance of venereal infection, means which it is absolutely essential to employ in every instance, consist of =perfect cleanliness= on both sides. He who insists on the most scrupulous cleanliness of body, clothing, and underclothing, will be sure to get rid =immediately= of any uncleanliness acquired in sexual intercourse. Cleanliness and health are often (not always) identical. In any case, the =greatest mistrust= should be felt as regards a person evidently unclean, with a neglected exterior, for this is always a sign that such a person is not particular as regards choice in matters of sexual intercourse. “=Germany, get into your bath!=” Heinrich Laube once exclaimed. This would be a good device to adopt in the campaign against venereal diseases. Every uncleanliness is an irritant; it impairs the intactness of the skin; and especially is this true of any uncleanliness of the genital organs, and above all of the male genital organs, where, under the foreskin, the “smegma” (the sebaceous secretion of the preputial glands) often undergoes decomposition, and gives rise to an inflammation, the so-called =balanitis=, which greatly favours the probability of infection.[333]
If the foreskin has been removed by circumcision, this secretion entirely ceases, and the mucous membrane covering the glans penis is transformed into a thick skin, which is much less readily affected by the causes of infection. There is no doubt that circumcision is to a certain extent a protective measure against syphilitic infection, whilst it does not in any way protect against gonorrhœa. Neustätter has recently collected some very remarkable facts relating to this question.[334]
Breitenstein has contrasted 15,000 indigenous =circumcised= soldiers with 18,000 =uncircumcised= European soldiers of the army of the Dutch Indies, living under similar local and hygienic conditions. Thus, in the year 1895 there were infected with venereal diseases, of the circumcised 16 %, of the uncircumcised 41 %. As regards infections with syphilis, of the circumcised 0·8 % were infected; of the uncircumcised, on the other hand, 4·1 %--that is, five times as many. Similar observations were made by the celebrated English syphilologist Jonathan Hutchinson, one of the most ardent advocates of the general introduction of circumcision as a protective measure against venereal, and above all against syphilitic, infection. Moreover, with regard to the observations made in Java, the difference did not depend upon race, because similar differences have been observed as regards comparative immunity from infection in respect of circumcised Christians, circumcised on account of phimosis and other troubles, whose number is by no means insignificant.
Since, however, it is unlikely that circumcision will come into general use in Europe as a prophylactic measure, it only remains to recommend that, as a fundamental procedure, the greatest possible care should be employed in the daily and delicate cleansing of the preputial sac. By this means inflammation and laceration of these parts will be most effectually prevented, and even without circumcision a certain resisting power will be induced. For washing this region, lukewarm water which has been boiled and cooled may best be employed; then dry the part carefully, so as not to rub off the skin. In the case of women, frequent washings of the external genital organs, and vaginal douches, are also of great importance in regard to the prevention of venereal infection. =Before= and =after= the sexual act, these measures are of especial value, because =often by simple mechanical means=, infective material already deposited may be carried away. The same purpose is subserved by urination, a procedure certainly adapted for washing out gonorrhœal pus which has found its way into the urethra, before the gonococci have had time to establish themselves in the mucous membrane. I know a number of patients who =use no other means of protection in sexual intercourse beyond the observation of extreme cleanliness, by washing and douching, in both sexes=, before and after sexual intercourse, and by passing water immediately after intercourse, and thus have remained free from infection; but who promptly became infected =as soon as they discontinued these simple measures=.
For this reason, these measures, where possible with the assistance of =soap=, which certainly exercises some antiseptic influence, cannot be too warmly recommended, although they naturally =do not offer any absolute security=. They have, however, the advantage that, in the first place, they can always be employed, even when the true protective measures of which we speak below are not available, and that, in the second place, they can always be used in addition to these. It sounds, perhaps, somewhat absurd, and yet it is true, to say that =washing= and =urination= are the =first= and =most important= protective measures against sexual infection.
The second point, which must also be considered important in this connexion, is the =exercise of self-command= before and during the sexual act, as far as this is possible in view of the nature of sexual excitement, which always lessens the personal responsibility, and overcomes reason and understanding. Yet no one should have sexual intercourse when =in a state of alcoholic intoxication=, in which self-control is =completely= lost; as we have shown in an earlier passage (pp. 292-296), there are several reasons why intercourse is apt to be disastrous to a drunken man. Moreover, =love= prefers the dark, but =precaution= prefers =the sunlight=. Before having intercourse with a woman previously unknown to him, a man should inspect her in clear daylight, with a view to her state of health. Suspicious spots on the skin, especially on the forehead and on the trunk; white areas on the lips, the tongue, the throat, and the back of the neck; visible glandular swellings; a marked discharge from the genital organs; ulcerated areas in this region, etc., are of an extremely suspicious nature, and should cause abstinence from intercourse. French physicians go so far as to recommend examination of the inguinal and cervical glands under the harmless form of pretended caresses; but persons without medical education would seldom be sufficiently skilled to be able to detect glandular swellings unless these were unusually well developed. Especially enlargement of the cervical glands--this “pulse of syphilis,” as Alfred Fournier terms it--is a comparatively certain indication of syphilis.
It is dangerous also in many cases to repeat the sexual act =several times= in brief succession, because old experience has taught us that infective material may first make its appearance at the second or third act of coitus, and thus infect then only. This affords an explanation also of a fact often observed--that in intercourse with an infected woman on the part of two healthy men, with but a brief interval between the acts, the one who had intercourse first often remains healthy, whilst the second is infected.
I pass on to consider the =special protective measures= which have long been recommended for the prophylaxis of venereal infection.
1. =The Condom.=--This is the =oldest= and even to-day beyond question the best and =most trustworthy= artificial protective measure. Employed long ago in the days of antiquity, it was in the sixteenth century once more recommended by the Italian physician Fallopius, and therefore is not the invention of a physician “Conton,” after whom it is said to have been named (perhaps the name is connected with that of the French town “Condom”). Hans Ferdy (A. Meyerhof) suggests that the word is derived from “condus”--that is, one who =preserves= or protects--and that the article should properly be called “condus” instead of “condom.”[335]
The condom is a protective membrane, with which the penis is covered before intercourse. We distinguish as “=rubber condoms=” those made of rubber, gutta-percha, or caoutchouc; and as “=cæcal condoms=” those made out of the cæcal mucous membrane of the goat or sheep (incorrectly termed also “isinglass condoms”). The cæcal condom is thinner and more delicate, and blunts sensation less, than the rubber condom. The rubber condom, however, is more =trustworthy=, in respect of durability and its slighter liability to laceration, if the little precaution is not neglected to keep it in a cool place, and to protect it from the long-continued influence of warmth. The habit of carrying about a rubber condom in the pocket for a long time favours its rapidly becoming untrustworthy and easily torn. Cæcal condoms, on the other hand, very readily become fragile and pervious, although the contrary is the common opinion, and they are preferred to rubber condoms in the belief that the dearer article must be the better. Advertisement is exceedingly active in this direction, and every kind of speciality is widely recommended. In England condoms are sometimes sold bearing the portrait of some celebrated person!
The condom is a “=general protective measure=”--that is, it protects against both gonorrhœa and syphilis, in so far as the latter disease, as is usually the case, is transmitted from the genital organs. All the leading physicians engaged more especially in the treatment of venereal diseases are agreed that the condom, when of good quality, when properly applied, and when removed with care (for in the removal material adhering to the outer surface may very readily give rise to infection), constitutes the =very best= and =most certain= of all the protective measures hitherto advocated. It is true that it can be used by men only, but when used by the man it simultaneously protects the woman from gonorrhœal infection, and not rarely also from syphilitic infection.
2. =The Instillation of Solutions of Silver Salts.=[336]--These serve exclusively for the prophylaxis of gonorrhœa, and are not, therefore, general protective measures. We owe their introduction to Blokusewski, who recommended the use of a =two % solution of nitrate of silver=. More recently, the albuminates of silver have been preferred, such as =protargol= in a 10 to 20 % solution, =albargin= in a 4 to 10 % solution, or a solution of 20 % protargol-gelatine. These solutions can be carried about in small drop-bottles--for example, as the “Sanitas” (silver nitrate) of Blokusewski, the “Viro” or the “Phallokos” apparatus (these are trade names for proprietary preparations--solutions of protargol). All solutions of silver salts must be kept in the dark, and after the lapse of any considerable time, some freshly prepared solution must be introduced, for time and the influence of light destroy their efficacy. Immediately after intercourse and urination, one or two drops of the solution are instilled into the urethra, and a drop or two also allowed to run over the frænum præputii.[337]
The views regarding the value of these protective measures are conflicting. Beyond question, they are less trustworthy than the condom. Infection has been observed in spite of the use of instillations. Above all, however, the continued use of these methods gives rise to disagreeable =irritative manifestations= in the urethra and may even cause =catarrhal inflammation=, and thus artificially increase the liability to infection. Hence, these instillations should be reserved for =occasional= use; =habitually=, only the condom should be employed.
3. =Inunction.=--Whereas the instillation of chemical solutions serves to protect against gonorrhœa only, the practice recommended for a much longer time of =anointing= the penis with a simple fatty material, or with an antiseptic ointment, =before= or =after= sexual intercourse, protects against syphilis only. It is obvious that a layer of fatty material covering the penis exercises the purely mechanical function of preventing the passage of infective matters to the skin. It is, however, equally obvious that by the to-and-fro friction during sexual intercourse, especially when this occupies a considerable time, this fatty covering will be rubbed away, so that the virus can find a means of entrance. The protection is thus extremely relative. Still, such authors as Neisser, Max Joseph, Loeb, and Campagnolle, report favourable experiences regarding the prevention of syphilis by the inunction of the penis, for which purpose simple vaseline, or Schleich’s wax-soap cream, which is sold with the “Viro” apparatus, may be employed. In any case, this method is better than nothing at all. He who has no other protective measure available should remember that in every house there is always some fat or ointment obtainable which can be used for this purpose.
In order, whilst using this method, to protect simultaneously against gonorrhœa, it has been recommended that antiseptic ointment should be inserted into the urethra before intercourse, but this is a very unsatisfactory and untrustworthy method.
Well worth attention is the inunction recently recommended by Metchnikoff[338] of =a specific mercurial ointment=, after intercourse, for the destruction of any syphilitic virus which may have been deposited.[339] He used for this purpose, not the strongly irritant blue ointment, but the =white precipitate ointment=, an ointment of the =salicyl-arseniate of mercury= (=enesol=), and, above all, a =30 % calomel ointment=. After any suspicious coitus, this ointment should be rubbed for four or five minutes into the area of possible infection; this should be done without delay; but even after the lapse of eighteen to twenty-four hours an effect has been traced. The experiments on apes inoculated with syphilis gave positive results; also in the case of a student of medicine who voluntarily offered himself for inoculation with the syphilitic virus, the inunction of calomel ointment appears to have prevented the outbreak of the disease.
=In any case, these new methods for the prophylaxis of syphilis demand the most careful attention.= Further experience is needed to determine whether they deserve general application.
4. =Antiseptic Washes.=--Washing of the penis and douching of the vagina with antiseptic lotions (sublimate, lysol, permanganate of potassium) after intercourse are among the most uncertain of protective measures, because the sublimate solution, or whatever may be used, does not find its way into any possible lacerations; and because, in consequence of the profuse secretion of the sebaceous glands of the male and female genital organs, these organs are covered with a layer of fatty material, which prevents the contact of watery fluids, but does not in the same degree prevent the entrance of the syphilitic poison. Antiseptic washes =after= the sexual act have as little value as the same used before the sexual act.
The knowledge of these protective measures--above all, of those named under the first, second, and third headings--ought to be very much more general than it is. Unfortunately, however, in public life such measures are still viewed largely from the standpoint of the moralist as “=indecent=” or “=improper=”; and the criminal law classifies them thus, so that their =public recommendation= and diffusion is still exposed to great hindrances.
At the second congress of the Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases, held in Munich in March, 1905, the question of the public recommendation of protective measures was opened to discussion, and was dealt with in two admirable addresses by O. Neustätter[340] and Georg Bernhard.[341] Bernhard proposed that to Section 184, paragraph 3, of the Criminal Code, which declares it to be a punishable offence to “expose for sale articles intended for an indecent use, or to recommend or sell such articles to the public,” should be added a =legal definition= in the following sense: =articles which are used either to prevent venereal diseases or to prevent conception are not regarded as “intended for an indecent use”=; and Neustätter pleaded for an =alteration of the existing state of the law=, in the sense that =the public recommendation of means for the prevention and cure of venereal diseases= should be legally permissible, being restricted merely by certain =regulations against quackery, extortion, and other misuse=. The regulation of the recommendation could best =be associated with the necessary control of the recommendation of therapeutic and preventive measures in general. A supreme sanitary authority= should be constituted, =part of whose duties= should be to =examine the form and contents= of recommendations of this character.
Another juristic relationship of the prophylaxis of venereal diseases concerns =legal protection against venereal infection=. Franz von Liszt,[342] von Bar,[343] and Schmölder,[344] opened the discussion on the biological and criminal aspects of the prophylaxis of venereal diseases at the first congress of the Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases, held at Frankfurt-on-the-Main in the year 1903.
Hitherto the heedless or deliberate transmission of venereal disease was punishable only as personal injury, since in the Criminal Code there was no paragraph directly relating to this matter. Only in the Criminal Code of Oldenburg of 1884 was such punishment expressly provided for (Article 387), and by this provision =the intercourse of an infected person with a healthy one was punishable, without regard to the subsequent infection=. In the legal regulations of other countries than Germany, we find several instances in which the witting transmission of venereal infection by means of sexual intercourse is punishable. In Germany a measure proposing this was rejected by the Reichstag in 1900. Von Liszt advocated the introduction of the following paragraph into the Criminal Code:
“One who, being aware that he is suffering from a contagious venereal disorder, performs coitus, or in any other way exposes another human being to the danger of infection, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of two to three years, and in addition shall be deprived of civil rights.”
Schmölder enlarged this clause by an amendment relating to the punishment of prostitutes disseminating venereal diseases.
On the other hand, von Bar drew attention to the inconveniences and dangers which a punishment of this nature would involve, especially to the dangers of =blackmail=, and to the =duty it would impose on physicians= of breaking their obligations of professional secrecy. Moreover, a proof of the =knowledge= of venereal infection is difficult to obtain; the proof that infection is derived from a definite person is also far from easy. Von Bar opposed the addition of such a clause on this and other grounds. In the discussion upon the motion, this view was shared by C. Fränkel, Ries, Oppenheimer, and others; Neisser was in favour of a punishment of this kind, because then, at any rate, there would be a public recognition of the fact that such an action was open to severe =punishment=, and was a =disgraceful= one; thus, by the mere existence of the paragraph an =educative influence= would be exerted.
In any case, such a punishment would be a two-edged weapon, and as far as present necessity goes, we have sufficient powers in the application to such offences of the paragraphs of the Criminal Code relating to bodily injury.
* * * * *
The second great means for the limitation and entire suppression of venereal diseases is =to deal with them by medical treatment, to cure as speedily as possible persons suffering from syphilis of gonorrhœa, and thus to prevent these persons from becoming sources of fresh infection. Systematic, methodical treatment on a large scale=--that is the =goal= at which we have to aim. To the poor man or woman suffering from venereal infection the same advantages should be opened as to the wealthy voluptuary. The provision of means of treatment of venereal diseases =cannot be too free=. In public hospitals, private clinics, ambulatoria, and sanatoria, in convalescent homes, and polyclinics for prostitutes, everywhere must be provided means for an intelligent treatment of venereal diseases. Just as tuberculosis is now attacked systematically and vigorously, so must it be with venereal diseases.
Since =syphilis= constitutes only about 25 %--only one-fourth part, that is to say--of venereal diseases in general, since also during the last four centuries the disease has shown a natural tendency to decline in virulence, since a mitigation in the intensity of the virus is clearly recognizable, it is in the case of this disease that the =hope of radical success= is especially great.
Our forefathers carried out for us a great part of the campaign against syphilis. The =comparatively mild= course of syphilis in the majority of uncomplicated cases leads us to infer that there has been a relative immunization against syphilitic poison.
Albert Reibmayr remarks that “=during the last 400 years, every human being now living in Europe has had about 4,000 ancestors; of these, however disagreeable the fact may seem, a considerable number must have had to contend with syphilis=.”[345]
But this undoubted fact, that =all of us= have been to a certain extent “=syphilized=,”[346] plays its part to our advantage in the campaign against syphilis--that campaign which our own time has taken up with joyful hope of success.
Above all, let honour be paid to the ever youthful and fresh master and Nestor of European research into the subject of syphilis, Alfred Fournier, the evening of whose life is devoted to the campaign against syphilis as a “social danger.” To the great scientific works of his life he has now added the small, but not less valuable, =explanatory writings=, which are being sold at a low price all over France, and in part also have already been translated into German and English.[347] Their aim is to get the =people= on our side in the campaign against syphilis.
When, in April, 1906, I paid the master a visit, he gave me the last of these popular campaign writings. Its title was in the form of a question:
“En Guérit-on?” (“Is it Curable?”).
And the answer given on p. 4 runs: “=Yes, it is curable, for of all diseases syphilis is the one which can best, most easily, and most certainly be cured.=” And why? Because we have a wonderful specific against this disease, which, when given =at the proper time= and =in the proper manner=, works a miracle. This remedy is
=Mercury=.
I put this name clearly and visibly before the eyes of the reader, a name which for every physician to whose lot it falls to treat cases of syphilis has a truly miraculous sound, a name against which =the unconscientious ignoramuses, the evil-disposed enemies= of the human race have spoken their anathema, one which a great thinker and honourable man like Schopenhauer regarded as a “triumph of medicine,” a fact which he experienced personally in his own body. All honourable, critical, and scientific physicians agree in this opinion. In my work on “The Origin of Syphilis,” vol. i., p. 127, I have expressed the matter in the following words:
“Mercury is and remains--notwithstanding the ignorant and ill-considered hostility of quacks and their kindred--the =divine means= for the treatment of syphilis; mercury is to syphilis what =water is to fire=, in the hands =of that physician who knows how to use the drug rightly=, how to apply it =at the right time= and =in the right form=, who watches closely the =course= of the disease in his patient, and who supports the mercury cure (always of =primary importance=) by other therapeutic measures as indicated.”
Only the =physician=, the scientifically trained medical man, can cure syphilis; the quack certainly cannot; in his hands mercury is truly enough a dangerous “poison.” But he has no right to say, and he speaks deliberate untruths when he says, that we physicians “poison” the “unfortunate” syphilitics with mercury. To such preposterous accusations we can give a brief and incisive answer.
Therefore, during my lecturing journey, undertaken recently[348] under the auspices of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases, I prepared the following brief account of the therapeutic employment of mercury in syphilis, which in my opinion suffices to throw the proper light upon the value and importance of the mercurial treatment of the disease; it is a sufficient answer to the “Nature-Healers,” who are opposed to the use of this “poison”:
1. =In innumerable instances it has been observed by the most experienced and scientific physicians, that cases of syphilis treated without mercury run a very severe course, accompanied by the most dangerous symptoms, such as extensive destructive lesions of the skin, lesions of the internal organs, brain syphilis, eating away of the bones, loss of the nose, etc.=
2. =In cases which previously have been treated without mercury, the administration of the latter drug immediately arrests the destructive processes, and saves the patient from death, or from very severe illness, and from physical disfigurement.=
3. =No less an authority than Virchow, in his celebrated treatise “On the Nature of Constitutional Syphilitic Affections,” pp. 7-14 (Berlin, 1859), has shown that the hypothesis of Hermann[349] is entirely devoid of foundation in fact.=
4. =I should feel conscientiously compelled to denounce myself for the commission of grievous bodily harm if I ventured to-day, after the accumulated experience of four centuries, to treat a case of syphilis without mercury.=
What use is it to continue to fight against the disbelief and superstition which clings to mercury? Why should we for ever be occupied in contradicting the false accusations brought against this drug? For four centuries the divine mercury has withstood all attacks, and will continue to withstand them, until a greatly desired and even better measure is discovered--=prophylactic immunization against syphilitic infection=.[350]
How mercury is to be given, whether in the form of the long-prized “=schmierkur=” (=cure by inunction=), or by =hypodermic injection=, or by =ordinary internal use=, must be left in individual cases to the decision of the medical man, for numerous considerations, which can only be properly weighed by the physician, have to be taken into account. A mercury cure is a =serious= matter, but always also one which repays all the trouble that we take. In “En Guérit-on?” Fournier has most admirably described the wonderful results of a =critically considered and carefully conducted= mercury cure. I do not, indeed, belong to the “doctors who build for themselves a house of pure quicksilver,” when they enter the field against the “French” (= syphilis), as the phrase runs in Schiller’s work “The Robbers.” I hold by a =reasonable, measured= use of mercury in the course of the treatment of syphilis, and I advise a good “=after-treatment=” in addition to the treatment with mercury.[351] Mercury, when given in moderate but sufficient doses, not only destroys the syphilitic virus, but also has a very favourable influence on the general condition, and sometimes even gives rise to an increase in the number of the red blood-corpuscles. Thus, mercury is not only not a poison: it is a most valuable =restorative and vitalizing means=. This is well illustrated by the following case, which came under my own observation, and which I recommend to the Nature-Healers, in the hope that it may lead them to revise their views regarding the action of mercury:
The case was that of an official, thirty years of age, who had been under my care several times before since the year 1898 for other troubles (gonorrhœa, etc.), and who was always pale and with hollow cheeks, in no way giving the impression of possessing a constitution with strong powers of resistance. Late in the summer he was infected with syphilis; the attack proved a severe one, running a serious course, complicated by an extremely painful suppurative inflammation of the lymphatic vessels of the penis, and accompanied by fever, lassitude, and a sense of exhaustion. An energetic inunction cure was immediately begun. Under this not only did the morbid symptoms rapidly disappear, but there occurred a remarkable change in the general condition, in the sense of an increase of strength, such as had not existed before the illness. Notwithstanding slight stomatitis, the patient during and after the cure =felt stronger and more fit for work than he ever had before=, and even now this favourable state continues unaltered, as is manifested above all by the increase in the body-weight, by the good appearance, etc. =The patient=, who now, one and a half years after the cure, has had no relapse, =informed me repeatedly and spontaneously that this delightful improvement in his health could only be attributed to his syphilis (!) or to the mercury!=
A =single= mercury cure will suffice, in some cases, to cure syphilis for ever! Regarding this, we have numerous trustworthy observations. In most cases, indeed, during the early years relapses occur, and then we need to use the indispensable mercury cure once more =with care=, and to employ all the other measures which make up the above-mentioned “after-treatment,” the supplementary means being, above all, =iodide of potassium, sulphur= (in the long-celebrated sulphur-baths of Aix, Nenndorf, etc.) and =arsenic= (first recommended by me); also the water cure, brine-baths, and iodide-baths, and a visit to the seaside or to the mountains, and massage, are good accessory means to the cure. Above all, however, =the State of nutrition= of the patient[352] must always be kept under consideration, and assisted where necessary, for which purpose preparations of iron, nutritive preparations like sanatogen, and milk cures, are of value. =Strict abstinence= from alcohol is always necessary in the treatment of syphilis. Alcohol has a =very unfavourable= influence on the syphilitic process, and is often the only cause of continually recurring relapses of this disease.
The =thorough= treatment of syphilis is a matter of several years, during which the patient must repeatedly present himself to the physician for examination, and should any relapse occur, he must be subjected to renewed treatment. Such thoroughness will invariably be rewarded. =Attention to detail= will always bear fruit. Syphilis is =curable=. It is purely fanciful to say that syphilis is never cured, that it pursues its victims up to the end of life, that it knows no pardon. That is not true. =Treat= your syphilitic patients, treat them properly and thoroughly, if necessary for years in succession, and they will be freed from the disease. “Syphilis,” says Fournier, “is a misfortune, but it is a misfortune from which complete recovery is possible.” From the day when the patient becomes aware that he is suffering from syphilis, he must face the situation “in a calm and manly fashion,” and must say to himself:
“Now there is to be a fight between syphilis and me. To work, therefore, and courage! Courage, because science assures me that with the aid of =mercury=, of =hygiene=, and of =time=, an end will come to the syphilis, and because science gives me an absolute assurance that some day I shall be as healthy as I was before, and that I shall again have the right to a family, that I shall attain the freedom and the happiness of being a father!”[353]
With these admirable words of the greatest living authority on syphilis, I close my account of the suppression of syphilis by medical treatment, and turn to the not less important question of the =management of gonorrhœa=.
Recent scientific researches, especially those of A. Neisser and E. Finger, have shown that the infective urethritis of the male produced by gonococci is by no means the “trifling and childish complaint” which it was formerly supposed to be, but, on the contrary, is a very serious and obstinate trouble, often resisting the very best means of treatment, so that it may =persist for years=, and =remain for years infective=. Still worse is it as regards gonorrhœa of the female genital organs, the cure of which is even more difficult, and the consequences of which are even more disastrous than in the case of the male. If the =physician= is needed for the cure of syphilis, still more is this the case as regards gonorrhœa. He only can command the scientific methods, and the very complicated technique of the treatment of gonorrhœa. He only can undertake the =indispensable= control of the treatment by means of =microscopic= and other methods of investigation. Every cobbler thinks he can cure gonorrhœa, and yet it is this disease which, even more than syphilis, demands the most precise knowledge of the local anatomical and pathological conditions. Blaschko rightly says:
“While no one gives a damaged watch to a baker to mend, or a torn coat to a tinsmith, every one seems to believe that in order to restore the most valuable gift of humanity, health, it is unnecessary to possess the profoundest knowledge of the human body, and to understand the nature and the causes of the disease. Anyone who has come to grief in his ordinary profession, but who understands how with a brazen voice to denounce the so-called ‘medicine of the schools,’ and to praise with sufficient confidence his own successes, is supposed to possess the wonderful power, without any exact knowledge at all, of charming all the illnesses of mankind out of the world.”
Gonorrhœa is also a =curable= disease, though curable often with great difficulty. We see this from the fact that, notwithstanding the extraordinarily wide diffusion of gonorrhœa (for a far greater number of infections with gonorrhœa occur than of infections with syphilis), still ultimately the =majority= of the men, and a large proportion of the women, infected with gonorrhœa are =completely cured= of their trouble.
The treatment of gonorrhœa is a complicated affair. =Within the first two days=, by the injection of =powerful caustic agents=, we are sometimes able to cut the matter short and to put an end completely to the gonococci. In every case the patient, as soon as he perceives a discharge, though not yet purulent, from the urethra, should =immediately= consult a physician, in order to determine the nature of his disease, which, in the majority of cases, will be found to be true gonorrhœa. If it is not possible to abort the gonorrhœa, then the disease will have to run its course. The best measure, whenever possible, is =rest in bed= for a week or two, in association with a =mild, unstimulating diet=, and the =absolute prohibition of all alcoholic beverages=--the last is indispensable throughout the duration of the gonorrhœa--the drinking of uva ursi tea, and, if the inflammatory symptoms are severe, the application of cold compresses to the penis. Only when the first more severe symptoms have passed away, by which time, owing to the reaction of the urethral mucous membrane, a large proportion of the exciters of the disease will already have been expelled, is it time to begin =injections= or =irrigations= of the =urethra=, containing medicaments the nature of which must be left to the decision of the experienced =physician=, who will regard each individual case on its own merits. If rest in bed is not possible, the patient must wear a so-called “=suspensory=” bandage, in order to give as much rest as possible to the testicles and the epididymis, which are gravely endangered in every attack of gonorrhœa. If, as often happens, gonorrhœa ascends to the posterior part of the urethra, or to the bladder, or to the prostate, or if, finally, it becomes chronic, then special methods of treatment, with =internal medicines, with local cauterization, massage, distension, medicated bougies, baths=, etc., are needful. The cure will ensue very gradually; relapses are frequent; even cessation of the discharge is no certain sign of cure, as the presence in the still turbid urine of “threads” containing gonococci sufficiently proves. Only when the urine has become perfectly clear, and any threads which it may contain are shown by repeated search to contain no more gonococci; when also the prostate, a favourite seat of the last remnants of gonorrhœa, is free from inflammation, can the cure be regarded as complete. Even more difficult is the determination of a cure in women. But persistency in the treatment, and frequently repeated examinations, will lead also in women to the desired goal, or, at any rate, will overcome the capacity for spreading the infection.
In the campaign against venereal diseases by the methods of medical treatment, the =facilitation= of treatment for the =great masses of impecunious= persons, for the proletariat, is of great value. For them, above all, the provision of _Krankenkassen_[354] is needed, and it is very satisfactory to note that during recent years the Krankenkassen have especially directed their attention to venereal diseases, since A. Blaschko,[355] A. Neisser,[356] R. Ledermann,[357] and Albert Kohn[358] drew attention to the duties of Krankenkassen in this relationship in a number of admirable works. Krankenkassen are in a position to obtain exact statistics regarding venereal diseases; to diffuse information, verbally and in writing, to the widest extent among their members; to facilitate hospital treatment, and treatment by specialists; to give medical aid as required to infected relatives of the insured; to carry out regularly every year, once or twice, a medical examination of all members, and to distribute among all these writings on the prophylaxis of venereal diseases. The question also of payment on the part of the patient requires new regulations as regards venereal diseases.[359]
Finally, it has been recommended that, in association with the Krankenkassen there should be founded “=daily sanatoria=” (Neisser), “=work sanatoria=” (Saalfeld), “=ambulatory places for treatment=” (Ledermann), and “=convalescent homes=” (Stern), for members of Krankenkassen suffering from venereal disease, and for insured persons similarly affected. All these institutions would, moreover, be valuable to the community at large.
What admirable results are obtainable by such a =systematic= treatment of as far as possible =all= the venereal patients throughout an entire country has been shown by the astonishing decline in the number of cases of venereal diseases in Sweden and Norway, and in Bosnia, where a gratuitous treatment of all such patients at the cost of the state has been introduced. Thus the =organized campaign= against venereal diseases, which during recent years has been initiated in all the civilized countries of Europe, has led more particularly to efforts in the direction of the sufficient treatment and speedy cure of =recent= syphilis and =recent= gonorrhœa.
* * * * *
We pass now to the consideration of the =third= factor in the campaign against venereal disease, which comprises the duty of the =state=, the task of =social hygiene=, and the task of =public pedagogy=.
The =foundation= for the suppression of venereal diseases by state effort consists in a knowledge of the =extent of the diffusion= of these diseases; we need, that is to say, =accurate statistics regarding venereal diseases=.
It is once more the great service of Blaschko to have been the first in Germany to work on these lines.[360]
Dismissing from consideration the distribution of venereal diseases in countries outside of Europe, regarding which he gives interesting reports, we find that the European conditions are of such a nature that the large towns, the centres of industry and manufacture, garrison towns, and university towns, are most severely affected; that the smaller provincial towns suffer less; that the agricultural population is comparatively free from this disease, with the exception of the uncultivated country districts of Russia and of the Balkan States, where the country people suffer from syphilis to a terrible extent. No exact statistical data are at present available regarding the diffusion of venereal diseases in the individual countries of Europe. The best measure of the prevalence of these diseases is afforded by the figures for the different armies. From these we learn that Denmark, Germany, German Austria, and Switzerland, show the most favourable conditions; next come Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, North and Middle Italy. Worst of all are the conditions in Southern Italy, Greece, Turkey, Russia, and--England. These army statistics are, however, insufficient, for, as a matter of fact, =England= is most favourably placed in respect of the diffusion of venereal diseases. The most exact reports come from the Scandinavian countries, from Norway and Denmark, in which for several years =all physicians= have kept a list of all the infective diseases treated by them, as they are compelled =every week= to make a return to the Board of Public Health. According to these reports, it appears that venereal diseases in Copenhagen constitute the greater part of such diseases in the entire country; but in the period between 1876 and 1895 these diseases have notably =declined= in frequency in Copenhagen, and all venereal diseases have shared in this decline; gonorrhœa constitutes 70 % =of all= cases of venereal disease. With regard to the diffusion of infection, it appears from the Copenhagen statistics that =one= woman with venereal disease serves to transmit it to =four= men; on the other hand, of =four= men with venereal disease, =one= only will transmit that disease to a woman. On the average, there are infected with venereal disease every year 16 to 20 % of all young men between the ages of twenty and thirty years; with gonorrhœa 1 in 8 are infected; with syphilis 1 in 55 are infected. In these last ten years, for every 100 young men living, there have been 119 infections during ten years; that is to say, =on the average every one has been infected once, and a great many have been infected more than once=; in the same period of ten years, for every 100 young men, there have been 18 infected with syphilis--that is to say, 1 for every 5·5.
Especially valuable also are the figures which Blaschko obtained in 1898 from the carefully kept books of a large mercantile Krankenkasse whose operations were diffused throughout Germany; these figures also give the result of an inquiry regarding venereal diseases amongst workmen, waiting-maids, secret prostitutes, and students. The result of these statistics, as regards Berlin, are given briefly in the following table:
+---------------------------------------------------------+ | | |============================== Secret Prostitutes, 30 %. | | | |========================= Students, 25 %. | | | |================ Shop Employees, 16 %. | | | |========= Workmen, 9 %. | | | |==== Soldiers, 4 %. | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
VENEREAL DISEASES AFFECTING VARIOUS CLASSES OF THE POPULATION OF BERLIN (AFTER BLASCHKO).
According to these statistics, the diffusion of venereal diseases among =shop employees=, =students=, and =secret prostitutes= (chiefly =barmaids= and =waitresses=), is the greatest; it is much =less= among =workmen= and =soldiers=. It further appears, from Blaschko’s inquiry, that =of the men who entered on marriage for the first time when above the age of thirty years, each one had, on the average, had gonorrhœa twice=, and =about one in four or five had been infected with syphilis=. Wilhelm Erb, in Heidelberg, obtained similar results.
Still more remarkable were the results of the statistical investigation which was carried out for the =entire Kingdom of Prussia= by the Prussian Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Public Instruction on April 30, 1900.[361]
According to this investigation, it appeared that on this day, in Prussia, there were 41,000 persons suffering from venereal disease, among whom 11,000 were infected with recent syphilis; in Berlin, on the same day, there were 11,600 cases of venereal disease, among whom 3,000 were infected with recent syphilis. The general relations are shown in the following table:
+------------------------------------------------+ | | |=== The whole of Prussia, 0·28 %. | | | |============== Berlin, 1·42 %. | | | |========== Towns over 100,000 inhabitants, 1 %. | | | |====== Towns over 30,000 inhabitants, 0·58 %. | | | |===== Towns below 30,000 inhabitants, 0·45 %. | | | |== The Army, 0·15 %. | | | +------------------------------------------------+
VENEREAL DISEASES AFFECTING THE MALE POPULATION OF PRUSSIA, APRIL 30, 1900 (AFTER BLASCHKO).
Thus, for every 10,000 adult men there were on this day persons suffering from venereal diseases to the following numbers: in Berlin, 142; in the remaining large towns, 100; in the smaller towns, 50; and in the whole of Prussia, on the average, 28. Naturally the figures should in reality be larger, for of the physicians to whom inquiries were sent, only 63 % returned an answer. Moreover, the =annual= figure of cases is a very much larger one. Kirchner[362] assumes that =every day= in Prussia more than =100,000 individuals=--that is to say, about 3 per mille--are suffering from a transmissible venereal disease, and he estimates the damage to the national property by typhoid fever as about 8 million marks annually, but that from venereal diseases as not less than =ninety million marks annually=. In these reports of April 30, 1900, the ratio of men to women suffering from recent syphilis was as 3 : 1.
In order to obtain more exact information regarding the diffusion of venereal diseases, and the actual number of those affected by them, it is of very great importance that there should be a =revision= of the duty of medical men in respect of the =notification of diseases=, and also in respect of the duty of =professional secrecy=.[363]
This latter question is also of importance in respect of the prevention of venereal infection in married life. (The question of syphilitic infection of married women by their husbands has recently been considered by Alfred Fournier: “Syphilis in Honourable Women.”)
In addition to the question of the diffusion and frequency of venereal diseases, the greatest interest attaches to the =sources of dangerous infections=--that is to say, the question where men and women most frequently contract venereal disease.
Here also Blaschko has obtained interesting information; he states:
Of 487 syphilitic men, the disease was acquired by 395 (81·1 %) from professional prostitutes (officially inscribed or secret); 23 (4·7 %) from waitresses and barmaids; 23 (4·9 %) from their “intimate”; 45 (9·2 %) from casual acquaintances, shop-girls, or workwomen.
According to this report, it appears that =prostitution=, public and secret (under which heading the waitresses and “casual acquaintances” must be numbered), forms the =principal focus= of venereal infection.
And that wild sexual intercourse is here almost exclusively to blame is shown by the following statistics, given by Blaschko:
Of 67 syphilitic wives, almost all the wives of workmen, 64 were infected by their =husbands=; whereas, =on the contrary=, of 106 husbands, 7 only acquired the disease from their wives; the remaining 99 acquired it by =extra-conjugal sexual intercourse=, either before or after marriage.
Another very valuable set of statistics dealing with the sources of infection has been published by Heinrich Loeb.[364]
These relate to the conditions in Mannheim. It appears that the sources of infection were as follows:
Waitresses and barmaids 155 instances. Maidservants, cooks 67 „ Shop-girls 65 „ Middle-class girls 29 „ Seamstresses and embroidery workers 27 „ Chambermaids 20 „ Factory workwomen 17 „ Artistes, singers, and ballet-girls 16 „ Wife or betrothed 12 „ Tailoresses and modistes 11 „ Ironers 9 „ Book-keepers 4 „ Widows 4 „ Country girls 3 „ Mistresses 3 „ --- Total 442
Here, as we see, the chief types of =secret= prostitution, the =waitresses= and =barmaids=, play the principal part; next, but a long way after, come maidservants and shop-girls. This, however, does not amount to saying that public prostitution is less dangerous. We know that a prostitute who has never been infected with venereal disease is something very rarely seen; that prostitutes under regulation are almost all, especially when still quite young, in an infective state, and that they serve just as much as secret prostitutes for the diffusion of venereal disease. It is a well-known fact that youthful prostitutes are =more dangerous= than women who have long practised prostitution, because the former are all suffering from more or less recent infection, and both gonorrhœa and syphilis are present in them in the stages in which they are still strongly infective. H. Berger bases upon statistical investigations[365] his belief that red-haired girls have the most delicate epithelium, fall sick most rapidly and in the greatest numbers; dark haired women at first suffer less. After they have been prostitutes for some time, there is no important difference between blonde, brown, and black-haired women; but black-haired prostitutes are, in fact, more inclined to infection =later= in their career, because they are more in request.
Now that we have learned that at the present day =prostitution= remains the principal source of venereal infection, the following question immediately demands an answer: =What can the state do in order to remove these sources of infection? and have the measures which the state has hitherto put into operation been of any use in this direction?= To put it shortly, what part has been played by the state =regulation= of prostitution, as hitherto practised, in the campaign against venereal diseases?
With Schmölder,[366] we understand by “regulation” the following practice, which is what obtains in the majority of civilized countries: The police keep a list in which the girls and women regarded by them as prostitutes have their names entered. The “inscribed” (_inscrites_) receive a “_licentia stupri_”--that is to say, =the permission to practise professional fornication under continual observation on the part of the police= (the renowned “moral control”[367]), which is associated with a number of commands, prohibitions, and regulations--above all, with the =necessity of submitting to medical examination at definitely stated intervals=, and, where necessary, to =compulsory medical treatment=. At the same time, public prostitution on the part of those who are not inscribed is suppressed as much as possible. Berger has admirably described (“Prostitution in Hanover,” pp. 1-19) the methods of regulation and their consequences. Above all, however, have Blaschko, Schmölder, and Neisser considered the modes of regulation customary at the present day from the moral, legal, and medical points of view, and have in part entirely condemned them (Blaschko and Schmölder), in part declared them to be gravely in need of reform (Neisser).[368]
Among those who have recently discussed the question of the regulation of prostitution, we may mention Anna Pappritz,[369] who condemns the practice; Clausmann, who is in favour of it;[370] Friedrich Hammer, also in favour of it;[371] and, finally, S. Bettmann, who leaves the question open.[372]
In our consideration of the coercive system of regulation, we take a =single standpoint=--namely, that of its possible value for the suppression of venereal diseases. Some demand the =abolition= of regulation on ethical and humanitarian grounds, and we do not wish in any way to make light of these grounds. But they could not be decisive, if, as an actual fact, regulation had an effect either in diminishing the prevalence of venereal diseases or in checking prostitution; but, in truth, the =reverse= is the case!
Schmölder[373] has shown beyond dispute that the compulsory inscription of prostitutes, introduced from France, is in our country an utterly =illegal= measure, arbitrarily enforced by the police. It has been amply proved that this illegal compulsory inscription has actually made prostitutes of many girls who had no inclination to permanent professional prostitution; that this method =produces artificial prostitutes=. What errors of judgment, what abuses of power, occur on the part of the police, in connexion with this compulsory inscription! How often does the inscription result from a denunciation made on grounds of private spite! The “Committee of Fifteen,” constituted for the study of prostitution in New York, declares in its report:
“Men with political insight are of opinion that every limitation of the freedom of the individual is in itself an evil, and that such a limitation can only be justified in cases in which the good derived from the infringement can really be estimated at a very high valuation. A system which permits the police, simply on grounds of suspicion, to arrest a citizen, to submit him to an injurious examination, only with the aim of discovering a disease he is suspected to have, and then to put him into prison, on the suspicion that he might have indulged in immoral intercourse if he had been left at liberty, cannot possibly be regarded as harmonizing with the principles of personal freedom.”[374]
Blaschko and Fiaux have proved that regulation concerns only a =small fraction= of prostitutes, usually the older ones; whereas the =beginners=, who are precisely those most dangerous in respect of venereal infection, and, further, the army of =secret prostitutes=, =half prostitutes=, =occasional prostitutes=, and the =half-world=, remain free from regulation--are probably left free deliberately--and anyhow could not possibly be supervised, on account of the enormous cost of supervision. In Berlin, speaking generally, only =one-fifth= part of the girls arrested are subjected to regulation, four-fifths are simply “warned and discharged”; and even of this fifth part, in reality a large percentage does not come under control because “escape from the lists” renders permanent observation impossible. Fiaux proves that =more than 50 %= of the medical examinations which ought to have been made on the 4,000 women under regulation in Berlin during the years 1888 to 1901, =were in fact neglected=.[375]
It is =certain= that regulated prostitution is =more dangerous= from the point of view of public health than free prostitution. The prostitute remaining under surveillance is in constant fear of compulsory treatment in the lock hospital, and therefore endeavours to conceal her illness =as long as possible, or temporarily to avoid medical examination altogether=. The free prostitute has a personal interest in becoming well again as soon as possible, and generally goes voluntarily and at once to seek treatment from a physician. Thus it happens that, among the regulated prostitutes, the number of those infected =appears= surprisingly small. In addition, we have to consider the =inadequacy of the medical examination=, because the number of the physicians and the time assigned to them are too small. And whilst it appears to be a fact that every third prostitute is infected with gonorrhœa, in Berlin, during the year 1889, as the result of official examination under regulation, only one prostitute in 200 was declared infected, and in 1884 only 1 in 1,873. Moreover, =very many= infected prostitutes under compulsory medical treatment are, as Blaschko proves, allowed to resume their professional occupation in an uncured state, and to diffuse their illness freely once more. The figures given by Blaschko speak very clearly on this point:
+---------------+-------------+-------------------------+ | | | _Annual Percentage of | | | | Prostitutes attacked | | _Place._ | _Date._ | by Syphilis._ | | | +------------+------------+ | | | Regulated. | Free. | +---------------+-------------+------------+------------+ |Paris | 1878-1887 | 12·2 | 7·0 | |Brussels | 1887-1889 | 25·0 | 9·0 | |St. Petersburg | 1890 | 33·5 | 12·0 | |Antwerp | 1882-1884 | 51·3 | 7·7 | +---------------+-------------+------------+------------+
From this it is clear that the =abolition= of the regulation of prostitutes will not have an unfavourable, but, on the contrary, will have a thoroughly =favourable=, influence in respect of the frequency of venereal diseases. The conditions in England and Norway show this very clearly. In Christiania, after the abolition of regulation in the year 1888, syphilis declined in frequency--in the first place, because the number of girls who applied for treatment increased, whilst prior to the abolition of regulation they had concealed their illness in order to avoid falling into the hands of the police; and in the second place, because now the fear of venereal infection kept many young men from having intercourse with prostitutes, whereas previously they had erroneously believed that the “control” would free them from the danger of venereal infection. The same was the case in London, where there is no regulation; the frequency of venereal disease has decreased because young men now avoid intercourse with prostitutes as much as possible. In France, the country in which regulation was first introduced, the commission formed for the study of prostitution came to the conclusion that “=regulation of prostitutes should be abolished=.” The principal reason for which the police continue to advocate the preservation of the system of regulation--namely, that they have an interest in the matter on account of the =intimate connexion between many prostitutes and criminality=--will not bear examination. It is true enough that =soutenage=[376] is inseparable from prostitution. Moreover, =the world of criminals= is very near to prostitution, in the first place, because the prostitute also has need of a man on whom she can lean, who can be something to her from the =personal= point of view, to whom she is not simply a chattel;[377] and, in the second place, because the prostitute is, like the criminal, =despised and defamed=--she shares with the criminal the pariah nature. Lombroso’s doctrine that prostitution is throughout equivalent to criminality is certainly not justified. =It is only by the outward circumstances of their life that the bulk of prostitutes are driven into intimate relations with criminality.= And among these outward circumstances, =regulation=, and the =expulsion= of prostitutes from honourable society (which is a necessary part of regulation) play the principal rôle! For this reason, if for this reason alone, regulation must be abolished, because then a strong supplement to criminality from the circles of prostitution would be cut off.
Even before investigators had become convinced of the uselessness and danger of regulation the cry arose: “=Away with the brothels!=” We have already alluded to the continuous =decline= in the number of brothels in all large towns. In 1841 there were in Paris still 235 brothels (to 1,200,000 inhabitants); in 1900 there were only 48 brothels (to 3,600,000 inhabitants); and for St. Petersburg and other large towns a similar decline in the number of brothels can be established, notwithstanding the fact that everywhere the population has markedly increased. This proves that the brothels no longer correspond to any real need.[378] At the present day, owing to the great development of intercourse in modern times, brothels are a public calamity; they bring the quarter of the town in which they exist into disrepute, and deprive the neighbourhood of its proper monetary value. Moreover, the time is past for slave-holding on the part of the brothel-owner. The existence of brothels favours the traffic in girls (the “White Slave Trade”), encourages sexual perversities, and increases the diffusion of venereal diseases. The prostitute living in a brothel is sometimes compelled to have intercourse with ten or twelve men in a single day, and is thus pre-eminently exposed to venereal infection, all the more because she must admit the embraces of =every= man who pays the brothel-keeper money; whilst the prostitute living freely can at least refuse to have anything to do with a man who appears to her to be ill. According to Lecour, Mireur, Diday, and Sperk, prostitutes in brothels suffer from syphilis about =three times as often= as free prostitutes.[379]
Other modifications of brothel life, such as the so-called “=controlled streets=,”[380] the best known of which are in Bremen[381]--that is to say, streets closed to ordinary traffic, the houses of which are inhabited only by prostitutes under control, but the girls being in other respects free and not living under the domination of a brothel-keeper; also the “=Kasernierung=”[382] of prostitutes, their confinement to particular streets, or special “quarters” of the town (“Dirnenquartiere”)[383]--are all to be rejected on the same grounds.
The whole nature of brothel life, and the very serious dangers it involves, have been discussed in excellent works by E. von Düring,[384] Henriette Fürth,[385] Karl Nötzel,[386] and Martin Bruck.[387] They illumine the whole question, and provide sufficient grounds for the condemnation of brothels.
A few authors, however, continue to advocate the preservation of brothels, and some of these wish to enforce medical examination, not only of prostitutes, but also of their masculine clients. This proposition is made, for example, by Ernst Kromayer in his work, which, notwithstanding many Utopian ideas, is nevertheless very stimulating, “The Eradication of Syphilis,” pp. 67, 68 (Berlin, 1898). Von Düring, in his criticism of these ideas, rightly points out that this recommendation would be quite useless in practice, because, in the first place, only a small proportion of men visit brothels at all. In the second place, in the hurry in these resorts no proper examination could be undertaken. In the third place, the doctors who were to be appointed as a kind of medical porters to brothels, would not easily be found to accept such situations. Lassar, who answers this last criticism, is of opinion that the brothel-master, or anybody with a little experience, could easily undertake this examination in the case of men.[388]
But these men would probably also decline the office; and even if they were willing, it is very doubtful if they would be in a position to make the suggested examinations, which, after all, require =real medical skill=; and, finally, the only result would be--to increase the number of quacks. Therefore, this idea of the examination of the male visitors to brothels is Utopian.
No, the true hope lies in =absolute freedom=; in =relieving prostitution from the oppression of the police=; in its gradual =separation from criminality=; in--I am not afraid of the word--in an “=ennoblement=” of prostitution.[389] The “prostitute” (German _Dirne_ = drab) must disappear, and the “human being” must reawaken. The prostituted woman must be readmitted into the social community. No more coercion! =Free and voluntary treatment=, in polyclinics[390] and hospitals; the “=rescue=” of youthful prostitutes,[391] not in the prison-like “=Magdalen Homes=,” but by means of ethically instructive influence =from human being to human being=, of the value of which the “Letters to Prostitutes” of the noble philanthropist Frau Eggers-Smidt,[392] and also the experiences of the Salvation Army,[393] give such admirable evidence.
Very aptly, also, Kromayer has shown to what an extent a change in our present attitude towards sexual intercourse outside the conditions of coercive marriage, the removal of the stamp of infamy from such intercourse, would limit prostitution, and therewith also limit venereal diseases.[394] This is as clear as daylight. But, unfortunately, those very persons who declare the existing conditions in respect of prostitution to be absolutely intolerable will not admit its truth.
The misery of the life of these unhappy creatures must be relieved, but =we= must do it =ourselves=, and soon; for they are not in a position to do so. The last, the highest goal of the campaign against venereal disease is the humanization of the prostitute.[395]
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE.--In the essay on “The Woman’s Question” in the sociological section of his work, “The Ethic of Free-Thought,” Karl Pearson discusses the question of Prostitution in relation to the Woman’s Question at large. His remarks have especial interest in view of what is said above about “the ennoblement of prostitution” and “the humanization of the prostitute,” and it seems expedient to quote the passage at length (_op. cit._, 1888, pp. 379-382).--TRANSLATOR.
“The emancipation of woman, while placing her in a position of social responsibility, will make it her duty to investigate many matters of which she is at present frequently assumed to be ignorant. It may be doubted whether the identification of purity and ignorance has had wholly good effects in the past; indeed, it has frequently been the false cry with which men have sought to hide their own anti-social conduct. It is certain, however, that it cannot last in the future, and man will have to face the fact that woman’s views and social
## action with regard to many sex-problems may widely differ from his
own. It is of the utmost importance that woman, not only on account of the part she already plays in the education of the young, but also because of the social responsibilities her emancipation must bring, should have a full knowledge of the laws of sex. Every attempt hitherto to grapple with prostitution has been a failure. What will women do when they thoroughly grasp the problem, and have a voice in the attitude the state should assume in regard to it? At present hundreds do not know of its existence; thousands only know of it to despise those who earn their living by it; one in ten thousand has examined the causes which lead to it, has felt that degradation, if there be any, lies not in the prostitute, but in the society where it exists; not in the women of the streets, but in the thousands of women in society, who are ignorant of the problem, ignore it, or fear to face it. What will be the result of woman’s action in the matter? Can it possibly be effectual, or will it merely tend to embitter the relations of men and women? Possibly an expression of woman’s opinion on this point in society and the press would do much, but then it must be an educated opinion, one which recognizes facts and knows the difficulties of the problem. An appeal to chivalry, to a Christian dogma, to a Biblical text, will hardly avail. The description we have of Calvin’s Geneva shows that puritanic suppression is wholly idle. What form will be taken by the reasoned action of women, cognizant of historical and sexualogical fact?
“Perhaps it may be that women, when they fully grasp the problem, will despair, as many men do, of its solution. They may remark that prostitution has existed in nearly all historic times, and among nearly all races of men. It has existed as an institution as long as monogamic marriage has existed; it may be itself the outcome of that marriage. I do not know whether any trace of a like promiscuity has been found in the animals nearest allied to man--I believe not. The periodic instinct has probably preserved them from it. How mankind came to lose the periodic instinct, and how that loss may possibly be related to the solely human institution of marriage, are problems not without interest. On the one hand, it has been asserted that prostitution is a logical outcome of our _present_ social relations, while, on the other hand, it is held to be a survival of matriarchal licence, and not a _sine qua non_ of all forms of human society. There is very considerable evidence to show that a large percentage of women are driven to prostitution by absolute want, or by the extremities to which a seduced woman is forced by the society which casts her out. This point is important. It may, perhaps, be that our social system, quite as much as man’s supposed needs, keeps prostitution alive. The frequency with which prostitutes, for the sake of their own living, seduce comparative boys, may be as much a cause of the evil as male passion itself. The socialists hold the sale of a woman’s person to be directly associated with the monopoly of surplus labour. Is the emancipated woman likely to adopt this view? and if so shall we not have a wide-reaching social reconstruction forced upon us? That emancipated woman would strive for a vast economic reorganization, as the only means of preserving the self-respect and independence of her sex, is a possibility with the gravest and most wide-reaching consequences. We cannot emancipate woman without placing her in a position of political and social influence equal to man’s. It may well be that she will regard economic and sexual problems from a very different standpoint, and the result will infallibly lead to the formation of a woman’s party, and to a more or less conscious struggle between the sexes. Would this end in an increased social stability or another subjection of sex?
“Woman may, however, conclude that the alternative is true--that prostitution is not the outcome of our present social organisation, but a feature of all forms of human society. She must, then, treat it as a necessary evil or as a necessary good. In the former case she will at least insist on an equal social stigma attaching to both sexes if she does not demand, as in the instance of any other form of anti-social conduct, so far as practicable its legal repression. In the latter case--that is, if its existence really tends in some way to the welfare or stability of society--women will have to admit that prostitution is an honourable profession; they cannot shirk that conclusion, bitter as it may appear to some. The ‘social outcast’ would then have to be recognized as filling a social function, and the problem would reduce to the amelioration of her life, and to her elevation in the social scale. Either there is a means of abolishing prostitution, or all participators must be treated alike as anti-social, or the prostitute is an honourable woman--no other possibility suggests itself. Society has hitherto failed to find a remedy, perhaps because only man has sought for one; woman, when she for the time fully grasps the problem, must be prepared for one, or must recognize the alternatives. There cannot be a doubt, however, that in a matter so closely concerning her personal dignity she will take action, and that, if only in this one matter, her freedom will raise questions, which many would prefer to ignore, and which, when raised, will undoubtedly touch principles apparently fundamental to our existing social organization.”
[330] See note to p. 390.
[331] Parent-Duchatelet, “The Moral Corruption of the Female Sex in Paris,” vol. ii., p. 234 (Leipzig, 1837). Similarly, Julius Donarth remarks (“The Beginnings of the Human Spirit,” p. 19; Stuttgart, 1898): “=Syphilis and alcoholism= can by social arrangement and carefully adapted measures =be suppressed just as much as plague and cholera=.”
[332] The literature of this subject is very extensive. In addition to a comprehensive work dealing with the older literature, by J. K. Proksch, “The Prevention of Venereal Diseases” (Vienna, 1872), I must mention the following: E. Lang, “The Prevention of Venereal Diseases” (Vienna, 1894); M. Joseph, “Prophylaxis of Cutaneous and Venereal Diseases” (Munich, 1900); Neuberger, “The Prophylaxis of Venereal Diseases,” pp. 35-37 (Munich and Berlin, 1904); Felix Block, “How shall We protect Ourselves against Venereal Diseases and their Evil Consequences?” second edition (Leipzig, 1905); E. Boureau, “Conseils Pratiques à la Jeunesse pour Éviter les Avaries” (Paris, 1905); Suarez de Mendoza, “Conseils de Prophylaxie Sanitaire et Morale” (Paris, 1906); same author, “ABC à l’Usage des Mères de Famille pour la Défense de Leurs Foyers contre les Grands Fléaux du XXe Siècle: Tuberculose, Avariose [= Syphilis], Neissérose [= Gonorrhœa], Alcoolisme, Mortalité Infantile” (Paris, 1905); same author, “Avariose des Innocents” (Paris, 1905).
[333] _Cf_. also the valuable remarks of Robert Hessen, “Cleanliness or Morality?” published in _Die Zukunft_, June 9, 1906, pp. 367-377 (also separately printed in Munich, 1906).
[334] Otto Neustätter, “The Public Recommendation of Protective Measures,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, vol. v., No. 3, pp. 225-227 (Leipzig, 1905).
[335] H. Ferdy, “The History of the Cæcal Condom,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1905, vol. iii., No. 4, pp. 144-147.
[336] _Cf._ in this connexion the admirable essay, distinguished by a critical spirit, of R. de Campagnolle, “The Value of the Modern Prophylaxis of Gonorrhœa by Means of Instillations,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, vol. iii., Nos. 1-4, pp. 1-31, 51-115, 148 (with a complete bibliography).
[337] In place of these solutions, Cronquist (“Contributions to the Personal Prophylaxis against Gonorrhœa,” published in _Medizinische Klinik_, No. 10, 1906) recommends the use of little rods or bougies containing 2 per cent. of =albargin=, which melt from the body-heat when introduced into the urethra (these are sold under the trade name of “antigon-rods”); they are used, like the solutions, immediately after coitus. The advantage they possess is their greater durability.
[338] The same idea had already been advanced in Germany by Eduard Richter and S. Behrmann.
[339] E. Metchnikoff, “The Prophylaxis of Syphilis,” published in _Medizinische Klinik_, 1906, No. 15, pp. 372, 373. _Cf._ also Paul Maisonneuve, “Experimentation sur la Prophylaxie de la Syphilis” (Paris, 1906); and A. Neisser. “Experimental Research regarding Syphilis,” pp. 81-83 (Berlin, 1906).
[340] O. Neustätter, “The Public Recommendation of Protective Measures,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1905, vol. iv., pp. 203-252.
[341] G. Bernhard, “The Criminal Law and Protective Measures against Venereal Diseases,” _ibid._, pp. 253-273.
[342] F. von Liszt, “Legal Protection against Dangers to Health from Venereal Diseases,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. i., pp. 1-25.
[343] Von Bar, “The Need for a Special Law against Blameworthy Venereal Infection,” _ibid._, pp. 64-72.
[344] R. Schmölder, “Criminal and Civil Juridicial Significance of Venereal Diseases,” _ibid._, pp. 73-106.
[345] Albert Reibmayr, “The Immunization of Families by Inheritable Diseases (Tuberculosis, Lues, Mental Disorders),” p. 17 (Leipzig and Vienna, 1899).
[346] This conception of “partial syphilization” of our race appears somewhat vague. If we take care to think clearly, and in terms of exact biological knowledge, we shall see that--apart from a spontaneous loss of intensity on the part of the syphilitic virus (of which we have no precise knowledge whatever)--the only known way of accounting for syphilis having become milder is by natural selection, by the death of those who suffered most severely from the disease. Now, in 400 years, ten or twelve human generations, there has hardly been time for the development of immunity to a disease to which at most a small fraction only of the population has ever been exposed. It appears to me, however, that we may reasonably doubt the alleged decline in the severity of syphilis. It must be remembered that the entire absence of mercurial treatment at first, and the misuse of that specific for many years after its value had been proved, will account for much in respect of the apparent greater virulence of medieval as compared with modern syphilis. (See also p. 356, and footnote to that page referring to the writings of Archdall Reid).--TRANSLATOR.
[347] Alfred Fournier, “The Treatment and Prophylaxis of Syphilis.” One vol. Rebman, London.
[348] _Cf._ Iwan Bloch, “Personal Reminiscences of my Lecturing Journey this Year,” published in _Medizinische Klinik_, 1906, No. 10.
[349] Hermann is a fanatical _medical_ opponent of mercury. There are, in fact, such oddities. They are very rare birds in the medical world.
[350] Recently R. Kaufmann has collected in a small readable essay the scientific views of the present day, “The Therapeutic Use of Mercury” (Leipzig, 1906). I warmly recommend this book to all who are interested in the question.
[351] _Cf._ Iwan Bloch, “The After-Treatment of Syphilis,” published in _Medizinische Klinik_, 1905, No. 4, pp. 88-91.
[352] _Cf._ Iwan Bloch, “Nutritive Therapeutics in Cases of Syphilis,” published in _Medizinische Klinik_, 1905, No. 18, pp. 442-446.
[353] Alfred Fournier, “En Guérit-on?” pp. 95, 96 (Paris, 1906).
[354] “=Krankenkassen.=”--I have to employ the German term, since in England we do not possess the institution, nor even the name. In Germany there is a general system of insurance against illness, to which workmen have to contribute a proportion of their wages, the fund being supplemented by contributions from the employers of labour. When ill the workman applies to the _Krankenkasse_ for the necessary medical advice and treatment.--TRANSLATOR.
[355] A. Blaschko, “The Treatment of Venereal Diseases in Krankenkassen” (Berlin, 1890).
[356] A. Neisser, “Krankenkassen and the Campaign against Venereal Diseases,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, vol. ii., pp. 161-169, 181-194, 221-247.
[357] R. Ledermann, “Do the Provisions of the Law for Insurance against Sickness Provide for the Cure of Venereal Disease?” _ibid._, 1905, vol. iii., pp. 449-463.
[358] Albert Kohn, “Should Krankenkassen send Delegates to Hygienic Congresses?” _ibid._, 1906, vol. v., pp. 121-130.
[359] Rudolf Lennhoff, in an address on February 8, 1907, to the local group of Berlin of the German Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases on “Venereal Diseases and Social Legislation,” drew especial attention to the necessity of enrolling in the scheme of insurance against illness wider circles of the impecunious population, especially the class of domestic servants. Servants suffering from venereal disease, since at the present day they usually preserve secrecy as to their trouble, in order that they may not lose their place, constitute a dangerous source of infection for their employers and the latters’ children. Therefore, a particularly thorough and speedy treatment of servants suffering from venereal diseases is necessary. It is further necessary to insist that all the employees of the Krankenkassen should observe the duty of professional secrecy. Recently the Landesversicherungsanstalt (an insurance institution) of Berlin started a dispensary of its own in Lichtenberg for patients suffering from venereal disease, in which every year more than 400 patients undergo treatment.
[360] A. Blaschko, “The Diffusion of Venereal Diseases,” published in _The Hygiene of Prostitution and of Venereal Diseases_, pp. 19-36 (Jena, 1900).
[361] “Diffusion of Venereal Diseases in Prussia, as well as the Measures Necessary in the Campaign against these Diseases,” edited by A. Guttstadt; Berlin, 1901 (_Journal of the Royal Prussian Statistical Bureau_).
[362] M. Kirchner, “The Social Importance of Venereal Diseases.”
[363] _Cf._ Chotzen and Simonson, “The Duty of Notification and the Obligation of Professional Secrecy on the Part of Physicians in the Case of Venereal Diseases,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, vol. ii., pp. 433-474; A. Neisser, “Amendment of § 300 of the Criminal Code, and the Medical Duty of Notification, in Relation to the Suppression of Venereal Diseases,” _op. cit._, 1905, vol. iv., pp. 1-28; Bernstein, “Medical Professional Secrecy and Venereal Diseases,” _ibid._, pp. 29-31; M. Flesch, “Medical Professional Secrecy and the Suppression of Venereal Diseases,” _ibid._, pp. 32-51; Magnus Möller, “The Duty of Professional Secrecy on the Part of Physicians, the Notification of Diseases, and the Ascertainment of the Sources of Infection in the Case of Venereal Diseases,” _ibid._, 1906, vol. vi., pp. 241-258, 283-301; Ludwig Bendix, “Professional Secrecy on the Part of Physicians,” _ibid._, 1906, pp. 372-376.
[364] H. Loeb, “Statistics Relating to Venereal Diseases in Mannheim,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, vol. ii., pp. 97, 98 (1904).
[365] H. Berger, “Prostitution in Hanover,” pp. 37, 38 (Berlin, 1902).
[366] Schmölder, “The State and Prostitution,” p. 1 (Berlin, 1900).
[367] _Cf._ J. Fabry, “The Question of Inscription under Police Surveillance, with especial Regard to the Conditions in Dortmund,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., pp. 325-342.
[368] A. Neisser, “In what Direction can the Regulation of Prostitution be Reformed?” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. i., pp. 163-356.
[369] Anna Pappritz, “Is the Present Method of the Regulation of Prostitution Capable of Reform, and in What Manner?” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. i., pp. 367-372.
[370] Clausmann, “Prostitution, Police, and Justice,” _op. cit._, 1906, vol. v., pp. 219-225.
[371] Friedrich Hammer, “The Regulation of Prostitution,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, 1905, vol. iii., pp. 373-385, 426-435.
[372] S. Bettmann, “The Medical Treatment of Prostitutes” (Jena, 1905)--a thorough study of all the available material.
[373] Schmölder, “Professional Fornication and Compulsory Inscription on the List of Prostitutes” (Berlin, 1894).
[374] “The Social Evil, with Especial Reference to Conditions existing in the City of New York. A Report prepared under the Direction of the ‘Committee of Fifteen,’” pp. 91, 92 (New York and London, 1902).
[375] A severe criticism of regulation and its consequences is to be found in the excellent dissertation of Paul Emile Morhardt, “Les Maladies Vénériennes et la Réglementation de la Prostitution au Point de Vue de l’Hygiène Sociale” (Paris, 1906).
[376] _Cf._ the admirable description of soutenage given by Hans Ostwald, “Soutenage in Berlin” (Berlin and Leipzig, 1905).
[377] “The human being awakens in the prostitute. That is the whole secret and the cause of soutenage.”--H. OSTWALD.
[378] The dislike to the brothels of Paris is confirmed by Lassar (“Prostitution in Paris,” _Berliner klinische Wochenschrift_, 1892, No. 5).
[379] J. Rutgers (“Sketches from Holland,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., p. 345) has admirably expressed this fact in the following words: “=The danger of infection is directly proportionable to centralization.=”
[380] Anna Pappritz, “What Protection can Brothel Streets Offer?” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1904, 1905, vol. iii., pp. 417-424.
[381] Stachow, “The Controlled Streets of Bremen,” _ibid._, 1905, vol. iv., pp. 77-87.
[382] Fabry, “Brothels and Brothel Streets,” _ibid._, 1905, pp. 167-169 (in favour of “Kasernierung”); Wolff, “The Question of Kasernierung,” _ibid._, 1905, vol. iv., pp. 73-76 (in favour of “Kasernierung”); F. Block, “The Kasernierung of Prostitution in Hanover” (Hanover, 1907).
[383] F. Zinsser, “The Conditions of Prostitution in the Town of Cologne,” _ibid._, 1906, vol. v., pp. 201-218.
[384] E. von Düring, “The Brothel Question,” _ibid._, 1905, pp. 111-128.
[385] H. Fürth, “The Suppression of Venereal Diseases and the Brothel Question,” _ibid._, pp. 129-156.
[386] K. Nötzel, “Brothels in Russia,” _ibid._, 1906, pp. 41-66, 81-106.
[387] M. Bruck, “Good Morals and the Brothel Trade,” _ibid._, pp. 57-62.
[388] O. Lassar, “Prostitution and Venereal Diseases,” published in _Hygienische Rundschau_, 1891, No. 23.
[389] See note at end of chapter.
[390] B. Marcuse, “Treatment of Prostitutes,” published in _The Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, pp. 1-8.
[391] F. Schiller, “Rescue-Work and the Suppression of Prostitution,” _ibid._, 1903, 1904, vol. ii., pp. 294-313, 341-349.
[392] _Ibid._, 1906, vol. iii., pp. 336-350.
[393] P. Kampffmeyer, “Educational Work in Connexion with Prostitutes,” _ibid._, pp. 351, 352.
[394] E. Kromayer, “The Physician and the Protection of Motherhood,” published in _Mutterschutz_, 1905, vol. iii., pp. 351-352.
[395] Quite recently--October, 1906--the =first= step in this direction has been taken. The Chief Commissioner of the Berlin Police addressed to the medical specialists in venereal diseases an inquiry whether they were prepared to treat gratuitously impecunious prostitutes who were not under police control. The girls would then be given a register of these doctors. If they presented themselves for treatment, no particulars about them would be demanded from the physician. The presentation by the patients to the police of a certificate from a medical man =would suffice to exempt them from police control, and from compulsory examination and treatment at the police department of the section of the town to which they belonged=. Further details will be arranged later in co-operation with the Committee of the Society for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases.
In his valuable study, “The Future of Prostitution,” published in the monthly magazine _Mutterschutz_, July, 1907, pp. 274-288, Havelook Ellis also takes an extremely optimistic view regarding the gradual and inevitable diminution of prostitution by indirect means--that is to say, in this way we are elevating ourselves socially and economically to a higher stage of humanity.
## CHAPTER XVI
STATES OF SEXUAL IRRITABILITY AND SEXUAL WEAKNESS
(Auto-erotism, Masturbation, Sexual Hyperæsthesia and Sexual Anæsthesia, Seminal Emissions, Impotence, and Sexual Neurasthenia).
“_The conditions of modern civilization render auto-erotism a phenomenon of increasing social importance._”--HAVELOCK ELLIS.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XVI
Wide diffusion of auto-erotic phenomena -- Their significance in relation to civilization -- Physiological and pathological relations -- Their diffusion among animals and among primitive peoples -- The auto-erotic instrumentarium -- Causes of auto-erotism and of masturbation -- New views regarding the masturbation of sucklings -- The sexual tension of puberty -- Sexual toxins -- Mechanical stimuli in sexual tension -- Sedative and anodyne effects of masturbation -- Seduction as the cause of masturbation -- Group-masturbation in schools, etc. -- Diseases as causes of masturbation -- Inheritance of the tendency to masturbation -- Masturbation in the female sex -- Its frequency -- Psychical onanism -- Sexual day-dreams -- Erotic correspondence -- Consequences of masturbation -- Exaggerated views of former times -- Analysis of the harmfulness of masturbation -- Changes of the psyche and of the will -- Explanation of certain phenomena of our time as due to masturbation -- Physical consequences of masturbation -- Local changes in the genital organs -- Abnormalities in the libido sexualis -- Treatment and cure of masturbation -- Clothing -- Trousers and masturbation -- Doctor Bernhard Faust’s book -- Various medical methods employed in the treatment of masturbation.
Sexual neurasthenia -- Its connexion with masturbation -- Relative independence of its symptoms -- Abnormal increase of the sexual impulse (sexual hyperæsthesia) -- Causes -- Peculiar form of nocturnal increase of the sexual impulse -- Satyriasis and priapism -- Nymphomania -- Causes of Nymphomania -- Examples -- Treatment of sexual hyperæsthesia -- Abnormal diminution of the sexual impulse (sexual anæsthesia) -- Causes -- Frequency of sexual frigidity in women -- Causes -- Vaginismus -- Treatment of frigidity in women -- Frigidity and prostitution -- Frigidity and marriage -- Erotomania -- Seminal emissions -- Lallemand’s distinction between normal and abnormal pollutions -- Morbid pollutions -- Diurnal pollutions -- Abnormalities of the genital organs and of the sensation during pollutions -- Spermatorrhœa and prostatorrhœa -- Pollutions in women -- Older and more recent observations -- Medical treatment of pollutions.
Impotence -- Its principal forms -- Malformations of the genital organs -- Castration -- Gonorrhœal diseases -- Azoospermia -- Smallness and injuries of the penis -- Incomplete erections -- Central and peripheral causes of erection -- Functional impotence -- General disorders -- Deleterious influence of alcohol and tobacco -- Nervous impotence -- The psychical impotence of the wedding night -- Examples -- Mental work and potency -- The effect of sudden mental impressions -- Reflective impotence -- Rousseau’s Venetian adventure -- Neurasthenic impotence -- Its forms and symptoms -- Impotence due to abstinence -- Senile impotence -- Treatment of impotence.
Other phenomena of sexual neurasthenia (gastric disorders, etc.) -- Sexual hypochondria -- The treatment of sexual neurasthenia.
## CHAPTER XVI
Almost as widely diffused as venereal diseases are the abnormal sexual manifestations to be considered in this chapter under the general title of “States of Sexual Irritability and Sexual Weakness.” They arise in part out of the =very nature of mankind=; in part they are the external manifestations of a =natural impulse=, of an instinctive excitement, in which form we see them also in other animals; in part they are connected with man’s =spiritual= nature, with =civilization=. We may, indeed, say that the duplex nature of man, his bodily-spiritual dualism, is most clearly reflected in this phenomenon of his sexuality. In this respect he is wholly human.
It is a great service performed by Havelock Ellis[396] that he was the first to direct attention to the “involuntary” manifestations of the sexual impulse peculiar to mankind, occurring =without= relation to the other sex. He gives them the distinctive name of “=auto-erotism=,” by which he means “the phenomenon of spontaneous sexual excitement manifesting itself =without any stimulus, direct or indirect, supplied by any other person=.” For the most part, therefore, the normal manifestations of art and poetry belong also to the province of auto-erotism, in so far as they are the result of erotic perception; and the same is true of all those manifestations which I have termed “=sexual equivalents=,” all transformations of sexual energy, such as religio-sexual phenomena, the transformation of individual love into the general love of mankind, the stimuli of fashion, and =every powerful
## activity= by means of which sexual tension finds a mode of discharge,
even though this sexual relationship is usually of an unconscious nature, as in the dance, in society games, and other enjoyments.
In my essay on “The Perverse,” pp. 14, 15 (Berlin, 1905), I have shown that there is no doubt that these sexual equivalents, taken in their entirety, have played an extremely important part in the course of the evolution of mankind; that they represent =the natural outlets= for feelings of tension and excessive forces of sexual origin; and that they should not be unnecessarily suppressed, unless we wish to evoke =much worse and far more dangerous= variations of their activity--as, for example, in the political sphere.
Appositely, I find in Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Posthumous Works” (vol. xii. of the “Collected Works,” p. 149; Leipzig, 1901) an interesting remark bearing on the question:
“Many of our impulses find an outlet in a mechanically powerful
## activity, which =can= be directed by intelligent purpose; unless this
is done, these manifestations are destructive and harmful. Hate, anger, =the sexual impulse=, etc., can be =set to the machine= and taught to do useful work--for example, to chop wood, to carry letters, or to drive the plough. =Our impulses must be worked out.= The life of the learned man more especially demands something of the kind.”
What a wise and apt remark! Our whole civilization is permeated with sexual equivalents of this kind; the pleasure of life and the joy of existence are based thereon, however much our puritans and asexual “morality-fanatics” may strive against this fact. And it is well that the sexual impulse has been “civilized,” that there are now so many spontaneous modes of its discharge, that the sphere of auto-erotism increases _pari passu_ with the growth of civilization. Many new, finer, and nobler incitations and stimuli stream therefrom into love and life, upon which they exercise a rejuvenating and strengthening influence. Still, this light throws a shadow, inasmuch as fantastic and unnatural aberrations of the sexual life are also apt to ensue.
Auto-erotism (including its grosser form, masturbation) is therefore, to a certain extent, a =physiological= manifestation; it becomes morbid only in certain conditions--that is to say, in individuals who are previously =morbid=. This is, indeed, an old medical doctrine, that there exists a physiological masturbation _faute de mieux_, and a morbid masturbation in cases of neurasthenia, mental disorder, and other troubles. The same is true of auto-erotism in its entire extent. When Fürbringer describes masturbation as “an =unnatural= gratification of the sexual impulse,”[397] this is only partly true. There exists a =natural, physiological masturbation=, a =normal= auto-erotism. Metchnikoff shares this view.[398] He says: “=It is man’s constitution itself= that permits the premature development of sexual sensibility, before the reproductive elements are mature.” The ultimate cause of such auto-erotic manifestations as belong neither to the category of “vice” nor to that of “crime” is to be found, he thinks, in a =disharmony= in the nature of man in respect of the premature development of sexual sensibility. For this reason we meet with these manifestations just as much among the lowest races of mankind as we do among civilized peoples; even among =animals= auto-erotism is a widely diffused phenomenon. This can be observed, not only among the monkeys (perhaps already a little civilized) of our Zoological Gardens, which masturbate freely _coram publico_, but it may be seen also in horses, which shake the penis to and fro until seminal emission occurs; also in mares, which rub themselves against any available firm object. We see the same thing in wild deer. Even elephants masturbate. Among primitive races masturbation is, perhaps, even more general than among civilized races. Among South African tribes, Gustav Fritsch reports, masturbation is actually a popular custom.
Havelock Ellis has described the entire auto-erotic instrumentarium, and it appears from his account that savage races manufacture onanistic stimulatory apparatus for women quite as elaborate as those which are produced by the most highly developed lewd industry of civilized peoples. Most frequently articles in everyday use are employed for auto-erotic gratification--as in Hawaii, bananas; in our own part of the world, cucumbers, carrots, and beetroots. Further, in the vagina and bladder have been found pencils, sticks of sealing-wax, empty reels, bodkins, knitting-needles, needle-cases, compasses, glass stoppers, candles, corks, tumblers, forks, toothpicks, pomade-boxes, cockchafers,[399] hens’ eggs, and, with especial frequency, =hairpins=.
I may allude here, in passing, to the fact that C. Posner refers the discovery of various bodies in the male urethra to other causes than masturbation in some cases. He states that often they have been introduced by other persons than the one in whom they are found, and is of opinion that the introducer is a man with sadistic tendencies, and usually homosexual (see C. Posner, “The Introduction of Foreign Bodies into the Male Urethra, with Remarks on the Psychology of such Cases,” published in _Therapie der Gegenwart_, September, 1902). In the year 1862 masturbation with the aid of hairpins was so widely practised in Germany that a surgeon invented a special instrument for the removal of hairpins from the female bladder! At the present day this hairpin masturbation is extremely common.[400] Still more elaborate are artificial imitations of the male penis, the so-called _godemichés_ (_gaude mihi_, _dildoes_, _consolateurs_, “_bijoux indiscrets_,” etc.),[401] of which we find representations in ancient Babylonian sculpture, in Egypt, and in the “Mimiamben” of Herondas[402] (third century before Christ); and since very ancient times they have been in use in Eastern Asia, where the Spaniards found them in the Philippines.
## Particularly well known are the wax phalli of the Balinesian women. In
Europe, as early as the twelfth century, Bishop Burchard of Worms condemned the use of artificial penes. Their use was especially common at the time of the Italian renascence; the technique of their employment became continually more elaborate. The culmination was reached in the eighteenth century France. No less a man than Mirabeau, the celebrated French politician, in his erotic romance, “Le Rideau Levé, ou l’Education de Laure,” describes such an artificial phallus, and I append his description in order to enable the reader to represent to himself the extremely elaborate technique that was used in the application of such auto-erotic instruments:
“The instrument resembled in every respect the natural penis. The only difference consisted in this, that from the apex to the root it was shaped in transverse waves, in order to render the rubbing action more powerful. Made entirely of silver, it was covered with a kind of smooth and very hard varnish, giving it the natural colours. For the rest, it was very light and thin, being hollow. Through the middle of the hollow interior there passed a round tube, made also of silver, and about twice the diameter of a goose-quill, and within this tube was a piston; the tube was firmly closed at the other end by means of a screw. This screw was perforated, and firmly soldered to the base of the head. Consequently there was an empty space between the central tube and the outer wall of the instrument. This outer cavity of the godemiché was filled with water warmed to blood-heat, and then closed with a well-fitting cork. The small central tube was filled with a thin, whitish solution of isinglass (!), which was previously prepared. The warmth of the water was immediately communicated to the isinglass solution; and the latter then represented, as far as was possible, the human semen.”
This description dates from the year 1786! But even to-day apparatus of this kind are advertised in the catalogues of certain traders, under the title of “Parisian Rubber Articles.” Whether they really exist I do not know, for I have never actually seen anything of the kind. Havelock Ellis assumes that they are still used to-day. In brothels, prostitutes use at the present time very primitive leathern phalli, such as were described by Herondas and Aristophanes, for erotic practices and demonstration.
In addition to these, there are numerous other methods of purely peripheral-mechanical masturbation. Thus, the rubbing and movement of the genital organs in bicycle-riding, horse-riding, very frequently in working the treadle of a sewing-machine, and in travelling on the railway, may give rise to masturbatory stimulation. Very commonly in women merely rubbing the thighs against one another is sufficient to induce a sexual orgasm; whereas men almost always need to have recourse to more powerful manipulation, such as manual friction (_manustupratio_).
What are the general physiological =factors= of auto-erotic phenomena, more especially of masturbation? In this connexion it is interesting to note that =auto-erotism is almost always a precursor of completely developed sexuality=, and manifests itself a long time =before= puberty; and may even appear soon after birth, for the older and more recent medical literature of the subject contains numerous observations of masturbation in =sucklings=, not to speak of masturbation in older children. The auto-erotism of sucklings is =purely peripheral= in its nature, and depends upon the mechanical stimulation of certain parts of the body, the first “erogenic” zones of man. Freud enumerates among the regions of the body by the stimulation of which sexual pleasure is most readily obtained, the lips of the infant, which, in sucking the mother’s breast or its substitute, receive an instinctive perception of pleasure, in which the stimulation produced by the warm flow of milk also plays a part. This “ecstatic sucking” of infants is auto-erotic in character. Not infrequently, while sucking in this voluptuous manner, the infant simultaneously rubs certain sensitive parts of the body, such as the breast and the external genital organs. A kind of orgasm occurs, followed by sleep. Freud aptly compares this phenomenon with the fact that in later life sexual gratification is often the best means of inducing sleep. Freud also regards the masturbation of sucklings as being within certain limits a physiological phenomenon, as exhibiting on the part of Nature an intention “to establish the future primacy of these erogenic zones for sexual activity.”[403]
With the onset of puberty the auto-erotic instincts are newly stimulated; new sources of auto-erotism become active, principally owing to the development of the genital organs and to the evacuation of the reproductive products. Various theories have been propounded to explain by what means the =sexual tension= occurring at puberty is induced, this sexual tension being regarded as the ultimate cause of the masturbation of sexually mature human beings. The most plausible hypothesis is the =chemical= theory of sexual tension and sexual excitement, which was explained in more detail above (p. 47). It may be that, as Freud assumes, a substance generally diffused throughout the organism is destroyed by the stimulation of the erogenic zones, and that the products of decomposition of this substance give rise to a discharge of sexual energy; it may be that the reproductive organs themselves produce such chemical substances, =sexual toxins=. This assumption is supported by the experimental observation that when in animals the ovaries and all the nerves connected with these organs have been removed, and consequently the ordinary periodic recurrence of sexual activity is no longer seen, if now ovarian extract is injected into the body of such animals, rutting once more occurs. Starling introduced the term “=hormone=” to denote these chemical sexual substances. They appear also to play a part in connexion with certain abnormalities and perversions of the sexual impulse--a matter to which we shall return later. R. Kossmann also speaks of a “=neuro-chemical=” injury--a kind of intoxication of the nervous system induced by “retained secretions or excretions of the reproductive organs.”[404]
The same author also advances the =neuro-mechanical= theory of sexual tension. He understands by this that the purely mechanical =distension= of the organs belonging to the reproductive apparatus exercises a =mechanical stimulus= on the genital nerves, and thus has a reflex
## action upon the centres of the brain and spinal cord, which reflex
stimulation is allayed by orgasm and ejaculation. Haig explains the feeling of relief after masturbation, and the consequent discharge of sexual tension, as rather dependent upon the mechanism of the blood-pressure. He remarks:
“Since the sexual act gives rise to a low and falling blood-pressure, it must necessarily alleviate conditions which are due to high and increasing blood-pressure--for example, mental depression and ill-humour--and if my observations are correct, we have here an explanation of the relation between conditions of high blood-pressure with mental and physical depression, on the one hand, and masturbatory practices on the other, for such practices alleviate this condition, and are readily indulged in for this purpose” (quoted by Havelock Ellis).
The statement made to Dr. Garnier by a monk, thirty-three years of age, bears out this view:
“If no nocturnal seminal emissions occur, the tension of the semen gives rise to general depression, headache, and sleeplessness. I admit that sometimes, in order to obtain relief, I lie upon the abdomen, and so produce a seminal discharge. I immediately feel =freed=, as if a =burden= had been lifted from me, and sleep returns” (_ibid._, p. 273).
Similar motives for masturbation are alleged by many otherwise healthy onanists. They apply, moreover, in an equal degree to the normal, not excessive, sexual intercourse of ordinary human beings. Persons belonging to the most diverse classes of society--men of letters, shopmen, labourers, etc.--of whom I have inquired regarding the effect of seminal emissions, whether produced by masturbation or by coitus, have unanimously agreed in describing to me this sense of “freeing” from a burden, from pressure, from harmful substances accumulated in the body--a sense of mental energy and creative power after such discharges of sexual tension not exceeding normal limits. The frequency of these discharges varies in different individuals; in one the intervals were short, in another they were long. This point has a very important bearing upon the “question of sexual abstinence,” and we shall return to it in the discussion of that topic.
Masturbation is often the means for inducing sleep and repose; it dulls nervous sensibility, and connected with this is the fact that _pain_ is often allayed by masturbation. Here I may refer once more to the previously quoted (p. 44) view of a talented young alienist, Edmund Forster, that, in association with sexual tension, there occurs an increased stimulation of the =pain-perceiving nerves= of the genital organs. It is conceivable that sexual tension, especially if it depends upon chemical causes, also increases pains arising from other areas of the body, and that the discharge of sexual tension would thus alleviate or completely allay these pains. Coe reports (_American Journal of Obstetrics_, 1889, p. 766) the case of a woman who was accustomed by masturbation to obtain immediate relief of intense menstrual ovarian pains. It is very remarkable that =these pains were accompanied by a powerful sexual impulse=, which ceased when the pain ceased, and did not return during the intermenstrual period. Here we have a striking testimony of the accuracy of Forster’s view. The phrenologist Gall was aware of the manner in which masturbation relieves pain.
In addition to these more natural causes of masturbation, which in themselves suffice to explain the wide diffusion of the practice, we have also to consider masturbation dependent upon =seduction= and upon =morbid states=.
To seduction must be referred all the phenomena of =group-masturbation= (masturbation on the large scale) in =schools=,[405] training-ships, barracks, factories (especially in this case as regards female employees!), prisons, etc. One leads another astray, and masturbation is diffused like an epidemic disease; the individuals are subjected to the influence of the =suggestion of the crowd=, which they are unable to resist. Thomalla describes boarding-schools in which masturbation was practised for a wager, and that boy won the prize in whom seminal emission first occurred! He further speaks of a school club in which obscene readings were held, and in which by means of forbidden pictures the boys were sexually excited until erection occurred, then followed general masturbation, also accompanied by wagers.
This group-masturbation is the best proof of the fact that those who masturbate are not simply individuals with an inherited morbid predisposition; for nothing is easier to suggest than masturbation. Havelock Ellis[406] reports the following case of an unmarried healthy young woman, thirty-one years of age, which throws a strong light on this suggested manifestation:
“When I was about twenty-six years of age, a female friend informed me that she had masturbated already for several years, and was so much enslaved by the habit that she suffered seriously from its ill-effects. I listened to her account with sympathy and interest, but felt rather sceptical, =and I resolved to make the attempt on myself=, with the intention of understanding the matter better, so that I might be able to help my friend. With a little trouble I =succeeded in awakening what had hitherto slumbered in me unknown=. I intentionally allowed the habit to become stronger, and one night--for I usually did it just before going to sleep, never in the morning--I really experienced an extremely agreeable sensation. But the next morning my conscience was aroused, and I felt pains also in the back of the head and along the spine. For a time I discontinued the habit, but later began it again, masturbating with considerable regularity once a month, a few days after each menstruation.... The habit overcame me with alarming rapidity, and I soon became more or less its slave.... In conclusion, I must say that masturbation has proved to me one of the blind chances in my life’s history, out of which I have derived many valuable experiences.”
Frequently local morbid changes in or near the genital organs lead to the practice of masturbation, such as skin troubles, intestinal worms, phimosis, inflammatory states of the penis or near the entrance of the vagina, prurigo and other itching affections of the penis, constipation, urinary anomalies, etc. Further, mental disorders, epilepsy, and degenerative nerve troubles, are frequent causes of masturbation. Masturbation has been observed after epileptic paroxysms in patients who at other times never masturbate. There is no doubt that neurasthenia powerfully predisposes to masturbation. =Excessive= masturbation is almost always the consequence, not the cause, of associated neurasthenia; it is “the manifestation of a disease in course of development or of a permanently existing degenerative predisposition.”[407] To these cases of invincible, habitual, excessive masturbation Oppenheim’s view applies--that the disposition to onanism is often =inherited=. A characteristic instance of this is offered by an observation of Block’s (Havelock Ellis, _op. cit._, p. 240) in the case of a little girl, who began to masturbate at the early age of two years, and had probably inherited this tendency from her mother and grandmother, for they had both masturbated throughout life, whilst the grandmother had actually died in an asylum of “masturbatory insanity.” In the majority of cases in which =masturbation makes its first appearance in sucklings= we have to do with such an inheritance. In many cases the peculiar oscillatory movements of sucklings may merely be the expression of the sense of general comfort, as Fürbringer believes, and may have nothing to do with actual masturbation; but, on the other hand, it cannot be denied that veritable masturbation may be observed in the first and second years of life. Havelock Ellis, J. P. West, and Louis Mayer have reported such cases. In children somewhat older than this--from three years upwards--seduction and suggestion certainly play a great part. The author of “Splitter” was told by a professor that, when visiting an institution for small children in St. G[allen], he saw a girl about three years of age who was making suspicious movements. The matron, whose attention was called to the matter, said that almost all babies were already infected when they first came to the institution (“Splitter,” p. 375).
Another disputed question relates to the =diffusion of masturbation in the female sex=. Is the practice commoner or less common among women than among men? Metchnikoff[408] is of opinion that in girls it is much less common than in boys, because sexual excitability generally develops much later in the female sex. Female monkeys masturbate only in exceptional cases, whereas in male monkeys masturbation is very common. The circumstance which Metchnikoff adduces in further support of his view of the rarity of masturbation in women--that, namely, most girls are enlightened regarding sexual sensibility only after marriage--proves very little, because the sensations aroused in woman by masturbation are of a very different nature from those produced by coitus, and coitus often first makes them acquainted with entirely new sensations. Tissot regards masturbation as commoner in women than in men; Deslandes believed that there was no difference between the sexes. Lawson Tait, Spitzka, and Dana, inclined rather to Metchnikoff’s view as to the greater rarity of the practice among women. Albert Eulenburg considers masturbation “not quite so common among young women as among young men,” but still “far more common than parents, teachers, and the laity of both sexes as a rule imagine.”[409] Havelock Ellis considers that =after= puberty masturbation is commoner in women because men can then much more readily obtain gratification in a normal manner by means of intercourse with the other sex. Otto Adler estimates the frequency of masturbation to be very great, because he regards it as the principal cause of deficient sexual sensibility in women, which latter condition he also believes to be extremely common, although he does not go so far as to accept Rohleder’s enormous proportion of 95 masturbators in every 100 women (!).[410] L. Löwenfeld, who characterizes Rohleder’s and Berger’s (99 %) estimates as exaggerations, considers that the frequency of masturbation in women is not so great as in men.[411] In reality, masturbation, given similar circumstances and causes, is probably diffused to an approximately equal extent among both sexes.
But this relates only to peripheral-mechanical masturbation; from this “=psychical onanism=” has rightly been separated--that form of masturbation in which, simply by ideas, without the assistance of manual stimulation of the genital organs, sexual excitement is caused and the orgasm is induced. Psychical onanism, of which Eduard Reich[412] remarked that our own time nourishes it to the fullest possible extent, develops in the majority of cases out of masturbation proper. In this form the =imagination= is tasked with representing all the factors of normal sexual gratification. The simple physical act suffices only in the first beginnings of this vice. Every practised onanist understands that he must soon call his imagination to his aid in order to produce sexual gratification, and that ultimately ideas alone dominate the entire libido, and the orgasm often enough terminates an act which in every respect has throughout remained purely ideal.
“So great is the power of imagination,” remarks the experienced Rouband, “that quite alone, without the assistance of physical stimulation, it can produce the venereal orgasm, with ejaculation of the semen, as happened to one of my fellow-students every time he thought of his beloved.”[413]
Hammond even knew an actual sect of such “onanists by means of simple ideal unchastity,” who formed a sort of club or society, and who were known to one another by certain signs.[414] A patient related to him that in his thoughts of women whom he met, or those who were sitting opposite to him in the railway-carriage, he was accustomed to undress them in imagination; he then would represent to himself very plainly their genital organs, and during this representation he experienced very
## active voluptuous sensations, culminating in ejaculation. Löwenfeld has
also observed several such cases. Eulenburg speaks of an “ideal cohabitation.” The ideas are usually of a lascivious nature, but this is not always the case. Von Schrenck-Notzing reports the case of a lady twenty years of age in whom the simple idea of men, but also agreeable sensory perceptions, such as theatrical scenes, or musical impressions, or beautiful pictures, gave rise to the sexual orgasm.[415]
Allied with psychical onanism is the brooding over sexual ideas--the _delectatio morosa_ of the theologians--and erotic excitement associated with dream-imaginations, or “sexual day-dreams” (Havelock Ellis). This is the spinning out of a continuous erotic history with any hero or any heroine, which is carried on from day to day. Most commonly this occurs in bed before going to sleep. Sexual activities form the material of these histories. We often find carefully worked out and more or less erotic day-dreams in young men, and especially in young women, frequently containing perverse elements. This dreaming, according to Havelock Ellis, does not necessarily lead to masturbation, although it often induces seminal discharges. It occurs both in healthy and in abnormal persons, especially in imaginative individuals. Rousseau experienced such erotic day-dreams. The American author Garland, in his novel, “Rose of Dutcher’s Coolly,” has admirably described the part played by a circus-rider in the erotic day-dreams of a =normal healthy girl= during the =period of puberty=.[416]
In close relationship with these psychical-onanistic day-dreams there stands another phenomenon, to which, as far as I know, I was the first to refer, which I have denoted by the term =erotographomania=.[417] There are numerous men and women who induce their lovers--male or female, as the case may be--prostitutes, masseuses, etc., to write to them =letters= with a sexually stimulating content; or also, as very frequently occurs, they themselves write such letters, containing numerous obscenities. Such correspondence, filled with ardent erotism, seems recently to have made its appearance as a peculiar refinement of sexuality; this also has the effect of a kind of psychical onanism. The interchange of obscene letters of this character recently played a part in the trial of two homosexual individuals in East Prussia. There exists, also, a comparatively blameless, more or less physiological, erotographomania of the time of puberty, in which most passionate letters are written to imaginary lovers, and the still obscure sexual impulse finds a satisfaction in these erotic imaginations.
After this brief account of the various forms and varieties of masturbation, we now turn to consider the =consequences= of the practice. In the course of time there has been a remarkable change of views in respect of this matter. The true founder of the scientific literature of masturbation, Tissot, in his celebrated monograph (“Masturbation; or, the Treatment of the Diseases that result from Self-Abuse”; St. Petersburg, 1774), regarded masturbation as the evil of all evils, and deduced from it all possible severe troubles. His book bears as motto the verse by Von Canitz:
“Wenn schnöde Wollust dich erfüllt, So werde durch ein Schreckensbild Verdorrter Totenknochen Der Kitzel unterbrochen.”
[“When base lust fills thy thoughts, Let a horrible picture rise before thy mind Of withered dead men’s bones, So let the sensual stimulation be driven away.”]
It is dominated by a thoroughgoing pessimism. In this view he is followed by Voltaire, in his “Dictionnaire Philosophique,” and by the authors of the first seventy years of the nineteenth century. Such gloomy views are expressed, above all, by Lallemand, in his celebrated book upon involuntary losses of semen; but they are shared by German physicians also, as, for example, B. Hermann Leitner, in his treatise, “_De Masturbatione_” (Buda-Pesth, 1844), and in the preface to his book we read: “The writers who speak of the terrible results of self-abuse do not exaggerate; on the contrary, their picture is not sufficiently gloomy.”[418] Modern medical science has, however, reduced these exaggerations to a reasonable measure. For this we have, above all, to thank W. Erb and Fürbringer. The old belief in the enormous dangers and the eminent injuriousness of masturbation, still remains as a bugbear in certain popular writings, some of which have been published in hundreds of editions. Who has not heard of the “Selbstbewahrung” (“Self-Abuse”) of Retaus,[419] the prototype of this dangerous literature, which must be regarded as the principal source of sexual hypochondria; frequently, also, it induces direct sexual stimulation, because it does indeed describe the devil, but describes also voluptuousness!
At the present day all experienced physicians who have been occupied in the study of masturbation and its consequences hold the view that =moderate= masturbation in healthy persons, without morbid inheritance, has no bad results at all. It is only excess that does harm; but even excess in healthy persons does less harm than in those with inherited morbid predisposition. I may express the matter in this way: it is not masturbation (Ger. _Onanie_) that is harmful, but “=onanism=” (Ger. _Onanismus_)--that is to say, the habitual and excessive practice of masturbation, continued for a number of years, =which certainly has an injurious influence on health=. The boundary line at which the harmless masturbation (_Onanie_) ceases and the injurious onanism (_Onanismus_) begins cannot generally be defined. The difference between individuals makes their reactions in this respect very different. For example, Curschmann reports the case of a talented and brilliant author who, notwithstanding the fact that he had masturbated to excess for eleven years, remained physically and mentally vigorous, and pursued his literary labours with notable success. Fürbringer reports a similar case in a University lecturer. The following case, which came under my own observation, shows that even excessive masturbation need not impair health and working powers. A man of letters, forty years of age, probably misled by a nursemaid in the first instance, had masturbated without intermission since the age of five, and since puberty had done so =several times a day= (three to ten times), without any interference with his powers for work. He is a big, powerful, healthy man, of a really imposing appearance. No one would suspect him to be a habitual masturbator. That from the masturbation (Ger. _Onanie_) of childhood and youth there developed a condition of formal onanism (Ger. _Onanismus_) in the adult is in this case principally to be ascribed to the continued abuse of alcohol. The patient drinks daily twelve to fourteen glasses of Munich beer. He is also a heavy smoker. No evidence of inherited predisposition to masturbation can be obtained. For the patient the female sex exists only in the imagination; he has very rarely had sexual intercourse, and avoids ladies’ society, although he has good fortune with women. It is the same with masturbation as it is with sexual intercourse: the effects vary according to the individual. Recently masturbation and coitus have been compared in this respect. Sir James Paget in his lecture on “Sexual Hypochondriasis” says: “Masturbation does neither more nor less harm than sexual intercourse practised with the same frequency in the same conditions of general health and age and circumstance.” Erb and Curschmann go even further; for they consider that masturbation has less influence on the nervous system than coitus. =In reality=, however, masturbation is almost always more harmful than coitus. The reasons for this are obvious. In the first place, masturbation is begun much earlier, generally at an age when the body has not yet developed any marked capacity for resistance. Masturbation in childhood is, therefore, especially harmful.[420] Löwenfeld (_op. cit._, p. 127) is of opinion that self-abuse begun before virility is attained more readily gives rise to weakness of the nervous system than masturbation begun later in life. In neuropathic children he saw several times, as a consequence of masturbation, well-marked general nervousness, paroxysms of anxiety, sleeplessness, and arrest of mental development. In the second place, masturbation is more dangerous than coitus in this way--that it can be carried out =much more frequently=, on account of the more frequent opportunities, so that masturbation four, five, or even more, times in a =single= day is by no means rare. In the third place, the =spiritual influence= of masturbation is much more harmful than that of normal coitus. The “solitary” vice influences the psyche and the character in the mere child. The youthful masturbator seeks solitude, becomes shy of human beings, reserved, morose, unhappy, hypochondriacal. In the adult the sense of the debasing character and of the sinfulness of masturbation is much more lively; self-confidence departs; the masturbator regards himself as absolutely “=enslaved=” by his vice, the eternal =struggle= against the ever-recurring impulse gives rise more to mental depression than to actual physical harm. From this there results a whole series of diseases of the will, for by masturbation much less harm is done to the intellect than to the vital energy, the capacity for spiritual and physical activity. The cold, blasé manner of many young men, who seem never to have known the natural youthful joy of life, the whole “demi-virginity” of modern young girls--all these are without doubt dependent upon masturbation and upon psychical onanism. The egoism of the onanist in the sexual relationship increases his egoism in other respects, gives rise to cold-heartedness, and blunts the more delicate ethical perceptions. The campaign against masturbation as a group manifestation is eminently a _social_ campaign for altruism; it insists that young people should take their share in all questions relating to the common good. Peculiar extravagances and unnatural characteristics in art and literature may also be partly attributed to masturbation. Many works clearly bear its imprints. Thus Havelock Ellis rightly refers in this connexion to the peculiar melancholy in Gogol’s stories, for Gogol masturbated to great excess. It would be possible to mention also certain writings of our own time which inevitably give rise to such a suspicion.
The reader will do well to consult the interesting discussion of masturbation from the philosophical standpoint by Schopenhauer (“Neue Paralipomena,” ed. Grisebach, pp. 226, 227).
The =physical= consequences of immoderate and habitual masturbation may also be really serious. The =eye= especially suffers manifold injuries, as has been proved by the investigations of Hermann Cohn. Irritable states of the conjunctiva, spasms of the eyelids, weakness of accommodation, subjective sensations of light, and photophobia, may result from masturbation. The =heart= also is sympathetically affected. Krehl even speaks of “=masturbator’s heart=” as a consequence of the long-lasting nervous hyperexcitability, which injures the heart and the vessels, and is manifested by irregularity of the pulse and by sensations of pressure and pain in the cardiac region, by palpitation, etc. Discontinuance of the habit leads to an immediate disappearance of all these alarming symptoms. Very important is also the causal connexion between masturbation and =nervous= or =mental disorders=. Here, however, as Aschaffenburg has recently insisted, we must distinguish clearly between masturbation =resulting= from previously existing nervo-psychical troubles, in which a vicious circle develops--for here the masturbation is partly the consequence of the original trouble,
## partly the cause of an aggravation of this trouble--and the effects of
onanism on the =healthy= central nervous system. Here Aschaffenburg is in agreement with the views of those who consider these effects are less serious than earlier writers were accustomed to assume. Aschaffenburg also recognizes that the most harmful effect is to be found in the =psychical= influence of masturbation, in the continuous, but ever-vain, contest against the habit. This is the source of the majority of the hypochondriacal and other troubles. He often succeeded, by the discovery of this psychical mode of origin, in putting an end to a number of morbid manifestations. As soon as the patient =becomes aware= that these have a purely mental cause, he at once feels himself freed from them. That masturbation is =never= a direct cause of mental disorder is now generally recognized by alienists.[421] At the most, masturbation is no more than a favouring element in the production of such disorder. “=Masturbatory insanity=” occurs only in those with marked hereditary predisposition, and who already have been extremely neurasthenic.[422]
But masturbation can unquestionably give rise to =purely local changes= in the genital organs, such as =inflammatory states of the prostate gland=, =spermatorrhœa=, and =prostatorrhœa=; in women =fluor albus=, =excessively painful menstruation=, and =other disturbances of the menstrual function=, and in connexion with these phenomena there may appear the morbid picture of “=sexual neurasthenia=,” which we have soon to describe.
A very serious result of onanism (not of _Onanie_) is the =disinclination to normal sexual intercourse= to which the habit gives rise, and the =production of sexual perversions=. The former is more marked in the female sex, the latter more in the male sex. Masturbation is the principal cause of sexual frigidity in women and of a disinclination to normal intercourse. Undoubtedly psychical influences here play the principal part; but also a certain blunting of the sensations of the genital organs by means of excessive masturbatory stimulation. They are no longer susceptible to the normal stimulatory influence of coitus. Moreover, masturbation is often effected by stimulation applied to =some definite portion= of the female reproductive organs, most frequently to the clitoris or the labia; and these parts in such cases are not sufficiently stimulated by coitus. In the male the especially sensitive portions of the penis are stimulated alike by masturbation and in coitus, for which reason man, notwithstanding the practice of masturbation, is much more readily able to obtain sexual gratification in the course of ordinary sexual intercourse. Notwithstanding this, there are also certain peculiar methods of masturbation in the male, the effect of which is not attained by coitus. In such cases men also may fail to induce the sexual orgasm by ordinary intercourse.
The close relationship of masturbation to sexual perversions is obvious. The more frequently the onanistic act is repeated, the more the normal sensibility is blunted, the stronger and more peculiar are the stimuli, which must be of a nature diverging from the ordinary, demanded in order to induce a sexual orgasm. The content of the lascivious ideas must be varied more and more frequently, and soon passes entirely into the sphere of the perverse. Gradually these perverse sexual ideas become more firmly rooted, and ultimately develop into complete sexual =perversions=. A classical example of this is the case reported by Tardieu[423] of a man who was in the habit of =masturbating seven or eight times every day=, and ultimately inflamed his imagination to the point of representing the act of intercourse with female corpses. At length he passed to the =practical carrying out= of this horrible idea, which had now assumed definite sadistic characters. He arranged to obtain a view of opened female bodies, killed dogs, dug up human corpses--all in order thereby to provide satisfaction for his imagination, which had been disordered in consequence of masturbation, and thus to obtain sexual gratification. In the etiology of pseudo-homosexuality masturbation unquestionably plays a part--a fact to which Havelock Ellis has drawn attention.[424] The Mexican “mujerados” are trained for pæderasty by means of masturbation repeated several times daily. Ideas of bestial intercourse may even be aroused by masturbation. Von Schrenck-Notzing[425] reports the case of a woman who had masturbated for thirty years, and ultimately came to represent to herself in imagination that she was having intercourse with a stallion.
The prospects of the satisfactory =treatment= and =cure= of masturbation are unquestionably greater in the case of children. To attain perfect success, parents, teachers, and physicians must co-operate. Above all, it is necessary to relieve any local and general morbid conditions favouring the practice of masturbation. The diet should be light and unstimulating, the clothing and bedding light and cool. In the year 1791 the body physician of the Schaumburg-Lippe family, Dr. Bernhard Christian Faust, published a remarkable work under the title “How to Regulate the Human Sexual Impulse,” with a preface by the celebrated pedagogue J. H. Campe (Brunswick, 1791). In this book he maintained the thesis that the principal cause of masturbation in boys was the wearing of =breeches=. According to him, the =wrapping up= of children in swaddling clothes causes premature stimulation of the sexual organs. Later, in consequence of wearing breeches, there is produced “a great and damp warmth, which is especially marked in the region of the sexual organs, where the shirt falls into folds” (p. 46). Also, the boy, “when he wishes to pass water, must take his little penis out of his breeches. At first, and for a long time after he begins to wear them, the little boy cannot manage this himself; other children, maids, and menservants, help him, and pull and play with his sexual parts. By this handling, pulling, and playing, which he himself does, or which others do for him, with his sexual organs, the boy is led (also the girl, who very often assists, and whom the blameless boy, out of gratitude, wishes to help in return) into constant acquaintanceship with parts which he would otherwise have regarded as sacred, unclean, and shameful. The child becomes accustomed to play with his sexual organs, and =occasional masturbation= develops into habitual self-abuse, =all brought about by wearing breeches=” (p. 45). To prevent all this, he suggested that boys from nine to fourteen years of age should wear clothing resembling rather that of girls. Then these children would be “according to Nature, children, and would ripen late; and the human sexual impulse would come under control, and mankind would be better and happier” (p. 217).
Although the far-reaching and systematic development of this thesis appears ludicrous, still, there is an element of truth in it, and unsuitably tight and warm clothing certainly favours the tendency to masturbation.
According to the suggestion of Ultzmann, in the case of nursing infants and of small children, the hands may be confined in little bags or tied to the side of the bed. The methods of the older physicians, who appeared before the child armed with great knives and scissors, and threatened a painful operation, or even to cut off the genital organs, may often be found useful, and may effect a radical cure. The =actual= carrying out of small operations is also sometimes helpful. Fürbringer cured a young fellow in whom no instruction and no punishment had proved effective, by simply cutting off the anterior part of his foreskin with jagged scissors. In the case of a young lady who often in company indulged her passionate impulse towards masturbation, he brought about a cure by repeated cauterization of the vulva. Other physicians perforate the foreskin and introduce a ring. Cages have even been provided for the genital organs to prevent masturbation, the key being kept by the father (!). Enveloping the penis in bandages without any opening has also been tried. Corporal punishment sometimes has a good effect. Of the greatest value is =continuous care, to safeguard the children against seduction=. “Parents, protect your children from servants,” exclaimed Rétif de la Bretonne. Valuable also are =earnest warnings and explanations=, =increase of energy and force of will= (by sports and games, and by work in the garden, and by the setting of tasks which stimulate ambition). =Climatic cures= and =hydro-therapeutic methods= are also valuable means in the treatment of masturbation. The same measures may be employed in the treatment of masturbation in =adults=. In their case, however, =psycho-therapeutics= plays the principal part. In many cases here also local cauterization of the urethra and massage of the prostate may bring about a cure. =Utterly perverse= would it be to introduce youthful onanists to actual sexual intercourse, after the manner of the Parisian “soup-merchants,” as the common speech names them, who, in order to cure their youthful scholars of masturbation, take them into brothels.[426]
* * * * *
Masturbation is intimately connected with =irritable nervous weakness=, or “=neurasthenia=,” this typical disease of civilization, and more especially with the genital form of the disease, “=sexual neurasthenia=.” In an analysis of 333 cases of neurasthenia Collins and Philipp found that 123 cases--that is, more than one-third--resulted from overwork or from masturbation.[427] Freud, von Krafft-Ebing, Savill, Gattel, and Rohleder see in masturbation the true cause of neurasthenia. Fürbringer, Löwenfeld, and Eulenburg are of opinion that other injuries must also come into play in order to produce the typical picture of sexual neurasthenia. It is certain that very frequently the order of causation is reversed, =neurasthenia= being the =primary= and masturbation the secondary disorder. Masturbation is then only a =symptom= of sexual neurasthenia. The same duplex mode of consideration may also be applied to the other morbid phenomena of which the clinical picture of sexual neurasthenia is composed. Every one of these symptoms of irritable weakness, the excessive sexual excitability, the deficient sexual sensibility, the seminal discharges, and the impotence, can, like masturbation, exhibit a certain =independence=, can be induced by various causes, and may lead to sexual neurasthenia; it may be, on the other hand, that they first developed in the soil of sexual neurasthenia. It is often impossible to determine the true =beginning= of the vicious circle. It therefore appears to be more practical to describe the morbid picture of sexual neurasthenia (which we owe to Beard)[428] according to its individual symptoms, as is done also by A. Eulenburg[429] in an admirable essay, and by L. Löwenfeld in his well-known work on “The Sexual Life and Nervous Disorders.”
The =abnormal increase in the sexual impulse= (=sexual hyperæsthesia=, =satyriasis=, =nymphomania=) begins at the point at which the normal sexual impulse is exceeded; and that point is subject to wide individual variations, according to the age, race, habits, and external influences. The normal sexual impulse can also be temporarily increased by special circumstances--as, for example, by prolonged sexual abstinence, and by various kinds of erotic stimulation, without our being justified in speaking of “hyperæsthesia.” This is always an abnormal condition, which may be referred to various causes. It is more frequent in men (“satyriasis”) than in women (“nymphomania”); it may be permanent or periodic; it almost always arises from lascivious =ideas=, and, according to its cause, is accompanied by a greater or less diminution of responsibility, or even by complete lack of responsibility. The readiness with which sexual ideas give rise to an abnormally increased desire and to reaction on the part of the genital apparatus is characteristic of sexual hyperæsthesia; and this may attain such a degree that the man (or woman) may really be “sexually insane,” and, like the wild animals, rush at the first creature he meets of the opposite sex in order to gratify his lust; or he may be overpowered by some abnormal variety of the sexual impulse, so that he seizes in sexual embrace any other living or lifeless object, and in this state may perform acts of pæderasty, bestiality, violation of children, etc. In these most severe cases we can always demonstrate the existence of mental disorder, general paralysis, mania, or periodical insanity, and very often of =epilepsy= (Lombroso), as a cause. In a more chronic and milder form, sexual hyperæsthesia is observed after excessive masturbation, often also in association with a congenitally neuropathic constitution. Löwenfeld describes a peculiar form of =nocturnal= sexual hyperæsthesia occurring in married men, especially men in the forties or fifties, who for various reasons are compelled to abstain from conjugal intercourse, and who live continently. =In the daytime= these patients were free from their trouble; it appeared only at =night=. Soon, or some hours after going to sleep, a =violent, painful, enduring erection of the penis= (=priapism=) set in, which disturbed their sleep, and left them in the morning with a feeling of enervation. In such a case obviously there is a hyperexcitability of the genital erection centre. The erection results as a reflex effect of stimuli proceeding from the genital organs, but manifests itself only when, during sleep, the inhibitions proceeding from the brain are in abeyance. This nocturnal priapism may, according to Löwenfeld’s observations, last for years.[430]
Sexual hyperæsthesia in women, or “=nymphomania=,” is, in its slighter forms, also in most cases a consequence of excessive masturbation. Such women do not so much exhibit a more powerful inclination towards sexual intercourse, which, on the contrary, is incompetent to satisfy their abnormal and perverse sexual excitability. We rather see in them an impulsion to obtain new sensations in their sexual organs in any possible way. These are the women who, for example, consult the gynæcologist as often as possible, because examination with the speculum or other manipulations induce in them sexual excitement. During the climacteric--the time when menstruation ceases--such states are also met with. Nymphomania proper always develops upon the foundation of severe neurasthenia and hysteria, or of direct brain and mental disorder. Then is produced the type of the “=man-mad=” woman, as described by Juvenal in the person of the Empress Messalina, who in the brothel gave herself to all comers, without obtaining complete satisfaction of her sexual desire. Such types exist also at the present day. Thus, the brothers de Goncourt in their Diary reported the case of an old housekeeper who for several decades indulged in the most lascivious love orgies, had innumerable lovers, and a “secret life full of nocturnal orgies in strange beds, full of nymphomaniac lusts.”[431] There recently lived in Charlottenburg the wife of a workman, well known on account of her incredible sexual ardour and man-mania. Her husband, a professional stabber, was imprisoned for life. His wife often gave herself in a single day to four or five different men; every male creature that approached her she asked to perform the sexual act with her.--The following almost incredible case of this nature is reported by Trélat:
Madame V., of a strong constitution, agreeable exterior, good-natured manner, but very reserved, came under the care of Trélat on January 1, 1854. Notwithstanding the fact that she was sixty years of age, she still worked very diligently, and hardly spared herself time for meals. Nothing in her outward appearance or in her actions indicated during her stay in the asylum that she was in any way affected with mental disorder. During the four years not a single obscene word, not a gesture, not the slightest passionate movement, indicated anger or impatience.
Since her earliest years she has pursued handsome men and given herself to them. When a young girl, by this degrading conduct she reduced her parents to despair. Of an amiable character, she blushed when anyone spoke a word to her. She cast her eyes down when in the presence of several persons; but as soon as she was alone with a young or old man, or even with a child, she was immediately transformed; she lifted her petticoats, and attacked with a raging energy him who was the object of her insane love. In such moments she was a Messalina, whereas a few instants before one would have regarded her as a virgin. A few times she met with resistance, and received severe moral lectures, but far more often there was no obstacle to her desires. Although various distressing adventures occurred, her parents arranged for her marriage, in the hope thereby to put an end to the moral disturbance. But her marriage was only a new scandal. She loved her husband passionately; and she loved with the like passion every man with whom she happened to be alone; and she exhibited so much cunning and cleverness that she made a mock of any attempts at watching her, and often attained her end. Now it was a manual worker busy at his trade, now some one walking past her in the street, to whom she spoke, and whom she brought home with her on any possible excuse--a young man, a servant, a child returning from school! In her exterior she appeared so blameless, and she spoke so gently, that every one followed her without mistrust. More than once she was beaten or robbed; but this did not prevent her continuing the same way of life. Even when she had become a grandmother there was no change.
One day she enticed a boy, twelve years of age, into her house, having told him that his mother was coming to see her. She gave him sweets, embraced and kissed him, and as she then began to take off his clothes and approached him with obscene gestures, the boy strove to resist her. He struck her, and he related everything to his brother, twenty-four years of age. The brother entered the house pointed out by the boy, and abused the corrupt woman to the uttermost, saying: “In such circumstances one helps oneself, without having recourse to law, in order not to bring one’s name into disrepute by public proceedings. I hope this disturbance will teach you not to behave in this way again.” While this scene was going on, the woman’s son-in-law chanced to come in, realized the situation before there was time to tell him anything, and at once took sides with the incensed young man.
She was shut up in a convent, where she behaved in so good, sweet, amiable, and modest a manner, that no one would have believed that she had ever committed the slightest fault, and representations were made to the effect that she ought to be allowed to return to her home. All the inmates of the convent had been charmed by the zeal with which she took part in the religious exercises. When she was free again, the scandalous doings were immediately resumed, and so it went on all through her life.
After she had reduced her husband and children to despair, they finally hoped that age would extinguish the fire with which she was consumed. They were mistaken. The more excesses she committed, the more she wanted to commit, the more vigorous she appeared. It is hardly credible that such debased ideas and habits should leave intact such a sweet expression of countenance, a voice so youthful, a behaviour so full of calm repose, and a glance of such clear assurance. She became a widow. Her children, on account of her horrible mode of life, could not any longer keep her at home, and they sent her to a distant place, where they provided her with an allowance. Since she was now old, she was at length compelled to offer payment for the shameful services which she demanded; and as the small allowance she received did not suffice for this purpose, she worked with untiring zeal in order to be able to pay the great number of her lovers.
To see the old, alert woman sitting at her work, as I myself saw her, when aged seventy or upwards, without spectacles, always cleanly and carefully, but not strikingly, dressed, with a simple and honourable appearance, and an open countenance--to suspect her shameful mode of life would never occur to anyone. Several of the wretched men who were paid by her related how diligent she was. She assured Trélat of her morality, in the hope that he would discharge her, and so enable her to resume her mode of life. Trélat could not agree to this, and he succeeded in obtaining from one of these men an accurate account of her shameless loves.
This corrupt woman preserved her repose of manner, her excellent appearance, and her honourable demeanour until her death. She died at the age of seventy-four years from a cerebral hæmorrhage. There was no remarkable change in the brain (_Journ. de Méd. de Paris_, 1889, No. 16).
With regard to the treatment of abnormal sexual hyperexcitability, the severer forms--satyriasis and nymphomania--urgently need =asylum treatment=. In the slighter forms favourable results will be obtained by means of psycho-therapeutics, the internal use of sedatives (such as monobromide of camphor and bromide of potassium), regulation of the diet, suitable clothing and bedding.[432]
The converse of sexual hyperæsthesia is =sexual anæsthesia=, or the =abnormal diminution of the sexual impulse=. It occurs in both sexes as a =congenital= condition, owing in such cases to atrophy or absence of the genital organs, after exhausting diseases, or in consequence of arrest of development of the reproductive organs from unknown causes. This latter condition is denoted by A. Eulenburg by the name of “=psycho-sexual infantilism=.” The same author also terms sexual anæsthesia “sexual loss of appetite.” It is commoner in women than in men. It is often merely =apparent=--a pseudo-anæsthesia--because the man does not understand how to awaken the still slumbering sexual perceptions (_vide supra_, p. 86). Recently Otto Adler has written a comprehensive and interesting monograph on this “Deficient Sexual Sensibility in Women” (Berlin, 1904). According to him, the statement of Guttzeit, =that of ten women, four have no sensation at all “in coitu,” and submit to it without any agreeable sensation at all during the friction, and without any intimation of the intense pleasure of ejaculation=--that is, that 40 % of women suffer from coldness and lack of sensibility, from “=frigidity=”--is indeed somewhat exaggerated in respect of the percentage; but still it is a correct expression of the fact that deficient sexual sensibility is much commoner in women than it is in men, in whom Effertz,[433] for example, estimates the frequency of frigidity at only 1 %.[434] In women various circumstances explain the frequency of deficient sexual sensibility. First of all, =masturbation= lowers sexual excitability in women much more than it does in man, and, above all, it blunts sensibility for normal sexual intercourse, both by means of psychical influences and by the insensibility of the external genital organs, owing to deficient stimulation of the clitoris during normal intercourse, whereas this organ is most powerfully stimulated during masturbation. Sexual frigidity also occurs in women in consequence of maladroitness and brutality of the man _in coitu_, giving rise rather to pain than to voluptuous sensations, and very frequently being the cause of the first onset of the so-called =vaginal spasm=, or “=vaginismus=.”[435] It is also due in some cases to impotence on the part of the man.
In an interesting and valuable work, Carl Laker, in the year 1889, described, as “A Peculiar Form of Perversion of the Sexual Impulse in the Female” (German _Archives of Gynæcology_, 1889, vol. xxxiv., No. 3, pp. 293 _et seq._), cases of sexual frigidity in woman _in coitu_, which are not to be regarded as cases of “anæsthesia sexualis,” since the =sexual impulse= was normal--indeed, frequently was increased--and it was sexual gratification in normal intercourse which was completely wanting. In these cases gratification was obtainable only by simple or mutual onanism. There existed a normal inclination towards the other sex, associated with mental and physical health. The author assumes that, in consequence of some anatomical abnormality, stimulation of the sensory nerves by which the voluptuous sensation is perceived, especially those of the clitoris, failed to occur; but perhaps by a change of posture _in coitu_ this stimulation can still be effected. The case previously reported by me on page 86 belongs to this category of =relative= or =temporary= sexual anæsthesia; whereas in cases of genuine =absolute= sexual anæsthesia the sexual =impulse= also is in abeyance at the outset, or disappears in consequence of excesses and in female libertines and in prostitutes.
The =treatment= of deficient sexual sensibility in women must, above all, take into consideration psychical influences, and depends, therefore, more on the husband or lover than it does on the physician; the conditions of intercourse must be adapted to the particular circumstances of the case (as by change of posture in coitus, preparatory tenderness, etc.). Painful sensibility in vaginismus can sometimes be cured by mechanical treatment, by the removal of painful remnants of the hymen, by the cure of small lesions, and also by extension by means of the speculum. It also appears, as is evidenced by an observation of Courty, that at the time of impregnation there occurs a stronger stimulation and voluptuous sensation _in coitu_ in women who are at other times frigid.
Sexually frigid women of the lower classes are apt, as Effertz points out, to become prostitutes. During the practice of their profession they always keep a cool head, because they are at first and always sexually insensitive, and can devote their whole energy and regulate all their
## actions towards the plunder of the man. The following case reported by
Effertz (_op. cit._, p. 51) illustrates this connexion very clearly:
“I was once consulted by a very highly placed hetaira on account of supposed articular rheumatism. When I informed her of my diagnosis of lues, she was greatly moved, and said to me that I should not therefore think the worse of her. She was better than her occupation; she had never followed it on account of evil passions; she was quite insensitive; she had done it only in order to provide for her parents freedom from care in the evening of their life, and to secure the future of her small child. She also told me on this occasion that she owed her success to her coldness, =for which condition she was extremely thankful=. She never gave herself for less than 1,000 marks (£50). At the same time, she made a mock of her colleagues--those stupid and wicked girls who frequently, when their heads were fired by champagne, would give themselves for nothing, and would even run after men.”
Otto Adler describes Madame de Warens, in Rousseau’s “Confessions,” as a type of such a _femme de glace_. Frigid women marry with comparatively greater frequency than women who are sexually very excitable, because their natural reserve endows them with greater value in the eyes of men, and also offers a certain security for their faithfulness. Such marriages are naturally in almost all cases unhappy, for the man soon grasps the true nature of the case, and since most will say with Ovid, _odi concubitus qui non utrimque resolvunt_, he seeks outside the house some =response= for his love.[436] In some cases, indeed, frigid women make a pretence of experiencing libido and the sexual orgasm, so that the man is deceived. In some cases, also, notwithstanding a manifest frigidity on the part of the wife, the marriage is none the less happy when the husband is partially or wholly impotent, and voluntarily renounces coitus. Such a case I myself recently observed.
“The case was that of a merchant, physically and bodily in excellent health, aged a little under forty years, who, since the eleventh year of his age down to the present time, has continued to masturbate (between the eleventh and eighteenth years of his life, twice daily). He has often had ejaculation =without= erection. When twenty years of age, he frequently attempted coitus, but could not obtain an erection. Generally speaking, he never had an erection when his attention was directed to the matter, but only without his co-operation, on other occasions than those of attempted sexual intercourse. Thus, until his engagement, in the thirtieth year of his age, he had never completed normal coitus, but had only obtained sexual gratification by means of masturbation, and therefore married with considerable hesitation, although during the eleven months of his engagement he had masturbated much less frequently. On the wedding-night, however, and later, it =appeared= that his wife had a =natural disinclination to coitus=, was =extremely frigid=, and only had traces of sexual sensation when, by means of onanistic stimulation on the part of her husband, her libido was slightly stimulated. Spontaneously she never felt any desire for sexual gratification, not even in consequence of masturbation. The two have lived for seven years in =most happy= married life, and love one another tenderly, =without= ever having completed coitus. This deficient sensibility in the wife, and her failure to respond, have naturally not relieved the impotence of the husband, and he gratifies himself now, as before, by solitary masturbation.”
This case proves that the capacity for love is to a certain extent independent of the strength of the libido; frigid men and women can be thoroughly “erotic”; that is to say, they can experience the need for tenderness, just as “erotomania”--that is to say, the excessive longing for love--is completely different in its nature from satyriasis and nymphomania (= excessive sexual desire).[437]
Julius Pagel and other authors have recently drawn attention to the fact that the condition of “erotomania”--excessive amativeness--was fully described by the ancient and medieval physicians, who regarded it as a morbid state. He published (in the _Deutsche Medizinal-Zeitung_, 1892, p. 841) under the title, “A Historical Contribution to the Chapter of ‘Cures by Disgust,’” the translation of a passage from the _Lilium Medicinæ_ of Bernhard von Gordon in Montpelier, a well-known and favourite compendium of the beginning of the fourteenth century, in which, following the example of Avicenna, the _amor (h)ereos_ was numbered among the _melancholicæ passiones_, and was considered to constitute a particular section of the group of diseases of the brain (see the edition of the _Lilium Medicinæ_, p. 210 (Lyons, 1550)). It is, unfortunately, impossible here to deal at any length with the exceedingly instructive and remarkable contents. One of the methods of treatment was to find an old hag as hideous and repulsive as possible, who was to hold under the nose of the erotomaniac a chemise stained with menstrual blood, saying at the same time, _talis est amica tua_. We may remark, in passing, that this genuine medieval “cure by disgust” diverges, much to its disadvantage, from the manner in which in antiquity (three centuries before Christ) Erasistratos, the pupil of Aristotle, a celebrated physician of the Alexandrian school, cured the son of King Antiochus, who had fallen in love with his stepmother Stratonica. An account of the ancient therapeutic art is also to be found in another work by J. Pagel, “Introduction to the History of Medicine” (Berlin, 1898). In a comprehensive work, “The History of Love Considered as a Disease,” this topic has recently been considered by Hjalmar Crohns. Here we have a theme the literature of which is very extensive, and which might be suitably dealt with in a special treatise.
In the male, sexual frigidity in the majority of cases is associated with sexual weakness or with impotence--that is to say, with the impossibility of copulating or of procreation. The former variety of sexual incapacity (_impotentia cœundi_) is, properly speaking, peculiar to the male. The second form--true “sterility” (_impotentia generandi_)--occurs in women as well as in men.
In the case of male impotence, various symptoms, preliminary disturbances, and associated phenomena, make their appearance, and these we shall have to describe separately, since they often occur as independent disorders.
This is, above all, true of the =outflow of sexual secretions from the urethra=, =seminal losses= (=pollutions=[438] and =spermatorrhœa=), and the evacuation of the =secretion of the prostate gland=, the so-called “=prostatorrhœa=.” The literature of these conditions, which are partly physiological (as a proportion of pollutions) and partly morbid, is enormous. Of fundamental importance, notwithstanding the serious exaggerations of the author, is the celebrated work of Dr. M. Lallemand, “Involuntary Losses of Semen.” In recent times this important province of sexual pathology has been more especially advanced by the researches of leading German physicians, above all by those of Curschmann and Fürbringer.
The most important question with regard to seminal losses or pollutions in any case is this: have we to do with physiological processes, lying within the range of health, or have we to do with morbid processes?
As normal, not morbid, seminal losses Lallemand regarded pollutions in =healthy, sexually mature, continent= individuals, occurring =spontaneously during sleep=, associated with =erection= of the penis and voluptuous sensations. He rightly regarded these as physiologically necessary, indicated their purpose to be the discharge of sexual tension, the prevention of an excessive accumulation of the reproductive products, and compared their effect with that of hæmorrhages from the nose, which are so common in youth, and in most cases are distinctly beneficial. But he drew attention to the =indeterminate, fluctuating boundary-line= between normal and morbid pollutions. This latter point of view is dealt with also by Eulenburg (“Sexual Neurasthenia,” p. 171), in opposition to other authors who regarded all pollutions, even the physiological, as abnormal. In practice, however, it is generally not difficult to distinguish between physiological and morbid seminal losses. The former are characterized, not only by the distinctive signs already mentioned, but also by their occurrence =at longer intervals=, and by the =absence= of any disadvantageous effect upon the general state of health. As soon as pollutions have such a deleterious influence they are morbid; and they are generally morbid when they occur abnormally =early=, before puberty, with abnormal =frequency=, at abnormal =times of the day=, and in association with abnormal =conditions of the genital organs=. According to Fürbringer, the normal intervals between pollutions in the case of continent youths vary between ten and thirty days. Löwenfeld considers pollutions occurring once a week, and even the transient occurrence of pollutions on several successive nights, as a result of sexual excitement, as being still within normal bounds. But if these repeated pollutions within a single week, or even within a single day, continue =for a long time=, we are always concerned with morbid pollutions. These sometimes occur not only at night, but also--a fact to which the German physician Wichmann, in his dissertation _De Pollutione Diurna_ (Göttingen, 1782), drew attention--they occur =by day= (“diurnal pollutions”), in the waking state, without masturbation or coitus, upon slight mechanical or physical stimulation. In such cases erection of the penis is often completely =wanting=; ejaculation of the semen takes place with the organ flaccid, and even without any voluptuous sensation. In many cases, indeed, these pollutions are accompanied by actual =painful= sensations in the genital organs, and instead of voluptuous dreams or thoughts, the nocturnal ejaculation is accompanied by anxious dreams, the daylight pollution by an extremely disagreeable sensation. Commonly in these pollutions ordinary semen is at first evacuated--a mixture of the secretions of the testicles, the prostate, the vesiculæ seminales, and Cowper’s glands--containing numerous =spermatozoa=. After the trouble has lasted a long time the semen becomes thinner (owing to its containing a smaller proportion of the thick testicular secretion) and more transparent; the spermatozoa are less numerous and mostly undeveloped, and ultimately they may be completely absent. Löwenfeld observed a peculiar form of pollution in which the semen was ejaculated only in drops, or might be =completely wanting=--that is to say, there might be a pollution =without= ejaculation, purely a voluptuous orgasm.[439]
In such cases Löwenfeld was able to prove that it is not the loss of semen which weakens, as Lallemand assumed, but that it is the =nervous disturbance= of the lumbar spinal cord which plays the principal part. This irritable weakness of the lumbar spinal cord may have existed for a long time before, or may have developed only as the result of repeated pollutions or of excessive sexual excitement; it may give rise, not only to proper seminal emissions, but, in addition, to “=spermatorrhœa=”--that is to say, to the =outflow of semen accompanying urination or defecation=; and it may also cause the rarer “=prostatorrhœa=”--the outflow of the secretion of the prostate gland. A long duration of all these morbid discharges has a serious effect on the health, and induces the typical picture of sexual neurasthenia. As a =cause= of seminal losses we must mention masturbation, excessive sexual intercourse, chronic inflammation of the urethra (especially after =gonorrhœa=), stricture of the urethra, rectal affections, alcoholism, diabetes, and tabes dorsalis.
In =women=, also, =processes analogous to pollution= may be observed, although much more rarely than in men, and generally as a consequence of masturbation practised for several years. According to Adler (_op. cit._, p. 130), pollutions--that is to say, evacuations of the secretion of the vaginal glands and of the uterine mucous membrane, as well as of the secretion of Bartholin’s glands near the vaginal inlet--never occur in chaste and intact virgins, but only in women who have already learned the enjoyment of sexual intercourse, and who are subsequently compelled to lead a continent life. For this reason pollutions are a “trouble of young widows,” and occur in young girls only when they have learned to know the nature of sexual pleasure by means of masturbation. Eulenburg remarks (“Sexual Neurasthenia,” p. 174):
“In connexion with lascivious dreams there occur spontaneous, more or less abundant, discharges of the clear muco-gelatinous secretion of the glands. These form a striking manifestation of sexual neurasthenia in women, and can be compared with the morbid pollutions occurring in similar circumstances in male neurasthenics. We hear less about them, however, and they are insufficiently known, even by medical men. For this reason especially, when they occur in association with physical virginity and a normal genital condition in other respects, they do not usually receive sufficient attention.”
The older physicians, especially those of the eighteenth century,[440] described these pollutions in women very well and thoroughly; in erotic and pornographic literature they have always played a great part. An interesting observation on peculiar processes analogous to pollutions is reported by Paul Bernhardt.[441] A hysterical sempstress, twenty-five years of age, as the result of any kind of =annoyance=, experienced sexual excitement completely resembling the sensation of sexual intercourse, and ending with a discharge of mucus. This was, however, never accompanied by any trace of voluptuous sensation; on the contrary, it gave rise to lumbar pains. Also, when she dreamed of anything =disagreeable= or had =nightmare=, this condition recurred. Erotically the patient is very indifferent, and denies the practice of masturbation.
To the category suggested by P. Bernhardt of sexual excitement induced by anxiety and trouble belongs the case reported to me by Dr. Emil Bock of a boy of fifteen years of age, who, when very anxious about his inability to complete a school task, experienced an ejaculation for the first time. To the literature of impotence belongs the work by Nicolo Barrucco, “Sexual Neurasthenia, and its Relations to the Diseases of the Genital Organs.” Regarding physiological pollutions, and the trifling difference between them and normal seminal discharge during coitus, Schopenhauer makes some apt observations in his “Neue Paralipomena,” pp. 230, 231.
In the =treatment= of pollutions, which always demands the most careful medical observation and examination of the individual case, the most important measures are =dietetic and hygienic treatment=, =change of scene= from town to =country=, and especially to =mountain air=, methodical =hydrotherapeutic measures=, =warm baths=, =massage=, =electricity=, =hyperalimentation=, the use of =bromides=, =local treatment of the urethra=, etc., etc.
The last and most important of the phenomena connected with sexual neurasthenia is =sexual weakness= or =impotence= in its various forms.[442]
We distinguish in the male =two principal forms= of impotence: (1) “=Impotentia coeundi=”--that is, incapacity for erection of the penis and the completion of coitus; (2) “=impotentia generandi=”--that is, the impossibility of fertilization (owing to want of semen or to the lack of fertilizing quality in this fluid).
Congenital malformations of the genital organs giving rise to impotence are extremely rare. Gyurkovechky, amongst 6,000 men fit for military service, found three such men only. More frequently are =acquired= defects met with as causes of impotence, such as complete or partial loss of the penis and testicles, as in eunuchs and castrated persons. It is well known that, notwithstanding the removal of the external genital organs, sexual desire may persist; and when the penis is retained, though the testicles have been removed, erection and copulation are possible, providing the castration was effected after puberty. But it is obvious that in most cases potency is very markedly interfered with, and ultimately it may entirely disappear. More light is thrown on the question by the occurrence of impotence after =unilateral= castration. A tragical case of this latter kind is reported by von Gyurkovechky (_op. cit._, p. 71):
“A former colleague of mine at the University of Vienna had to have one of his testicles removed in consequence of obstinate inflammation resulting from gonorrhœa; thereafter the second testicle underwent complete atrophy. The much-to-be-pitied, handsome, elegant, and amiable young man remained for some years capable of performing coitus, was greatly pleased with himself for this reason, and paid ostentatious court to ladies. Still, he was seldom in a position to perform coitus, and after three years he completely withdrew himself from the society of ladies, and became gradually morose and reserved, until one day he disappeared from Vienna, discontinued his studies, and never let any of us hear from him again. This case has remained very vividly in my memory, and it illustrates most clearly the influence of virile potency upon the entire being of the individual.”
If the second testicle remains intact, the capacity for sexual intercourse is not interfered with; and reproductive capacity also persists, although it may be diminished in degree.
An important source of sterility in the male, in which the capacity for sexual intercourse remains unimpaired, is =bilateral epididymitis=, consequent upon =gonorrhœa=. This represents more than 50 % of all the cases of incapacity for procreation in the male. Finger found in 85 % of cases of epididymitis that the =spermatozoa were absent from the semen= (the so-called “=azoospermia=”); and Fürbringer is led by his own experience to believe that 80 % of men who have had double epididymitis are incapable of procreation. Thus we may really speak of “=gonorrhœal sterility in the male=.” In many sterile marriages the fault lies with the husband, as was first clearly proved by F. Kehrer’s fundamental investigations. And the no less momentous gonorrhœal sterility in women is also, in the majority of cases, ultimately dependent upon the husband, who has presented his wife with “gonorrhœal infection as a wedding gift.”[443]
An extremely =small size= of the penis, also a =relatively small size= of this organ in cases of obesity and tumours, =malformations= of the penis, also the by no means rare mechanical hindrances to erections due to injuries and indurations in the corpora cavernosa (especially as a result of gonorrhœal inflammation)--all these may make coitus impossible. Fürbringer and Finger have also seen peculiar chronic shrinking processes of the corpora cavernosa occur independently of gonorrhœa and tumours. All these conditions give rise to =incomplete= erection, in which the penis is bent at an angle at some point or other, or is curved, so that it cannot be introduced into the vagina (chordee).
All the hitherto described forms of impotentia coeundi are less frequent than those =in which the external genital organs are completely intact=, and in which we have to do simply with =imperfection= or =complete failure of erection= in consequence of various =general disorders=.
Erection of the penis is induced both =centrally= from the brain (by voluptuous ideas), and from the spinal cord (by direct stimulation), and also =peripherally= from the genital organs (by friction of the glans penis), by stimuli proceeding from the urethra, bladder, prostate, seminal vesicles, rectum, and the neighbourhood of the genital organs (as, for example, the buttocks), and may be either of a morbid or of a physiological character. When there are inflammatory conditions of the genital organs, especially gonorrhœa of the anterior and posterior urethra, erections occur very readily. From the full bladder there also proceed stimuli giving rise to erection, thus inducing the well-known “=morning erection=,” utilized by many who would otherwise be completely impotent. Blows on the buttocks also give rise to erections--a subject to which we shall return when we come to discuss flagellation.
The =nature= of erection can be very briefly described as consisting in a stiffening of the penis by the profuse =streaming of blood= into the =reticular spaces= of the =corpora cavernosa=, enlarged by =stimulation= of the =erection nerves=. The consequent erection of the penis is dependent upon the action of a particular muscle--the ischio-cavernosus muscle.
Impotence when the external organs are intact is in most cases due to central causes, and ultimately to psychical causes, even though severe bodily affections or local morbid states play a predisposing part (the so-called “=functional impotence=”).
This impotence is sometimes one of the =earliest= symptoms of =diabetes mellitus= and of =chronic Bright’s disease with contracted kidney=, also of =severe conditions of exhaustion=--to which consumption offers a significant exception, signalized already by the old saying, _phthisicus salax_--of =obesity=, and of =tabes dorsalis=, in which the sexual potency gradually disappears, but libido outlasts the capacity for erection. Certain =poisons= also particularly damage potency. This is especially the case with =alcohol=, the deleterious influence of which on potency has already been described (pp. 293, 294). Georg Hirth goes so far as to recognize a special “=impotentia alcoholica=.”
“Above all, no alcohol,” says he, “especially not as a means for producing erection. In youth a man needs no such stimulus, and in age he will be apt to find, with the porter in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ (Act ii., Scene 3), that ‘drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery,’ for, as he says, ‘it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance; it makes lechery, and it mars him; it sets him on and takes him off; it persuades him and disheartens him; makes him stand to and not stand to: in conclusion, equivocates him into sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.’”[444]
Fürbringer’s view, that alcohol, taken up to the degree of slight intoxication, rather increases potency, in connexion with which he refers to sexual invalids who are only able to perform sexual intercourse in a state of moderate intoxication, cannot be regarded as generally true. It is possible that in these admitted sexual invalids alcoholic intoxication overcomes =stronger psychical inhibitions=, which in the state of sobriety had hindered erection. For the normal individual alcohol is not a means for the increase of sexual potency, but the reverse.
=The free use of tobacco= certainly also impairs sexual potency.[445] Nicotine and love are as little compatible as alcohol and love. Fürbringer, Hirth, and Eulenburg, ascribe to the excessive use of tobacco a diminution in sexual potency. The following interesting passage is from the Diary of the De Goncourts (_op. cit._, p. 89):
“=There is an antagonism between tobacco and women. The taste for one diminishes the taste for the other=. So true is this, that passionate Lotharios usually give up smoking, =because they feel or believe that tobacco diminishes their sexual appetite and their powers of love=.”
=Coffee= and =tea=, taken in excess, and, above all, =morphine=, are also antagonistic to potency. Dupuy has observed the frequent occurrence of impotence in men who were in the habit of drinking large quantities of strong coffee (five or six breakfast-cups every day). Sexual potency returned as soon as the use of coffee was discontinued; whilst when the use of the beverage was resumed the impotence again appeared (_Comptes Rendus de la Société de Biologie_, 1886, No. 27).
The majority of cases of functional disturbances of potency depend upon nervous impotence. It is the form which at the present day the physician most frequently encounters. It is intimately connected with the state of “irritable nervous weakness,” or sexual neurasthenia, the most important symptom of which is represented by “psychical” impotence. There exist, also--and this justifies the independent consideration of psychical impotence--numerous cases of impotence =without= neurasthenia (Fürbringer). This remarkable form occurs especially in perfectly =healthy= young =husbands=, who often before were completely potent, and had previously effected coitus in a perfectly normal manner, or had lived a quiet, continent life, without having injured themselves in any way by masturbation. Such individuals, in consequence of the excitement, shame, and embarrassment of the wedding-night, often suffer from psychical impotence. Réti[446] speaks of “=impotence due to compassion=,” arising from “the sympathy felt with the pains suffered by the still virgin wife” when the attempt at coitus is made.
“The young married pair kiss one another and vie with one another in tenderness, but when the matter becomes serious--when the husband wants to enjoy his rights as a husband--the wife experiences incredible anxiety; she trembles in all her limbs, writhes, screams, and weeps. The man becomes exhausted, and at length, when the wife is resigned, and willing to surrender herself to her fate, he has become unfitted for his share in intercourse.”
It is clear that these forms of psychical impotence, which appear in very various shades, are mostly transient phenomena, and exhibit a good prospect of complete cure.
Much more difficult is the matter when we have to do with cases, becoming commoner every day, of psychical impotence in consequence of =sexual perversions=. Sadistic, masochistic, fetichistic, and homosexual inclinations may, in certain individuals, predominate to such an extent that either copulation cannot be effected without the =preliminary= gratification of these perverse instincts, or else the latter =entirely usurp the place= of normal coitus, which has become, generally speaking, quite impossible (relative and absolute psychical impotence in consequence of sexual perversions). To the former category belong, for example, those cases, which are by no means rarely seen, in which homosexual persons are only able to have intercourse with their wives after preliminary caresses by their male friends; or masochists must be subjected to a preparatory flagellation in order to become potent. In the second category copulation has become quite impossible; the orgasm takes place only in connexion with the activity of the perverse impulse, and there often exists an actual repugnance to normal coitus.
Well known also is that rare relative psychical impotence in which the man can perform coitus only with =prostitutes=, whereas he is impotent as regards decent women. This, however, may often be associated with the existence of sexual perversions, which are gratified only during intercourse with prostitutes.
Another form of relative psychical impotence is =temporary= impotence, in which the potency is entirely subject to =custom=, and a change in the custom induces impotence. Thus, Frenzel reports the case of a man who had always had intercourse with his wife immediately on going to bed, and proved completely impotent when this habit was interrupted, and he now wished to perform the act early in the morning. Only gradually did he recover his lost potency and become able to adapt himself to the changed conditions.[447]
Another form of impotence by no means rare, and occurring in otherwise healthy men, is that produced by powerful =mental= activity or =artistic= production, the impotence of literary men and of artists. It is usually of a transient nature,[448] manifesting itself only during the periods of intellectual activity, and it is explicable in accordance with the law of sexual equivalents, according to which the sexual potency appears in the latent form of spiritual productive activity. A remarkable case of this impotence of literary men is reported by the just quoted Frenzel.[449] Allied with this variety of impotence is the form due to transient =mental distraction=, to =instantaneous ideas=, which suddenly act as psychical inhibitions. These sudden ideas can be of a very varied content--joyful, sad, anxious, annoying; in every case they are capable of annulling the =already existing potency=, and of making the further erection of the penis impossible. Such conditions occur alike in healthy persons and in those who are readily excitable and neurasthenic. A classical instance of this nature is J. J. Rousseau’s adventure with the Venetian courtesan Giulietta, which he describes very vividly in his “Confession.” He went to see her full of passionate desire for sexual enjoyment, but Nature “had put into his head a poison against this unspeakable happiness” for which his heart yearned. Hardly had he glanced at the beautiful girl than an idea came to him which moved him to tears, and completely diverted him from his purpose. He became more deeply absorbed in this idea, the sexual desires completely disappeared, and he was no longer in a position to prove his manhood. To this tragi-comic episode we owe the exclamation of the disappointed girl, which has passed into a proverb: “Lascia le donne e studia la matematica” (“Leave women alone, and go and study mathematics”). In the =reflective love= of Kierkegaard, Grillparzer, Alfred de Musset, and other men of remarkable genius, there is also recognizable an element of impotence.
The majority of all cases of impotence belong to the class of true =nervous, neurasthenic= impotence, and these are diffused especially among the circles who supply the greatest contingent to the ranks of neurasthenics in general--that is, among officers, merchants, physicians, and other classes of the cultured part of our population whose professional duties are arduous. Among the causes of neurasthenic impotence, excessive masturbation and chronic gonorrhœa, with its consequences, play the principal part. Neurasthenic impotence manifests itself, above all, by abnormal conditions of erection and ejaculation, either of which may by itself be diminished or completely prevented; or, again, both may exhibit abnormalities, whilst in some cases even erection may be =very frequent=, =unusually powerful=, and =long-lasting= (the so-called “=priapism=”), whilst ejaculation and voluptuous sensation are completely wanting, and these erections are in most cases accompanied by very =painful= sensations. An extremely characteristic symptom of nervous impotence is a =premature discharge of the semen=, not merely _ante portas_, but often even at the first signs of activity of the libido sexualis, at which time erection may be very well developed. In other cases, again, erection occurs, but no ejaculation of the semen. Finally, both may be completely wanting (the so-called “=paralytic impotence=”).
* * * * *
The following cases, which came under my own observation, show some of the above-mentioned types of impotence:
1. A man, twenty-nine years of age, married for ten months, complains, after obviously excessively frequent enjoyment of his conjugal rights, of a sense of weakness and weariness after intercourse, such as he has never previously experienced, as well as of a continually earlier ejaculation, latterly even on simple contact of his penis with the vulva. Erection is always present and is powerful. On further inquiry he admitted that in his four-weeks’ honeymoon he had connexion once daily, and thenceforward two or three times a week.
2. A man, twenty-one years of age, states that a year and a half ago for the first time he endeavoured to have sexual intercourse; he has never yet succeeded in completing coitus. Since the age of fourteen years he has suffered from frequent pollutions and from marked sexual excitability. He has often tried to effect coitus, but there has always resulted precipitate ejaculation, with his penis in a flaccid condition. He has, properly speaking, only morning erections, dependent upon a full bladder. It is possible that a marked varicocele on the left side has something to do with the genesis of this impotence.
3. A man, forty-eight years of age, has noticed for some years a distinct decline in sexual potency. Ejaculation always occurs shortly before _immissio membri_, when the penis is flaccid or only semi-erect. If erection is complete, on the other hand, then ejaculation fails to occur.
Very peculiar, and offering a kind of analogy to vaginismus in women, is impotence consequent upon =excessively painful sensibility of the glans penis=, as a result of sexual neurasthenia or of local inflammatory processes (balanitis, etc.). The pains during coitus in these cases are often so severe that those thus affected completely abandon any attempt at intercourse.
The question =whether impotence can result from sexual abstinence= is still disputed. Fürbringer does not know of any certain cases. According to Virey,[450] by “complete and continuous abstinence from intercourse” in the male the organs by which the semen is prepared--the testicles, the seminal vesicles, and the vasa deferentia--and also the penis, become smaller, “unsightly, wrinkled, and inactive.” Galen reports the same of the athletes of the Roman Empire, men who had to live a life of strict continence. Virey alludes to an “extremely chaste saint, in whom after death no trace of genital organs could be discovered” (!). That absolute abstinence must ultimately limit potency, if only by psychical means, is _a priori_ probable.
Recent observations confirm the view that long-continued absolute sexual abstinence exercises a harmful influence upon potency, and especially upon potentia coeundi. As a proof of this, I may more especially mention two cases of University professors, not yet thirty years of age, both of whom until a little while ago had had no experience of sexual intercourse, one having remained continent during two years of married life! Quite recently both of them repeatedly attempted normal coitus, but with complete failure _quoad erectionem_. Von Schrenck-Notzing[451] also reported a case of this character not long ago, in which, notwithstanding the strong desire for normal sexual intercourse, in the case of a literary man thirty-five years of age, who prior to marriage had lived a life of =complete abstinence=, and had never practised masturbation, every attempt at coitus proved a failure.
Finally, we have to consider the more or less physiological =presenile and senile impotence= which accompanies the commencement of old age, but naturally occurs at very different times in different individuals, for some men are already old at the age of forty years, and others are not yet old at the age of seventy years. Von Gyurkovechky dates the first decline in the sexual powers from the fortieth year of life, and considers that normally these powers are completely extinguished at about sixty-five years. But there are numerous exceptions. Complete potency in respect of libido, erection, and ejaculation has been observed in men of seventy and eighty years; and isolated cases have even been recorded in which men of ninety and one hundred years have procreated children.[452] In the sense of Metchnikoff and Hirth, who in their writings proclaim the prevention of senility as a hygienic ideal, this physiological _potentia senilis_ is no Utopia, and a future scientific macrobiotic will defer the onset of old age by from ten to twenty years.
“I do not ask,” says Georg Hirth, “that the man in advanced age should play with his sexual powers; but that he should possess =the consciousness of being able to use them=--that I do demand” (“Ways to Love,” p. 462).
The treatment of impotence in the male in its various forms is indeed a difficult matter in individual cases, more especially in view of the great number of existing methods of treatment; but treatment promises good results when it is based upon an exact, critical, individual analysis of the separate causes and symptoms. It is partly =local= and
## partly =general=. In the case of impotence resulting from excessive
masturbation, or in the case of the well-known “gonorrhœal” impotence, good results will be obtained from =slight cauterization of the urethra= and =massage of the prostate=, =local carbonic-acid douches= or carbonic-acid baths, =warm or cold sitz-baths, or electrical treatment=, with which, however, great care must be exercised. In some cases imperfect erection will be benefited by the application of a 10 % =ethereal solution of camphor=, in the form of friction or a spray, to the entire genital region. Mechanical apparatus have also been employed to favour erection, as, for example, the so-called “=schlitten=,” consisting of a conducting instrument for an insufficiently erect penis, made up of two thin, suitably shaped laminæ of metal, or the “=erector=” of Gassen, which works in a similar manner. Apparatus of this nature are useful only to this extent, that they give the penis a certain purchase. We cannot allow that they possess any other effect, any more than Gassen’s other apparatus, the “compressor,” the “cumulator,” and the “ultimo” (Löwenfeld, Fürbringer). Any local changes that can be detected as having some connexion with the occurrence of impotence must receive attention. This is obvious; and no less obvious is the treatment of any general disorders which may give rise to the impotence. As regards the general treatment of impotence, =psychical= influence must first be considered. =In most cases= this must take the form of temporary withdrawal of the thoughts from the sexual sphere in general, for which the strict prohibition of sexual activity (masturbation, etc.) forms the foundation; in addition, =will= and =self-confidence= must be strengthened. In these matters an intelligent wife can do much to supplement the work of the physician. Sometimes a mere =change= in the mode of life or in the relations between husband and wife, above all, a change in the mode of performing sexual intercourse (a change in posture, greater responsiveness on the part of the wife, etc.), may have a manifest curative influence. The treatment of the neurasthenia which may have caused the impotence will also have a favourable effect. Alcohol and tobacco are best entirely forbidden. Innumerable =drugs= have been recommended for the treatment of impotence. The belief in the beneficial effect of cantharides is as much a superstition as the belief in the aphrodisiac action of celery, asparagus, caviare, and truffles. Certainly all these may cause excitement of the genital organs, but this is merely due to an increased flow of blood to these organs, which is of a very fugitive nature, and when the effect is often repeated (especially when cantharides is used for this purpose), it may have serious consequences. The influence of these substances may be compared with the purely stimulating effect of flagellation. More confidence may be placed in =phosphorus=, =strychnine=, and, above all, in =yohimbin=, a drug prepared from the bark of a West African tree,[453] which is warmly recommended in cases of neurasthenic impotence by Mendel and Eulenburg. Having myself seen good results from the use of Yohimbin Riedel in two cases of pre-senile gonorrhœal impotence, I can confirm the favourable judgment of Eulenburg. In the case of pre-senile impotence in a man nearly sixty years of age yohimbin was the only means which, after several years’ intermission, enabled him once more to have erections, and repeatedly to perform coitus. Eulenburg reports the case of a man, which is probably unique, in whom, =after a few days’ use=, yohimbin restored sexual potency after he had been impotent for twelve years! This interesting drug is certainly a valuable enrichment of our aphrodisiac armamentarium, and the first drug of this nature to which the name of a specific against impotence can justly be given.
Quite recently Eulenburg, Posner, Nevinny, and others, have warmly recommended as a true specific in cases of functional impotence a combination of lecithin with the active principle of the Brazilian plant _Muira Puama_. This new drug is by Eulenburg termed “muiracithin.”
From the above-described individual troubles (masturbation, sexual hyperæsthesia, sexual anæsthesia, pollutions, and impotence) is composed the clinical picture of =sexual neurasthenia=, which, however, is manifested also by other symptoms, among which we must mention certain =perceptions of anxiety= and certain =coercive ideas=, such as the condition, known also to the laity, of =agoraphobia=, which is very frequently met with in sexual neurasthenia; also the fear of travelling alone by railway, or sudden anxiety in the theatre or concert-hall, in the form of the fear of fire, with the accompanying irresistible impulse to rush out into the open; further, =lumbar pains= and =neuralgia of the genital organs=, and =anomalies= and =pains connected with the evacuation of urine=; =an inclination to sexual perversions=; =gastric affections=,[454] such as nervous retching and vomiting, painful cramps of the stomach, loss of appetite, also excessive hunger, nervous dyspepsia, etc.; =migraine= and =heart troubles= of manifold kinds. It is not to be wondered at that when sexual neurasthenia is markedly developed, and when several of the above-described manifestations occur, the disease may pass on into a condition of complete =mental exhaustion=, associated with =morbid irritability= and =hypochondriacal= and =melancholy= ideas. We then ultimately see the development of typical =sexual hypochondria=.
The treatment of sexual neurasthenia--which in the last-described general symptom-complex occurs also in women, associated in their case with =amenorrhœa=, =dysmenorrhœa=, or =menorrhagia=[455]--consists for the most part in the already described treatment of the individual symptoms. In addition, we have to make use of hyperalimentation, =hydro-therapeutic methods=, =gymnastic= treatment, general =massage=, and =climatic= cures.
[396] Havelock Ellis, “The Sexual Impulse and the Sense of Shame.”
[397] Fürbringer’s article, “Masturbation,” in Eulenburg’s _Real-Enzykldopädie der gesamten Heilkunde_, vol. xvii., p. 523, third edition (Vienna and Leipzig, 1898).
[398] Metchnikoff, “The Nature of Man,” pp. 95-99.
[399] A French erotic work describes how an impotent man, in the hope of obtaining an erection, allowed a cockchafer to crawl about his penis.
[400] Probably the following case of an onanist, sixty-four years of age, is unique. It is reported by A. Wild (“A Contribution to the Refinements of Masturbation,” published in the _Münchener Medizinische Wochenschrift_, No. 11, 1906). He introduced a twig of a pine-tree into the urethra, and in such a way that when the attempt was made to draw it out, the pine-needles acted as barbs; consequently the twig broke off short, and it was necessary for the medical man to remove it with the aid of dressing forceps!
[401] _Cf._ the complete historical and literary account of _godemichés_, given in my “Sexual Life in England,” vol. ii., pp. 284-292 (Berlin, 1903).
[402] _Cf._ the explanation of this passage by Iwan Bloch, “Were the Ancients aware of the Contagious Character of Venereal Diseases?” published in the _Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift_, No. 5, 1899.
[403] S. Freud, “Three Papers on the Sexual Theory,” pp. 37, 42 (Leipzig and Vienna, 1905).
[404] R. Kossmann, “Is the Medical Man Justified in Recommending Extra-Conjugal Sexual Intercourse?” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1905, vol. iii., p. 126.
[405] _Cf._ R. Thomalla, “Masturbation in the School: its Consequences and its Suppression,” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1906, vol. v., pp. 63-68.
[406] H. Ellis, “The Sexual Impulse and the Sense of Shame.”
[407] Gustav Aschaffenburg, “The Relations of the Sexual Life to the Origin of Nervous and Mental Disorders,” published in the _Münchener Medizinische Wochenschrift_, 1906, No. 37, p. 1794.
[408] Metchnikoff, “The Nature of Man” (English edition), p. 96.
[409] A. Eulenburg, “Sexual Neuropathy,” p. 80 (Leipzig, 1895).
[410] Otto Adler, “Deficient Sexual Sensibility in Woman,” p. 112 (Berlin, 1904). Mendel observed excessive masturbation in hypochondriacal women (_Deutsche Medizinal-Zeitung_, 1889, No. 15, p. 180).
[411] L. Löwenfeld, “The Sexual Life and Nervous Disorders,” fourth edition, p. 114 (Wiesbaden, 1906).
[412] Eduard Reich, “Immorality and Immoderation,” p. 122 (Neuwied and Leipzig, 1866).
[413] Felix Roubaud, “Treatise on Impotence and Sterility in Man and Woman,” third edition, p. 7 (Paris, 1876).
[414] W. A. Hammond, “Sexual Impotence in the Male and Female Sexes.”
[415] A. von Schrenck-Notzing, “Therapeutic Suggestion in Cases of Morbid Manifestations of the Sexual Sensibility,” pp. 66, 67 (Stuttgart, 1892).
[416] _Cf._ Havelock Ellis, “The Sexual Impulse and the Sense of Shame,” pp. 184-186.
[417] Iwan Bloch, “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. ii., pp. 107, 108 (Dresden, 1903).
[418] On p. 18 of his treatise he goes so far as to say: “There is no disease of the body or the mind which cannot be referred to masturbation.”
[419] Eulenburg refers also to “Persönliche Schutz,” by Laurentius; the “Jugendspiegel,” by Bernhard; the “Johannistrieb,” by B. Mohrmann; the “Krankheit der Welt,” by A. Damm.
[420] According to A. Jacobi (“The History of Pædiatry, and its Relation to Other Arts and Sciences,” p. 66 (Berlin, 1905)), this is not true of quite young children, at ages of from one to ten years, in whom masturbation does less harm than in half-grown or adult individuals.
[421] _Cf._ H. Rohleder, “Die Masturbation,” pp. 185-192 (Berlin, 1899).
[422] _Cf._ L. Löwenfeld, _op. cit._, p. 137.
[423] A. Tardieu, “Étude Médico-Légale sur les Attentats aux Moeurs,” p. 114 (Paris, 1878).
[424] _Cf._ my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., p. 135.
[425] Von Schrenk-Notzing, _op. cit._, p. 9.
[426] _Cf._ A. Weill, “The Laws and Mysteries of Love,” p. 101 (Berlin, 1895).
[427] Havelock Ellis, _op. cit._, p. 266.
[428] G. M. Beard, “Sexual Neurasthenia,” second edition (Leipzig and Vienna, 1890).
[429] A. Eulenburg, “Sexual Neurasthenia,” published in _Deutsche Klinik_, 1902, vol. vi., pp. 163-206.
[430] L. Löwenfeld, _op. cit._, pp. 273, 274.
[431] Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, “Leaves from a Diary.”
[432] “During my life I have had under observation many a lecherous man and many a wanton woman, and I have always found that, without exception, voluptuous persons clothe themselves very warmly, and sleep under very warm bed-clothes. In earlier years I have reported several cases observed by me of warm clothing of the genital organs on the part of women who distinguished themselves by lasciviousness, and I could increase the number of examples of this kind by several dozen” (E. Reich, “Immorality and Intemperance,” pp. 43, 44).
[433] O. Effertz, “Neurasthenia Sexualis,” p. 46 (New York, 1894).
[434] Effertz estimates the frequency of frigidity in women at about 10 per cent. The truth probably lies midway between the views of Effertz and those of Guttzeit.
[435] By vaginismus we understand involuntary convulsive contraction of the vaginal muscles, associated with abnormal sensibility of the vaginal inlet, dependent on masturbation, or induced by the above-mentioned painful sensations and injuries which occur in maladroit and brutal coitus (this is by far the commonest cause of vaginismus), especially when the penis is very large and the vaginal inlet very small, or when the female genital organs are further forward than usual. Vaginismus generally arises from small injuries and lacerations, produced in this manner; with the physical sense of pain is associated also psychical anxiety with regard to renewed attempts at intercourse; and in this way the reflex spasm is produced. Sometimes the vaginal spasm does not begin until after the penis has been introduced, so that this organ is retained (_penis captivus_). A few years ago a remarkable case of this kind occurred in Bremen. One of the dock labourers was having sexual intercourse in an out-of-the-way corner of the docks, when the woman became affected with this involuntary spasm, and the man was unable to free himself from his imprisonment. A great crowd assembled, from the midst of which the unfortunate couple were removed in a closed carriage, and taken to the hospital, and not until chloroform had been administered to the girl did the spasm pass off and free the man!
[436] A very clever study of the conditions here described will be found in a recent English novel, “Mr. and Mrs. Villiers,” by Hubert Wales (Heinemann, London, 1907).--TRANSLATOR.
[437] Rozier describes two typical examples of feminine erotomania (“The Secret Aberrations of the Female Sex,” pp. 123-128; Leipzig, 1831).
[438] POLLUTIONS.--This term has not perhaps as yet acquired a right of residence in the English tongue, but I use it because it is needed. There is no other word which can be employed as a general term (1) to include all involuntary emissions of semen, whether nocturnal or diurnal; and (2) to include involuntary sexual orgasm in the female as well as in the male. In the female the term “seminal emission” is inapplicable; but the term “pollution” can be applied in English (as it is in German) to either sex. By American writers the term “pollution” is now generally used (see, for instance, Allen, “Disorders of the Male Sexual Organs,” _Twentieth Century Practice_, vol. vii., p. 612 _et seq._).--TRANSLATOR.
[439] L. Löwenfeld, _op. cit._, pp. 206, 207.
[440] Swediaur relates: “I have, although much more rarely, seen the aforesaid diseases also in the other sex” (he speaks of diurnal pollutions). “At the present time I have under treatment a woman, twenty-eight years of age, who for a year and a half, since the time when she had a miscarriage, suffers from very frequent _involuntary_ nocturnal pollutions, which are induced by very voluptuous dreams, and are accompanied by all the symptoms of wasting of the spinal cord, which Hippocrates describes as a disease peculiar to the male sex.” Quoted by L. Deslandes, “Masturbation and other Aberrations of Sexual Intercourse,” p. 204 (Leipzig, 1835).
[441] Paul Bernhardt, “Processes Resembling Pollutions Occurring in Women, without Sexual Ideas or Lustful Feelings,” published in _Die ärztliche Praxis_, 1903, No. 17, pp. 193-197.
[442] The best recent work on impotence is Fürbringer’s “The Disturbances of the Sexual Function in Man,” second edition (Vienna, 1901). See also Frenzel, “On Incapacity for Procreation” (Wittenberg, 1800); F. Roubaud, “Traité de l’Impuissance et de la Stérilité chez l’Homme et chez la Femme” (Paris, 1878); V. von Gyurkovechky, “Pathology and Therapeutics of Impotence in the Male” (Vienna and Leipzig, 1897); J. Steinbacher, “Impotence in the Male,” fifth edition (Berlin, 1892); W. A. Hammond, “Sexual Impotence in the Male and Female Sexes” (Berlin, 1891); A. Eulenburg, “Sexual Neurasthenia” (pp. 177-183); Leopold Casper, “Impotentia et Sterilitas Virilis” (Munich, 1890).
[443] W. Schallmayer, “Infection as a Wedding Gift,” published in the _Journal for the Suppression of Venereal Diseases_, 1903, vol. iv., pp. 389-419.
[444] G. Hirth, “Ways to Love,” pp. 461, 463.
[445] Jacquemart reports a striking case of impotentia coeundi, which he saw in an engineer who received an appointment in a State tobacco factory. After he had resigned his appointment, the patient fully recovered his sexual powers (_cf._ Loebisch, article “Tobacco,” in Eulenburg’s _Real-Enzyklopädie_, 1900, vol. xxiv., p. 19).
[446] S. Réti, “Sexuelle Gebrechen,” second edition, p. 15 (Halle, 1904).
[447] J. S. T. Frenzel, “Impotence,” Part I., p. 164 (Wittenberg, 1800).
[448] In some cases it is said to have given rise to permanent impotence.
[449] Frenzel, _op. cit._, pp. 155, 156.
[450] J. J. Virey, “Woman,” p. 367 (Leipzig, 1827).
[451] Von Schrenck-Notzing, “Studies in Crimino-Psychology and Psycho-Pathology,” p. 176 (Leipzig, 1902).
[452] The Englishman Thomas Parr, who attained the age of one hundred and fifty-two years, remarried at the age of a hundred and twenty years, and his wife is said “to have noticed no defects in him on account of his age” (_cf._ William Ebstein, “The Art of Prolonging Human Life,” p. 70 (Wiesbaden, 1891)).
[453] In the drug trade we find two brands, known respectively as “Yohimbin Spiegel” and “Yohimbin Riedel”; both preparations are of equal value. [In a letter to the translator under date January 8, 1908, Dr. Bloch writes that “Yohimbin Riedel” is preferable to “Yohimbin Spiegel.”]
[454] _Cf._ Alexander Peyer, “Affections of the Stomach Associated with Disorders of the Male Genital Organs” (Leipzig, 1890).
[455] _Cf._ Koblanck, “Some Clinical Observations on Disturbances of the Physiological Functions of the Female Reproductive Organs,” published in the _Zeitschrift für Geburtshilfe und Gynäkologie_, vol. xliii., No. 3. Moriz Porosz (“Sexual Truths,” pp. 213-218; Leipzig, 1907) devotes with good reason a special chapter to the neurasthenia of young married women. The change from the virgin state into married life often gives rise to such transient neurasthenic conditions in the young wife, especially when there exists any sort of disharmony in respect of marital intercourse.
## CHAPTER XVII
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASPECT OF PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS
“_I hope that in the not distant future, for the advancement of science, physicians will be glad to ally themselves with folk-lorists and ethnologists._”--FREDERICK S. KRAUSS.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XVII
Anthropological and clinical views of sexual anomalies -- Ubiquity and enduring nature of psychopathia sexualis -- Secondary rôle of civilization and degeneration -- The fable of “the good old times” -- The ungrounded fear of degeneration -- “Nervous degeneration” in earlier times -- Recent arguments against the degeneration theory -- Metchnikoff’s book, “The Nature of Man” -- Georg Hirth’s idea of “Hereditary Enfranchisement.”
Elements of the anthropological theory of psychopathia sexualis -- The need for variety in sexual relationships -- Sexual perversions in healthy persons -- The effect of external influences -- Morbid impressions -- Artificial production of perversions (repetition, suggestion, imitation, seduction) -- Importance of sexual differentiation -- Congenital character of perversions -- The diffusion of perversions among savage races -- Examples -- Immorality in the country -- Influence of race and nationality -- Of age and sex -- Social differences -- Influence of civilization -- Influence of conventionality -- The unrest of the present day -- Spiritual configuration of modern perversity.
_Appendix: Sexual Perversions due to Diseases._ -- General survey -- Epilepsy and sexual perversions -- Other mental diseases-Syphilis and sexual perversions -- Abnormalities of the genital organs.
## CHAPTER XVII
In my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” published in the years 1902 and 1903, I for the first time attempted to deal systematically, from the standpoint of the =anthropologist= and =ethnologist=, with the great province of the so-called “psychopathia sexualis,” the field of sexual aberrations, degenerations, anomalies, perversities, and perversions. I started from the point of view that, in order to obtain new ideas regarding the nature of psychopathia sexualis, and in order to revise the old ideas in the light of recent knowledge, we must keep before our eyes, not one-sidedly “=the sick man=,” but comprehensively “=man as man=,” both as =civilized man= and as =savage man=.
Previously the doctrine of psychopathia sexualis had been dominated exclusively by =clinical, purely medical conceptions=. Observations had been limited to morbid phenomena, occurring in individuals with an abnormal _vita sexualis_. Thus there had arisen a general view of the =nature= of sexual anomalies, by which these anomalies were allotted almost entirely to the province of the physician, and were described as =stigmata of degeneration=. H. J. Löwenstein,[456] Häussler,[457] and Kaan,[458] in the third and fifth decades of the nineteenth century, were the first to adopt this medical point of view of sexual aberrations; and finally, in the last quarter of the same century, Richard von Krafft-Ebing[459] converted modern sexual pathology into a comprehensive scientific system,[460] which stands and falls with the idea of =degeneration=.
Von Krafft-Ebing is, and remains, the true founder of modern sexual pathology. Without wishing in the slightest degree to underestimate the value of the clinical researches he carried out in this province of research, characterized by precision and profound scientific zeal--without undervaluing for a moment these extraordinary services--I am compelled to point out that his purely medical view of sexual aberrations is one-sided, and to insist that it must be amplified and rectified by anthropological and ethnological researches.
Let us leave the hospital and the medical consulting-room; let us make a journey round the world; let us observe the sexual activity of the _genus homo_ in its manifold phenomena, not as physicians, but as ordinary observers; let us compare the sexuality of the civilized human being with that of the savage: then we shall recognize the vast extension of our visual field for the comprehension of psychopathia sexualis; we shall see how the civilized and temporary phenomenon becomes absorbed into the general human phenomenon, presenting amid all local variations =the same fundamental lineaments=. Psychopathia sexualis exists =everywhere= and =at all times=. Culture, civilization, and diseases play only the parts of favouring, modifying, intensifying factors.
I do not go so far as Freud, who, on account of the now generally recognized wide diffusion of perverse sexual tendencies, is compelled to adopt the view “that the rudiments of perversions are the =primeval= general rudiments of the human sexual impulse, out of which the normal sexual mode of behaviour is developed in the course of evolution, in consequence of organic changes and psychical inhibitions”;[461] but I do maintain that sexual perversities and perversions appertain to the human race as such, and independently of civilization. I am convinced that they are =supplementary= to normal sexual manifestations, and that their diffusion among civilized and savage peoples =extends far more widely than the circle of true degenerative phenomena=.
The sexual impulse, as a purely physical function, is neither an object of comparison nor a distinctive characteristic between primitive and civilized humanity. The “elementary ideas” of humanity return everywhere again in the elementary manifestations of sexual aberrations.
From the investigations collected and published in the above-mentioned work I have been led to the firm conviction, which I must now put forward as a =scientific truth= based upon the teaching of anthropology, folk-lore, and the history of civilization, that at the present day, in our time so widely decried as “nervous,” “degenerate,” and “overcivilized,” not only are there no more sexually “perverse” persons than there were in former days--let us think only of the middle ages, with their frightful excesses, appearing in epidemic diffusion--but, further, that the greater part of the perversions of the present day are not to be regarded as “degenerations” at all; and, finally, that the factors which are to weaken and undermine the vital forces of a nation must be something other than purely sexual factors. For sexual aberrations alone have, taken as a whole, but a trifling influence in effecting the decadence of a nation. They first gain such an influence in combination with causes, which we cannot now discuss, of an economic and political nature.
As old as humanity is the fable of the good old times, of the golden youth of the human race, of the glorious past, to which an always corrupt, physically and morally rotten =present= is supposed to have succeeded.[462] The ancients held this view; it recurred at the time of the renascence; and since the time of Rousseau’s unfortunate condemnation of all civilization, it has been, in the hands of all zealots, moral fanatics, backsliders, and guardians of conventional morality, a greatly prized weapon, and one, also, of great power when used to influence the ignorant and easily misled. Anthropology, the history of primitive man, and the history of civilization in general, have utterly destroyed this beautiful dream of the good old times and of the =better= days of the past. Nothing has been left but the ever =more beautiful= present!
The critical and far-sighted Lessing opposed Rousseau’s hypothesis of corruption by means of “civilization.” It was true, he said, that Athens, standing so high in civilization, and at the same time so corrupt, passed away; but the =virtuous= Sparta, did not this also pass away? Rousseau himself had to admit that the destruction of civilization would be of no use, that the world would then relapse into barbarism, and that the corruption would =none the less= persist. The philologist Muff,[463] discussing this question, added that if civilization had not come, vice would still have been dominant, and that civilization, involving as it does =intellectual= progress, provides also the means for counteracting vice.
Physicians and natural philosophers have long protested against the theory of the corrupt and degenerate “present.” For instance, a countryman of Rousseau’s, Dr. Delvincourt,[464] exclaimed:
“How false is the assumption of the fanatics and the pious who attribute to the moral corruption of our century the majority of diseases, and, above all, venereal diseases; who maintain that the race is degenerating; and who thunder an anathema against modern young men, whom they would gladly muzzle as we muzzle an animal.”
Must we, then, he asks, at a moment when civilization is marching forward with giant strides, have our ears wearied with sophisms which can no longer deceive even the ignorant masses? And he shows how =since primeval times, everywhere=, all over the earth, vice has been diffused. He rightly points to the innumerable _monuments de turpitude_ of all ages.
About the same time (be it noted, more than sixty years ago) in Germany the celebrated natural philosopher Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, in an academic speech with the distinctive title “=The Fear that Progressive Intellectual Development will Lead to Physical National Degeneration: A Demonstration that this Fear is entirely devoid of Scientific and Medical Foundation=” (Berlin, 1842), opposed the belief in the unwholesome influence of civilization upon the popular strength and popular morals. Of special interest to us are his remarks upon the alleged deleterious influence of civilization upon sexuality. He says (p. 8):
“The occurrence of puberty in warm climates at a comparatively early age (from ten to fifteen years), in cold climates somewhat later (from fourteen to eighteen years), is a natural measure of human intelligence and power; and if our sexually mature youths at school, at the time at which their development has naturally progressed to this point, experience also sexual stimulation, this is entirely according to the nature of things, and only imposes upon those in charge of schools, and upon parents, the special duty of watchfulness in these respects. Even if secret vice becomes general anywhere among young fellows in a manner open to regret, still, this does not mean that our schools are the cause of physical weakness, of overstimulation, and of deterioration of the people and of the epoch; it merely indicates a local deficiency in energetic purposive education, and a lack of the necessary watchfulness over the youths in the particular institution in which the trouble has occurred, or that the family life of the children thus affected is less strictly moral than we could wish; and the evil is only to be overcome by counteracting its especial causes. In many cases we may compare outbreaks of premature sexuality with epidemics of disease, which also find entrance through lack of sufficient care. Just the same is it in respect of the great mass of adults who, by exhortation and example on the part of those whose business it is to give them counsel, are in most cases so easily led in the right direction, but who, in the absence of such judicious treatment, often give way to the most unbridled licentiousness. The student of popular history will easily find numerous instances of cause and effect, now of the former and now of the latter kind.”
Ehrenberg comes to the conclusion, most encouraging to ourselves and to our time, and one which may be unhesitatingly accepted, that the entire history of humanity, in so far as that history is open to us, leads us to believe, not that the progress of civilization[465] has given rise to infirmity or to nervous overstimulation of the people, but, on the contrary, that as the centuries pass, =our bodies are as powerfully developed as formerly=, and that there is an ever-happier development of all the nobler human activities, such as can only result from an improvement in our mental faculties.
At the fifty-ninth Congress of German Natural Philosophers and Physicians, held at Berlin in the year 1886, the celebrated physicist Werner von Siemens, discussing the same problem in a formal speech, proved the nullity of the hypothesis of the evil influence of civilization upon the physical and moral nature of humanity, and expressed himself as fully convinced that
“our activity in research and discovery conducts humanity to higher stages of civilization, ennobles humanity, and makes ideal aims more easily accessible; that the coming scientific age will diminish poverty and illness, will increase the enjoyment of life, and will make humanity better, happier, and more contented with its lot.”
“Has humanity degenerated?” asks a celebrated specialist,[466] who, owing to the nature of his speciality, has been able to obtain exhaustive information regarding what is often believed to be a symptom of degeneration--namely, falling out of the hair and baldness--and he answers:
“=Certainly not!= In the process of civilization, which has lasted for many thousands of years, our organization has not experienced any serious convulsion of its fundamental nature. Superficially only have the battles we have had to fight made any mark upon us.”
To a frightful extent in earlier times the great infective epidemic diseases decimated civilized humanity, to an extent which is hardly realized at the present day, and those of more powerful constitution were undoubtedly carried off quite as much as those endowed with weaker powers of resistance. Bubonic plague, small-pox, leprosy, the sweating sickness, scarlatina, cholera, and syphilis (which at its commencement was a far more severe disease than it is at the present day), have often annihilated the blossoms of youth; and yet mankind as a whole has not suffered therefrom. Formerly there were much more violent and obstinate nervous troubles than our modern “nervousness,” which, to a large extent, represents merely a =phenomenon of adaptation=, not a disease in the proper sense of the term. St. Vitus’s dance, the dancing mania, and similar psycho-nervous epidemics, disturbed medieval humanity, without, however, giving rise to any permanent injury, and without causing progressive degeneration. And the most frightful sexual excesses can do no harm to the strength of the nation.
With regard to this point, the reputed connexion between sexual excesses and the political downfall of a nation, Carl Bleibtreu[467] rightly remarks:
“Ancient Rome produced its greatest men during a period of moral degeneration. The finest blossoms of Hellenic civilization coincided with a period of fundamental immorality. We might easily urge that after Pericles, Phidias, Aristophanes, Euripides, Alcibiades, and Socrates, the decay of the Greek race began, notwithstanding the fact that much later in Greek history the vital force of the nation was proved by the appearance of men of the first rank, such as Alexander, Aristotle, and Demosthenes. But this rejoinder does not help us much, for in the earliest days of Greek history, in the legal codes of Solon and Lycurgus, we find the most notable and clear indications that precisely in respect of sexual relationship, and more especially in regard to marriage and the procreation of children, the morals of this fresh and youthful race were disordered to the greatest possible extent.
“Just the same do we find it at the time of the Italian renascence and at the time of the Hohenstaufen dynasty--a complete confusion of sexual relationships. The eighteenth century, also, notwithstanding all the justified jeremiads of Rousseau regarding the widespread unnaturalness of the time, and notwithstanding all the sorrows of the young Werther, was distinguished by the production of an incredible abundance of men of genius; and in contemporary France, the country which was most severely affected by this moral decay, there flourished the generation to which such men as Mirabeau and Napoleon belonged--men whose unparalleled vitality influences us to this moment.”
Finally, I must refer to two leading authors of recent years, Eli Metchnikoff and Georg Hirth, whose writings exhibit a remarkable similarity in respect of general philosophical foundation. Both have energetically opposed the unfounded fantasies of degeneration (there exists also a =justified= campaign against the continuously effective causes of degeneration in the form of alcohol, syphilis, etc.), and both have advocated a belief in life and in the life-force.
In his work “The Nature of Man” (English translation by Chalmers Mitchell; Heinemann, 1903), Metchnikoff advances an “optimistic philosophy,” in opposition to the pessimistic degenerative theory of our time, of which latter P. J. Möbius may be regarded as the chief advocate, and he proves how the imperfections and “disharmonies” of the human organism may give place to a further development and perfectibility of human nature, and this =precisely in connexion with culture and civilization. It is now that humanity first begins really to live.=[468] Mankind has not degenerated in consequence of civilization, but has, on the contrary, by means of civilization, first attained the possibility of establishing “physiological old age” and “physiological death.” Our device is not =backwards=, but =forwards=! The pessimists cry out: “Existence has no meaning! For what purpose do we live, and for what purpose do we die?” This dreadful “=for what purpose=” with which Friedrich von Hellwald concludes his history of civilization, disturbs day by day emotional minds. Metchnikoff proves that this problem is connected with the existence of the disharmonies of human nature. But evolution continues to transform these disharmonies into harmonies (“orthobiosis”). Thus the aim of human existence lies in “the completion of the entire physiological cycle of life with a normal old age, so that, with the cessation of the instinct to live, and with the appearance of the instinct for natural death, the cycle comes to an end.” This is, to a certain extent, the =scientific= formulation of the “superman” of Nietzsche, who based upon quite similar considerations his opposition to the hypothesis of degeneration, and who, out of the disharmonies, imperfections, and pains of life, also created the conviction of a progressive evolution, and thus, like Metchnikoff, thoroughly =affirmed= life. Metchnikoff’s ideal human being of the future is realizable, but only by means of the principles of science and intelligent culture.
Similar views to those of Metchnikoff are advanced by Georg Hirth. He, above all, has introduced into science the most felicitous conception of “=hereditary enfranchisement=.”[469] Thus to the pessimistic degeneration theories and the psychical paralysis evoked by the idea of “hereditary taint” (we now hear the expression from every mouth), Hirth opposes a =word of power=, a word expressing “an energetic opposing stream of tendency.” Thus the incontestable fact finds simple expression, that
“The requirements of all individuals through millions of generations =constitute an inalienable, progressively influential common possession of the whole of humanity=, an =impulsive force= based upon natural law, which marches victoriously forward over the sins and failures of individuals.... That is to say, that in our entire organism, so long as it continues to =live=, in addition to the disturbing influences which we have inherited or have acquired by our own faults, there exists also a mass of =old= and =new= constructive influences, which work towards the =restitution of the former condition=.... =Enfranchisement= by means of primevally old, healthy, and strong reproductive cells is stronger than the quite recent =tainting= by means of weakly and diseased germs. If it were not so, the entire human race would long since have passed away, for there can hardly exist a single family tree at the foot of which there are not somewhere worms gnawing.”
I cannot here examine more closely the extremely interesting foundation of this view, which rightly places in the foreground the capacity for =self-regeneration=, for the removal of morbid vital stimuli, and their replacement by new and healthy vital stimuli, and which notably limits the extension of hereditary “tainting.” The conclusion which Hirth draws from this view is identical with that of Metchnikoff--namely, =that our life remains capable of upward progress=, a view which Hirth everywhere happily employs in his battle “with the forces of obscurity and degeneration.”
The theory of degeneration finds a thorough scientific refutation also in the admirable work by Dr. William Hirsch, “Genius and Degeneration: a Psychological Study” (Berlin and Leipzig, 1904). At the end of the book (p. 340) the writer says:
“In view of the investigations I have made, we are necessarily led to the conclusion that the authors mentioned have =by no means= adduced proof of a general degeneration of the civilized nations. Humanity need not be alarmed with regard to the alleged ‘black plague of degeneration,’ and the world need be as little concerned by these fables of the ‘twilight of the nations’ as by Herr Falb’s prophecies of the approaching destruction of our planet.”
It cannot be denied that the wide diffusion of the deleterious means of sensual gratification (alcohol, tobacco, etc.), the increase in the number of large towns, and the rapid growth in their population, by means of which prostitution and the spread of venereal diseases are especially favoured, constitute important etiological factors for the degeneration of the race. Still, the wide diffusion of public hygiene, which is more and more brought under the notice of the individual, affords here an effective counterpoise. “Enfranchisement” in Hirth’s sense is here clearly manifested.
After we have seen that the “degeneration” of our time, to the medical idea of which we shall return to speak more exactly in the next chapter, is not greater now than it was in earlier epochs, and that sexual anomalies have always existed, let us return to consider this point, to the anthropological view of psychopathia sexualis.
In my “Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis” I have collected the general human phenomena of the sexual impulse in primitive and civilized states--that is, the everywhere recurring fundamental lineaments and phenomena of the _vita sexualis_ peculiar to the _genus homo_ as such.
As the principal result of this inquiry, the following propositions appear to me to be established:
=Degeneration cannot be employed, as von Krafft-Ebing has employed it in his “Psychopathia Sexualis,” as a heuristic principle in the investigation, recognition, and judgment of sexual aberrations and perversions.=
At the most, degeneration is no more than a =favouring= factor of the diffusion of sexual abnormalities, an influence which =increases the frequency= of their appearance.
=On the contrary, the ultimate cause of all sexual perversions, aberrations, abnormalities, and irrationalities, is the need for variety in sexual relationships peculiar to the genus homo, which is to be regarded as a physiological phenomenon, and the increase of which to the degree of a sexual irritable hunger is competent to produce the most severe sexual perversions.=
In contrast with this, “degeneration” or diseases play only a subordinate part, and can be invoked for the explanation of only a small number of sexual aberrations--at most for those which come to the notice of physicians on account of pathological conditions or _in foro_. In fact, the =majority= of cases of sexual perversions which come the way of the physicians in clinical or forensic relationships =are= pathological, but these constitute only a =minority of all cases=. The large majority of cases do =not= come within the scope of degeneration.[470]
Freud, in his “Three Essays on the Sexual Theory,” recognizes the justice of my view, and on p. 80 he writes:
“Physicians who have first studied perversions in well-marked examples and peculiar conditions are naturally inclined to regard them as signs of disease or as stigmata of degeneration, just as in the case of sexual inversion. Daily experience has shown that the majority of these transgressions--at any rate, the less marked of them--constitute a seldom lacking constituent of the sexual life of healthy persons. In favourable conditions =the normal individual may exhibit such a perversion for a considerable length of time in the place of his normal sexual activity; or the perversion may take its place beside the normal sexual activity. Probably there is no healthy person in whom there does not exist, at some time or other, some kind of supplement to his normal sexual activity, to which we should be justified in giving the name of ‘perversity.’=”[471]
A =second= important factor in the genesis of sexual anomalies is the =ease with which the sexual impulse is affected by external influences, the associative inclusion of manifold external stimuli in sexual perception itself=, the “=synæsthetic stimuli=,” as I myself have called them, in the amatory life of mankind. In this way gradually all the relations of art, religion, fashion, etc., to sexuality have developed, and they offer, in conjunction with the sensory impressions and the psychical and physical imaginative associations which accompany the sexual act, an incredibly rich material for the manifold realizations of the sexual need for variation.
The need for variety in sexual relationships, in conjunction with the sexual “demand for stimulation” (Hoche),[472] plays a great part, especially in the occurrence of sexual perversions in =adult= persons and at a more advanced age of life. The effect of =external influences= is most clearly noticeable in =childhood=, when it is experienced most deeply and in a most enduring manner, and when it can become permanently associated with sexual perception (Binet and von Schrenck-Notzing).
Alexander von Humboldt, in his “Cosmos” (vol. ii., Introduction), drew attention to the well-known experience that “=sensual impressions and apparently chance occurrences are, in the case of youthful emotional individuals, often capable of determining the entire course of a human life=.” Freud draws attention to the psychological fact that impressions of childhood, which have apparently been forgotten, may, notwithstanding, have left the most profound marks upon our psychical life, and may have determined our entire subsequent development. The impressions of childhood are often incorporated fate. For this reason, for example, the children of criminals become criminals themselves, not because they are “born” criminals, but because, as =children=, they grow up in the atmosphere of crime, and the impressions they here receive become firmly and deeply rooted in their natures. Hence the campaign against crime must in the first place take into consideration the =education of the children of criminals=!
From the need for variety in sexual relationships, and from the effect of external influences, we deduce the possibility and the actual frequency of the =acquirement= and the =artificial production= of sexual perversions and perversities; and these, in proportion to the =intensity= of the sexual impulse (=very variable= in strength in different individuals, according to the ease with which it is excited), will appear now earlier, now later, will be now transient and now enduring.
The =third= important etiological factor in the origination of sexual perversions is the =frequent repetition= of the =same= sexual aberration. There can be no doubt whatever that the normal human being can become =accustomed= to the most diverse sexual aberrations, so that these become perversions, which appear in =healthy= human beings just as they do in the diseased.
=Fourthly=, =suggestion= and =imitation= play an extremely important rôle in the _vita sexualis_ alike of primitive and of civilized nations, in accordance with which certain aberrations in the sexual sphere become diffused with great rapidity, and make their appearance as customs, fashions, and psychical epidemics. Those who everywhere trace perversities from morbid rudiments underestimate the powerful influence which =example= and =seduction= exercise in the human sexual life. This is especially noticeable to-day in those sexual perversions which have become =national customs=. The most celebrated example is that of =Hellenic pæderasty=, reputedly introduced from Crete, but probably in the first place originated by a few =genuinely= homosexual individuals, who in their own interest transmitted artificially by suggestion their peculiar tendencies to a few heterosexual individuals, until at last the love of boys became a national custom which every heterosexual man adopted. The momentous part which modern =prostitution=, and more especially =brothels=, plays in the suggestion of perversions has already been mentioned. It is a matter to which we shall frequently have occasion to return. Schrank alludes (“Prostitution in Vienna,” vol. i., p. 285) to a prostitute who enjoyed a “European reputation” as an artist in sexual perversities of every kind, and who enjoyed the nickname of “the Ever-Virgin,” because she allowed men every possible kind of enjoyment except that of regular normal intercourse (which she avoided for fear of becoming impregnated).
=Fifthly=, the =difference= between man and woman in the essence, the kind, and the intensity, of sexual perception (sexual activity in man, sexual passivity in woman) constitutes a rich source of sexual aberrations, most of which belong to the provinces of masochism and sadism.
=Sixthly=, and lastly, in otherwise =healthy individuals there occur at a very early age=, and probably in consequence of =congenital= conditions, changes in the direction and the aim of sexual perception, variations from the type of differentiated heterosexual love. =Genuine homosexuality= is the principal phenomenon to be considered under this head. It occurs in perfectly =healthy= individuals quite independently of degeneration and of civilization; and it is diffused throughout the whole world.
From all these facts may be deduced the =untenability= of a purely =clinical and pathological= conception of sexual aberrations and perversions. We must now accept the point of view that, although numerous morbid degenerate and psychopathic individuals exhibit sexual anomalies, yet these =identical= anomalies and aberrations are extraordinarily common in =healthy= persons.
Ethnological research, for more exact details of which I may refer to my own work already mentioned, and to the pioneer works of Ploss-Bartels,[473] Mantegazza,[474] Friedrich S. Krauss,[475] and Havelock Ellis,[476] has adduced stringent proof that sexual aberrations and perversions are =ubiquitous=, diffused throughout the entire world, just as much among primitive races as among civilized nations, that on the psycho-physical side they are “elementary ideas” in Bastian’s sense, that they recur everywhere in a qualitatively identical manner as a result of similar conditions. As it is with prostitution, so it is also with sexual perversions--a tendency to sexual aberration is deeply rooted in human nature. It is a primitive, purely anthropological phenomenon, which is not strengthened by civilization, but, on the contrary, is mitigated thereby. Charles Darwin rightly points out that the =hatred= of sexual immorality and of sexual aberrations is a “modern virtue,” appertaining exclusively to “civilized life,” and entirely foreign to the nature of primitive man. Primitive man revelled in wild indecency (as Wilhelm Roscher also proves), in sexual perversions, and libertinism.[477] The sexual aberrations of civilized mankind are for the most part =imitations= of the examples given by primitive peoples.
Thus, the well-known “stimulating rings” of European rubber manufacturers (_cf._ Weissenberg, in the “Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Berlin,” 1893, p. 135) correspond to the “stimulating stones” of the Battaks (Staudinger, _op. cit._, 1891, p. 351), to the “penis stones” of the savage Orang Sinnoi in Malacca (Vaughan Stevens in the _Zeitschrift für Ethnologie_, 1896, pp. 181, 182), the “ampallang” of the Sunda Islands (see Miklucho-Maclay in the “Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Berlin,” 1876, pp. 22-28). The “renifleurs” and “gamahucheurs” of the Parisian brothels and houses of accommodation find their typical analogues in the urine fetichists and cunnilingi of the Island of Ponape, in the Carolines (_cf._ Ploss-Bartels), who are, in truth, far removed from the _fin-de-siècle_ life. And what a perverse imagination have the women of this same island! According to Otto Finsch (_Zeitschrift für Ethnologie_, 1880, p. 316), the men of this island have all only =one= testicle, because in boys at the age of seven or eight years the left testicle is removed by a piece of sharpened bamboo. This is said to make the men more desirable =to the women=! Among the Masai, for similar reasons, circumcision is effected in such a manner that a portion of the prepuce is left behind to form a kind of firm button of skin. “This mode of circumcision is greatly prized by the women. Among the black races, indeed, everything turns round the question of sensual enjoyment” (“Medical Notes from Central Africa,” by M. C., published in the _Deutsche Medizinische Presse_, 1902, No. 14, p. 116). And how can our roués compete with the Tauni islanders of the South Seas? These select certain women, who are not allowed to marry, but are reserved as simple “objects of sensual pleasure,” and with these every kind of sexual artifice is practised (Dempwolf, “Medical Notes on the Tauni Islanders,” published in the _Zeitschrift für Ethnologie_, 1902, p. 335).
Thus between primitive and civilized races in these respects there are no important differences; and according to recent researches we find the same may be said with regard to civilized nations, that there is no difference between =town= and =country=.[478] I quote here the account given by an experienced author sixty years ago:
“People usually believe that in the country morals are much better than in the towns, but this belief is quite erroneous. Brothels and professional prostitutes naturally cannot exist in the country, but nearly every peasant-girl in the country is equivalent to a secret prostitute. It is incredible what sexual excesses go on between the masculine and feminine inhabitants of the villages. Every barn, every shed, every haystack, every copse, bears witness to this. Especially disadvantageous to morals is it when in the heat of summer persons of different sexes work side by side, half undressed, in remote fields for the whole day, and lie down to rest side by side.”[479]
We may here allude to a fact that we shall have to discuss later--that young men, after the conclusion of their term of military service, carry back with them to the country the knowledge of sexual excesses and perversities which they have acquired in the town, and thus diffuse these tendencies more and more widely.
Since sexual anomalies constitute a phenomenon generally characteristic of humanity, =race= and =nationality=, as such, have less to do with the matter than is commonly imagined. The Mongol and the Malay are not less voluptuous than the Semites, or than many Aryan races. Among the Semites, the Arabs and the Turks are pre-eminently sexually perverse nations. They seek sexual gratification indifferently in the female harem and in the boys’ brothel (see numerous descriptions of travellers on the moral customs of Turkey, the Levant, Cairo, Morocco, the Arabian Soudan, the Arabs in Africa, etc.). Among the Aryan races the Aryans of India must be considered pre-eminent as refined practitioners of psychopathia sexualis, which they have reduced to a =system=. In addition to recognizing forty-eight _figuræ Veneris_ (different postures in sexual intercourse), they practise every possible variety of sexual perversion; and they have in various textbooks[480] a systematic introduction to sexual immorality. Here there is manifestly no trace of morbid conditions, of degeneration, or of psychopathia; it is simply a matter of popular manners and customs. Sexual perversion among the Greeks and the Romans, two other Aryan nations, is too well known to need detailed description. In modern Europe the French were at one time believed to lead the way in sexual artifices. For a long time this has ceased to be true, and, in fact, never was true. They do, indeed, excel, if one may use the expression, all other nations in the outward technique and in the elegance of their sexual excesses. To them from very early times there has been ascribed a certain preference for the skatological element in the sexual life; but according to the recent researches of Friedrich S. Krauss regarding the Slavs, published in his “Anthropophyteia,” this alleged pre-eminence is extremely doubtful. That among the Slavs sexual perversions of every kind have an extraordinarily wide diffusion has been shown by this investigator by the collection of an enormous mass of material. It is also very generally known that the English from early days have exhibited a marked tendency to sadistic practices, and especially to flagellation. I will return later to this remarkable phenomenon. The French accuse the Germans of an especial tendency to homosexuality (_le vice Allemand_), but there are no sufficient grounds for this accusation. In psychopathia sexualis, the Germans are as cosmopolitan as they are in other respects.
With regard to the =age= of the individual in relation to sexual perversions, the frequency of these is greater after puberty than before,[481] and the frequency increases with advancing years. The time at which the imagination unfolds its greatest activity, the commencement of manhood, is extremely favourable to the origination of sexual aberrations, and to their becoming habitual practices; and, again, the age at which the sexual powers begin to decline, and when for their incitation new stimuli are needed, is one at which abnormal varieties of sexual gratification frequently originate.[482]
Which =sex= is more inclined to abnormalities of the sexual impulse, the male or the female?
The primitively more powerful sexual impulsive life of man in association with his greater use of alcohol makes him distinctly more inclined to follow sexual bypaths than woman, whose sexuality at first develops very gradually, and experiences, in consequence of motherhood, powerful inhibitions to the development of any sexual anomalies. On the other hand, the much =more difficult development= of voluptuous sensations in women, by means of normal coitus, is not rarely the cause of a tendency to perverse varieties of sexual intercourse. They often seduce man in this direction, and excel him in the discovery of sexual artifices. Among primitive races, where the relationships are clearest, this is still easily recognizable, whereas by civilization the matter is often obscured. All the artificial deformities of the male genital organs amongst savages, which give the man much more trouble than pleasure, but which, on the other hand, increase the voluptuous enjoyment of the woman during the sexual act, cannot otherwise be explained except on the ground of an original demand on the part of women. To this category belong incisions in the glans penis, and the implanting of small stones in the wounds until the skin has a warty appearance (Java); perforation of the penis to enable rods beset with bristles, feathers, rods with balls (the well-known “ampallang” of the Dyaks of Borneo), bodkins, rings, bell-shaped apparatus, to be inserted through these perforations; the wrapping up of the penis in strips of fur with the hair outwards, or enveloping it in a leaden cylinder, etc. The feminine imagination has proved inexhaustible in this direction. Miklucho-Maclay, the great authority on the sexual psychology of the savage races of the Malay Archipelago and the South Sea Islands, declares it to be extremely probable =that all these customs and all these apparatus were invented by or for women=. The women reject all men who do not possess these stimulating apparatus on the penis. Finsch and Kubary confirm this, and state that in most cases it is the frigidity of the women which makes them desire such means of artificial stimulation. Among civilized races, also, abundant material can be collected with regard to sexual perversities among women, as has recently been done by Paul de Régla in “Les Perversités de la Femme” (Paris, 1904), and by René Schwaeblé in “Les Détraquées de Paris” (Paris, 1904).
The following case shows that European women sometimes demand artificial changes in the male genital organs, in order to increase their voluptuous sensations. Some years ago a man, fifty years of age, was admitted into the syphilis wards of the Laibacher Hospital. The discharge from the penis was, however, found to be due merely to balanitis. On examination the greatly enlarged penis was found to be perforated by rod-shaped objects, and an incision through the skin showed that these were pins and hairpins. The pins were about two inches long, with brass heads the size of a peppercorn, and they were at least ten in number. One of the pins was run partly into the testicle. After the foreign objects had been removed, the man informed us that his mistress had stuck these in, in order that she might experience more ardent sensations. The pins were all subcutaneous; several of them ran right round the penis.
=Social differences= in respect of the frequency of sexual perversions do not exist. Sexual perversions are just as widely diffused among the lower classes as among the upper. A. Ferguson, Havelock Ellis, Tarnowsky, and J. A. Symonds are all in agreement regarding this fact, which, indeed, in view of the anthropological conception of psychopathia sexualis, does not require additional explanation.
Finally, we come to the last and most important point--to the question of the relation of =culture= and =civilization= to psychopathia sexualis. Even though psychopathia sexualis is in its =essence= independent of culture, is a general human phenomenon, still we cannot fail to recognize that civilization has exercised a certain influence upon the external mode of manifestation, and also upon the inner psychical configuration of sexual aberrations. Especially as regards the latter--the psychical relationships--the perversity of the civilized man is more complicated than that of primitive man, although in =essence= the two are identical.
The modern civilized man is in respect of his sexuality a peculiar =dual being=. The sexuality within him leads a kind of independent existence, notwithstanding its intimate relationship to the whole of the rest of his spiritual life. There are moments in which, even in men of lofty spiritual nature, pure sexuality becomes separated from love, and manifests itself in its utterly elementary nature beyond good and evil. I expressed earlier the idea that this frequent phenomenon reminded me of the “monomania” of the older alienists. “Il y a en nous deux êtres, l’être moral et la bête: l’être moral sait ce que mérite l’amour véritable, la bête aspire à la fange où on la pousse,” we find in a French erotic work (“Impressions d’une Fille” par Léna de Mauregard, vol. i., pp. 57, 68; Paris, 1900).
No other human impulsive manifestation is so ill adapted as sexuality to the =coercion= and =conventionality= which civilization necessarily entails. Carl Hauptmann, in an interesting socio-psychological study, “Unsere Wirklichkeit” (“Our Reality”; Munich, 1902), has described very impressively this frightful conventionality, especially characteristic of our own time, which so painfully represses the “reality” of love, suppresses everything primitive in it, banishes it into the darkness of its own interior, and only allows the conventionally sanctioned forms of sexual love to subsist. This coercion, this outward pressure, develops a volcano of elementary sexuality, which usually slumbers, but may suddenly break out in eruption, and give free vent to excesses of the wildest nature. Dingelstedt in his poem “Ein Roman,” has excellently described this condition:
“Wenn du die =Leidenschaft= willst kennen lernen, Musst du dich nur nicht aus der Welt entfernen. Such’ sie nicht auf in friedlicher Idylle, In strohgedeckter und begnügter Stille... Da suche sie in festlich vollem Saale Bei Spiel und Tanz, an feierlichem Mahle, Dort, eingeschnürt =in Form und Zwang und Sitte=, Thront sie wie Banquos Geist in ihrer Mitte.”
[“If you wish to learn to know passion, You must, above all, not remove yourself from the world. Do not look for it in a peaceful idyll, In padded and satisfied quietude.... Look for it in the full festal hall, At the game and the dance, at the brilliant banquet; There, entrapped amid form, and coercion, and custom, Enthroned, like Banquo’s ghost, it sits amid the throng.”]
Similarly, Charles Albert[483] remarks:
“If love nowadays so often manifests itself in the form of aberration or passion, this is almost always to be explained by the hindrances of every kind which have been opposed to it. No other feeling is so hindered, opposed, detested, and loaded with material and moral fetters. We know how education makes a beginning in this way, declaring that love is something forbidden, and how the hardness of economic life continues the process. Hardly has a young man or a young girl gone out into life, hardly have they begun to feel their way into society, but they encounter a thousand difficulties which are opposed to their living out their life from a sexual point of view. How would it be possible that, in the limits of such a society, love could become anything else but a fixed idea of the individual, and how could it fail to give rise to continuous restlessness? Nature does not allow herself to be inhibited by our artificial social arrangements. The need for love within us remains active; it cries out in unsatisfied desire; and when no answer is forthcoming, beyond the echo of its own pain, it takes a perverse form. The love which is prevented from obtaining complete satisfaction and repose is to many an intensely painful torment.... The over-rich imagination and the unsatisfied longing give rise to the most horrible and abnormal forms of love. Above all, in a society which will make no room for love, the love-passion must give rise to the greatest devastation. The impulse to love which is repressed by the organization of society does not only fight violently for air--the inevitable consequence of any pressure--but it discovers also all those artifices and corruptions which are supposed to make the enjoyment of love more intense. Conscious of being despised by society, it endeavours to regain by violence what is wanting to it in sensuality.”
The struggle for reality in love, for the elementary and the primitive, manifests itself in the search for the greatest possible =contrast= to the conventional, to the commonly sanctioned mode of sexual activity. Love cries out for “nature,” and comes thereby to the “unnatural,” to the =coarsest, commonest= dissipation. This connexion has been already explained (pp. 322-325). Certain temporary phenomena exhibit also this fact--for example, the remarkable preference for the most brutal, the coarsest, the commonest dances, mere limb dislocations, such as the cancan, the croquette (machicha), the cake-walk, and other wild negro dances, which rejoice the modern public more than the most beautiful and gracious spiritual ballet. It was only when the above-described connexion became clear to me that I was able to understand the remarkable alluring power of these dances, which had hitherto been incomprehensible to me.
An additional factor which favours the origination of sexual perversions is the =unrest= always connected with the advance of civilization, the haste and hurry, the more severe struggle for existence, the rapid and frequent change of new impressions. Fifty years ago the celebrated alienist Guislain exclaimed:
“What is it with which our thoughts are filled? Plans, novelties, reforms. What is it that we Europeans are striving for? Movement, excitement. What do we obtain? Stimulation, illusion, deception.”[484]
There is no longer any time for quiet, enduring love, for an inward profundity of feeling, for the culture of the =heart=. The struggle for life and the intellectual contest of our time leaves the possibility only for transient sensations; the shorter they are, the more =violent=, the more intense must they be, in order to replace the failing _grande passion_ of former times. Love becomes a mere =sensation=, which in a brief moment must contain within itself an entire world. Modern youth eagerly desires such =experience= of a whole world by means of love. The everlasting feeling of our classic period had been transformed, more especially among our leading spirits, into a passionate yearning to reflect within themselves truly the spirit of the time, to live through in themselves all the unrest, all the joy, all the sorrow, of modern civilization.
From this there results a peculiar, more spiritual configuration of modern perversity, a distinctive spiritualization of psychopathia sexualis, a true wandering journey, an “Odyssey” of the spirit, throughout the wide province of sexual excesses. Without doubt the French have gone furthest in this direction, and the names of Baudelaire, Barbey d’Aurevilly, Verlaine, Hannon, Haraucourt, Jean Larocque, and Guy de Maupassant, indicate nearly as many peculiar spiritual refinements and enrichments of the purely sensual life.
We have no longer to deal with the pure love of reflection, as in the case of Kierkegaard and Grillparzer, and in the writings of young Germany, where, indeed, reflection predominates, but which still more extends to the direction of =higher love=. Contrasted with this is the =simple lust of the senses=, by means of which new psychical influences are to be obtained. Voluptuousness becomes a cerebral phenomenon, ethereal. In this way the most remarkable, unheard-of, sensory associations appear in the province of sexuality--true _fin-de-siècle_ products which are, above all, specifically =modern=, and could not possibly exist in former times. For it is always the same play of emotion, the same effects, the same terminal results: ordinary voluptuousness. The dream of Hermann Bahr, of “non-sexual voluptuousness,” and the replacement of the animal impulse by means of finer organs, is only a dream. The elemental sexual impulse resists every attempt at dismemberment and sublimation. It returns always unaltered, always the same. It is vain to expect new manifestations of this impulse. Such efforts end either in bodily and mental impotence, or else in sexual perversities. In these relationships the imagination of civilized man is unable to create novelties in the =essence=; it can do so only as regards the objective =manifestations=. This is confirmed by the increase of purely ideal sexual perversities in connexion with certain spiritual tendencies of our time. Martial d’Estoc, in his book, “Paris Eros” (Paris, 1903), has given a clear description of these peculiar spiritual modifications of sexual aberrations. (It is interesting to note that Schopenhauer remarks, in his “Neue Paralipomena,” pp. 234 and 235: “The caprices arising from the sexual impulse resemble a will-o’-the-wisp. They deceive us most effectively; but if we follow them, they lead us into the marsh and disappear.”)
APPENDIX
SEXUAL PERVERSIONS DUE TO DISEASE
It is the immortal service of Casper and von Krafft-Ebing to have insisted energetically upon the fact that =numerous= individuals whose _vita sexualis_ is abnormal are persons suffering from =disease=. This is their _monumentum ære perennius_ in the history of medicine and of civilization. Purely medical, anatomical, physical, and psychiatric investigations show beyond question that there are many persons whose abnormal sexual life is pathologically based.
I shall not here discuss the peculiar =borderland state between health and disease=, the existence of which can be established in many sexually perverse individuals; I shall not refer to the “abnormalities,” the “psychopathic deficiencies,” the “unbalanced,” etc.; nor shall I discuss the question of the significance of the stigmata of degeneration, because these will be adequately dealt with in connexion with the forensic consideration of punishable sexual perversions.
Here we shall speak only of actual and easily determined diseases which possess a causal importance in the origination and activity of sexual perversions. The great majority of these are, naturally, =mental disorders=.
Von Krafft-Ebing, to whom we owe the most important observations regarding the pathological etiology of sexual perversions, enumerates the following conditions: Psychical developmental inhibitions (idiocy and imbecility), acquired weak-mindedness (after mental disorders, apoplexy, injuries to the head, syphilis, in consequence of general paralysis), epilepsy, periodical insanity, mania, melancholia, hysteria, paranoia.
Among these, =epilepsy= possesses the greatest importance.[485] It comes into play =much more frequently= as a causal morbid influence in the case of sexually perverse actions and offences than has hitherto been believed. The psychiatrist Arndt maintains that wherever an abnormal sexual life exists, we must always consider the possibility of epileptic influence. Lombroso assumes that all premature and peculiar instances of satyriasis are instances of larval epilepsy. He gives several examples in support of this view, and also a case of Macdonald’s which illustrates the connexion between epilepsy and sexual perversity.[486] Especially in the so-called epileptic “confusional states” do we meet with sexually perverse actions; exhibitionism and other manifestations of sexual activity _coram publico_ are frequently referable to epileptic disease. Similar impulsive sexual activities and similar confusional states are seen after =injuries to the head= and in =alcoholic intoxication=, also after =severe exhaustion=. Many cases of “=periodic psychopathia sexualis=” are due to epilepsy.
=Senile dementia= and =paralytic dementia= (general paralysis of the insane), also severe forms of =neurasthenia= and =hysteria=, often change the sexual life in a morbid direction, and favour the origin of sexual perversions.
It is a fact of great interest that Tarnowsky and Freud attribute to =syphilis= an important rôle in the pathogenesis of sexual anomalies. In 50 % of his sexual pathological cases Freud found that the abnormal sexual constitution was to be regarded as the last manifestation of a syphilitic inheritance (Freud, _op. cit._, p. 74). Tarnowsky observed that congenital syphilitics, and also persons whose parents had been syphilitic, but who themselves had never exhibited any definite symptoms of the disease, were apt later to show manifestations of a perverse sexual sensibility (Tarnowsky, _op. cit._, pp. 34 and 35). =Obviously this is to be explained by the deleterious influence upon the nervous system (perhaps by means of toxins?) which syphilis is also supposed to exert in the causation of tabes dorsalis and general paralysis of the insane.= When investigating the clinical history of cases of sexual perversion, it appears that previous syphilis is a fact to which some importance should be attached.[487]
From syphilis we pass to consider direct =physical= abnormalities and =morbid changes in the genital organs= as causes of sexual anomalies. In women prolapsus uteri sometimes leads to perverse gratification of the sexual impulse--for example, by pædication;[488] in men, shortness of the frænum preputii plays a similar part,[489] also phimosis. Wollenmann reports the case of a young man suffering from phimosis, who, at the first attempt at coitus, experienced severe pain, and since that time had an antipathy to normal sexual intercourse. He passed under the influence of a seducer to the practice of mutual masturbation. Only after operative treatment of the phimosis did his inclination towards the male sex pass away, and the sexual perversion then completely disappeared.[490]
[456] Hermann Joseph Löwenstein, “De Mentis Aberrationibus ex Partium Sexualium Conditione Abnormi Oriundis” (Bonn, 1823).
[457] Joseph Häussler, “The Relations of the Sexual System to the Psyche” (Würzburg, 1826).
[458] Heinrich Kaan, “Psychopathia Sexualis” (Leipzig, 1844).
[459] R. von Krafft-Ebing, “Psychopathia Sexualis” (Stuttgart, 1882).
[460] We must not omit to mention the fact that a little earlier the French physician Moreau de Tours published a comprehensive work upon psychopathia sexualis, entitled “Des Aberrations du Sens Génésique” (Paris, 1880).
[461] S. Freud, “Three Essays in Contribution to the Sexual Theory,” p. 70.
[462] _Cf._ the interesting remarks of G. H. C. Lippert, “Mankind in a State of Nature,” p. 1 _et seq._ (Elberfeld, 1818).
[463] Christian Muff, “What is Civilization?” pp. 30, 31 (Halle, 1880).
[464] G. L. N. Delvincourt, “De la Mucite Génito-Sexuelle,” p. 64 (Paris, 1834). Apt remarks on the alleged degeneration of the French are to be found also in the work of P. Näcko, “The Alleged Degeneration of the Latin Races, more Especially of the French,” published in _Archives for Racial and Social Biology_, 1906, vol. iii.
[465] As, for example, Immermann, in his work “Epigonen,” published at the same period (1836), assumes. In the mouth of the physician he puts the following words: “The physician has a great task to perform in the present day. _Diseases, especially nervous troubles, to which for a number of years the human race has been especially disposed, are a modern product._” _Cf._ Leopold Hirschberg, “Medical Matters as dealt with in General Literature: the Judgment of a Member of the Laity regarding Nervousness in the Year 1876,” published in _Medizinische Wochenschrift_, 1906, No. 41, p 428. Seventy years ago the German people was “nervous”; thirty-four years before _Sedan_, thirty years after _Jena_! Therefore neither Jena nor Sedan can be connected with the nervous “degeneration.” The authors of the eighteenth century (!) made similar complaints of the nervousness of their time, upon which Cullen and Brown founded their medical theories.
[466] J. Pohl-Pincus, “The Diseases of the Human Hair, and the Care of the Hair,” third edition, p. 57 (Leipzig, 1885).
[467] Carl Bleibtreu, “Paradoxes the Conventional Lies,” sixth edition, pp. 1, 2 (Berlin, 1888).
[468] See “Nature and Man,” E. Ray Lankester’s Romanes Lecture, 1905.--TRANSLATOR.
[469] G. Hirth, “Hereditary Enfranchisement,” published in “Ways to Freedom,” pp. 106-127 (Munich, 1903).
[470] Näcke’s thesis is in agreement with this, that “all sexual abnormal practices in an asylum are =for the most part much more rare= than the laity, =or even many physicians, imagine=.” _Cf._ P. Näcke, “Some Psychologically Obscure Cases of Sexual Aberrations in the Asylum,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. v., p. 196 (Leipzig, 1903). See also, by the same author, “Problemi nel Campo delle Psicopatie Sessuali,” in _Archivio delle Psicopatie Sessuali_, 1896; “Sexual Perversities in the Asylum,” in the _Wiener klinische Rundschau_, 1899, Nos. 27-30.
[471] S. Freud, _op. cit._, pp. 19, 20.
[472] A. Hoche, “The Problem of the Forensic Condemnation of Sexual Transgressions,” published in the _Neurologisches Centralblatt_, 1896, p. 58.
[473] Ploss-Bartels, “Das Weib in der Natur- und Volkerkunde,” eighth edition, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1906).
[474] Mantegazza, “Anthropological and Historical Studies on the Sexual Relationship of Mankind.”
[475] F. S. Krauss, “Morals and Customs relating to Sexual Reproduction among the Southern Slavs,” published in “Kryptadia,” vols. vi.-viii. (Paris, 1899-1902); and in the larger work, “Anthropophyteia” (Leipzig, 1904-1906).
[476] In all his works.
[477] _Cf._ Charles Darwin, “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex,” vol. i., p. 182 (2 vols., London, 1898).
[478] _Cf._ the inquiry of C. Wagner, containing extremely valuable material, “The Sexual and Moral Relationships of the Protestant Agricultural Population of the German Empire” (3 vols., Leipzig, 1897, 1898).
[479] “Prostitution in Berlin and its Victims,” p. 27 (Berlin, 1846).
[480] _Cf._ the detailed bibliography of these works in my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., pp. 29, 30.
[481] Typical sexual perversions have, however, been observed even in children, and it is this fact which has chiefly given rise to the doctrine of the “congenital” character of sexual perversions.
[482] _Cf._ the remarks of the Marquis de Sade regarding the abnormal sexuality of elderly men, in my “New Research Concerning the Marquis de Sade,” pp. 421, 422 (Berlin, 1904).
[483] C. Albert, “Free Love,” p. 148.
[484] Joseph Guislain, “Clinical Lectures on Mental Diseases,” p. 229 (Berlin, 1854).
[485] Kowalewski, “Perversions of Sexual Sensibility in Epileptics,” published in the _Jahrbücher für Psychiatrie_, 1887, vol. vii., No. 3.
[486] C. Lombroso, “Recent Advances in the Study of Criminology,” pp. 197-200 (Gera, 1899).--Tarnowsky has even described a form of “epileptic pæderasty” (_cf._ B. Tarnowsky, “Morbid Phenomena of Sexual Sensibility,” pp. 8, 51; Berlin, 1886).
[487] E. Laurent (“Morbid Love,” pp. 43-45; Leipzig, 1895) regards tubercular inheritance as an important etiological factor of sexual anomalies, for these occur more frequently in blonde, weakly individuals, than in brunettes (?).
[488] Bacon, “The Effect of Developmental Anomalies and Disorders of the Female Reproductive Organs upon the Sexual Impulse,” published in the _American Journal of Dermatology_, 1899, vol. iii., No. 2.
[489] M. Féré, “Sexual Hyperæsthesia in Association with Shortness of the Frænum Preputii,” published in the _Monatshefte für praktische Dermatologie_, 1896, vol. xxiii., p. 45.
[490] A. G. Wollenmann, “Phimosis as a Cause of Perversion of Sexual Sensibility,” published in _Der ärztliche Praktiker_, 1895, No. 23. Matthaes has shown that morbid changes of the genital sphere or its vicinity are apt to give rise to offences against morality (“The Statistics of Offences against Morality,” published in the _Archiv für Kriminalanthropologie_, 1903, vol. xii., p. 319).
## CHAPTER XVIII
MISOGYNY
“_Thou priestess of the most flowery life, how is it possible that such things should draw near to thee--one of those pale phantoms, one of those general maxims, which philosophers and moralists have invented in their despair of the human race?_”--G. JUNG.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XVIII
Non-identity of misogyny with homosexuality -- History of misogyny -- Misogyny among the Greeks -- Christian misogyny the true source of the modern contempt for women -- Characteristics of modern misogyny -- De Sade and his modern disciples (Schopenhauer, Strindberg, Weininger) -- Scientific misogyny (Möbius, Schurtz, B. Friedländer, E. von Mayer) -- Distinctions between the individual varieties -- Counteracting tendencies -- Beginnings of a new amatory life of the sexes -- A common share in life -- Freedom _with_, not without, woman.
## CHAPTER XVIII
Before proceeding to the consideration of homosexuality I propose to give a brief account of contemporary misogyny, in order to avoid confusing these two distinct phenomena under one head, and also to avoid making the male homosexuals, who are often erroneously regarded as “woman-haters,” responsible for the momentarily prevalent spiritual epidemic of hatred of women. This would be a gross injustice, because, in the first place, this movement has =in no way= proceeded from the homosexual, but rather from heterosexual individuals, such as Schopenhauer, Strindberg, etc.; and because, in the second place, the homosexual as such are not misogynists at all, and it is only a minority of them who shout in chorus to the misogynist tirades of Strindberg and Weininger.
The misogynists form to-day a kind of “=fourth sex=,”[491] to belong to which appears to be the fashion, or rather has =once more= become the fashion, for misogyny is an old story. There have always been times in which men have cried out: “Woman, what have I to do with you? I belong to the century”;[492] times in which woman was renounced as a soulless being, and the world of men became intoxicated with itself, and was proud of its “splendid isolation.”
Of less importance is it that the Chinese since ancient times have denied to woman a soul, and therewith a justification for existence,[493] than that among the most highly developed civilized races of antiquity such men as Hesiod, Simonides,[494] and, above all, Euripides, were all fierce misogynists. In the “Ion,” the “Hippolytus,” the “Hecuba,” and the “Cyclops” we find the most incisive attacks on the female sex. The most celebrated passage is that in the “Hippolytus” (verses 602-637, 650-655):
“Wherefore, O Jove, beneath the solar beams That evil, woman, didst thou cause to dwell? For if it was thy will the human race Should multiply, this ought not by such means To be effected; better in thy fane Each votary, on presenting brass or steel, Or massive ingots of resplendent gold, Proportioned to his offering, might from thee Obtain a race of sons, and under roofs Which genuine freedom visits, unannoyed By women, live.”[495]
In this passage we have the entire quintessence of modern misogyny. But Euripides betrays to us also the real motive of misogyny. In a fragment of his we read “the =most invincible= of all things is a woman”! _Hinc illæ lacrimæ!_ It is only the men who are not a =match= for woman, who do not allow woman as a free personality to influence them, =who are so little sure of themselves= that they are afraid of suffering at the hands of woman damage, limitation, or even annihilation of their own individuality. These only are the true misogynists.
It is indisputable that this Hellenic misogyny was closely connected with the love of boys as a popular custom. To this we shall return when we come to describe Greek pæderasty.
Among the Romans woman occupied a far higher position than among the Greeks--a fact which the institution of the vestal virgins alone suffices to prove. Among the Germans, also, woman was regarded as worthy of all honour.
The =true source= of modern misogyny is Christianity--the Christian doctrine of the fundamentally sinful, evil, devilish nature of woman. A Strindberg, a Weininger, even a Benedikt Friedländer, notwithstanding his hatred of priests--all are the last offshoots of a movement against the being and the value of woman--a movement which has persisted throughout the Christian period of the history of the world.
“If I were asked,” says Finck,[496] “to name the most influential, refining element of modern civilization, I should answer: ‘Woman, beauty, love, and marriage’! If I were asked, however, to name the most inward and peculiar essence of the early middle ages, my answer would be: ‘Deadly hostility to everything feminine, to beauty, to love, and to marriage.’”
The history of medieval misogyny was described by J. Michelet in his book “The Witch.” Since woman and the contact with woman were regarded as radically evil, it followed that in theory and practice asceticism was the ideal; celibacy was only the natural consequence of this hatred of woman; so also were the later witch trials the natural consequence. Therefore to this medieval misogyny, in contrast with modern misogyny, which represents only a weak imitation, we cannot deny a certain justification. The misogyny of the middle ages was earnestly meant; but it has become to-day mere phrase-making, dilettante imitation, and ostentation. In contrast with the utterances of the modern misogynist, the coarse abuse of women by such a writer as Abraham a Santa Clara has a refreshing and amusing character.[497]
Modern misogyny is certainly an inheritance of Christian doctrine, and a tradition handed down from much earlier times, but still it has its own characteristic peculiarities. Misogyny is, however, now much more an affair of =satiety= or =disillusion= than of =belief= or =conviction=; whereas in the days of medieval Christianity belief and conviction were the effective causal factors of misogyny. In addition, among our neo-misogynists we have the factor of the =spiritual pride= of a man who, from the standpoint of academic theoretical culture (which to men of this kind appears the highest summit of existence), looks down upon women, whom he regards as mentally insignificant, while he sympathizes with her “physiological weak-mindedness.” He smiles on her with pity, and completely overlooks the profound life of emotion and feeling characteristic of every true woman, which forms a counterpoise to any amount of purely theoretical knowledge--quite apart from the fact that women of intellectual cultivation are by no means rare.
If, in fact, we regard the =lives= of those who have reduced modern misogyny to a system, we shall be able to detect the above-mentioned causes in their personal experiences and impressions. The first important modern advocate of misogyny, the Marquis de Sade, lived an extremely unhappy married life, was deceived also in a love relationship, and nourished his hatred of women by a dissolute life and a consequent state of satiety.
And as regards Schopenhauer, who does not recall his unhappy relations with his mother? For he who has really loved his =mother=, he who has experienced the unutterable tenderness and self-sacrifice of maternal love, can never become a genuine, thoroughgoing woman-hater. But the mutual relationship of Schopenhauer and his mother was rather =hatred= than love. Beyond question, also, his infection with syphilis, to which I was the first to draw attention, played a part in his subsequent hatred of women.
Strindberg, in his “Confessions of a Fool,” has himself offered us the proof of the causal connexion between his misogyny and his personal experiences and disillusions; and in Weininger’s book we can read only too clearly that he had had no good fortune with women, or had had disagreeable experiences in his relations with them.
De Sade, who, perhaps, was not unknown to Schopenhauer,[498] was the first advocate of consistent misogyny on principle. It is an interesting fact, to which I have alluded in an earlier work (“Recent Researches regarding the Marquis de Sade,” p. 433), that de Sade’s and Schopenhauer’s opinions on the physical characteristics of women are to some extent =verbally= identical. While Schopenhauer, in his essay “On Women” (“Works,” ed. Grisebach, vol. v., p. 654), speaks of the “stunted, narrow-shouldered, wide-hipped and =short-legged= sex,” which only a masculine intellect when =clouded by sexual desire= could possibly call “beautiful,” we find in the “Juliette” (vol. iii., pp. 187, 188) of the Marquis de Sade the following very similar remarks on the feminine body: “Take the clothes off one of these idols of yours! Is it these two =short= and crooked legs which have =turned your head= like this?” This physical hatefulness of women corresponds to the mental hatefulness of which de Sade gives a similar repellent picture (“Juliette,” vol iii., pp. 188, 189). In all his works we find the same fanatical hatred of women. Sarmiento, in “Aline et Valcour” (vol. ii., p. 115), would like to annihilate all women, and calls that man happy who has learned to renounce completely intercourse with this “debased, false, and noxious sex.”
Quite in the spirit of de Sade, to whom the misogynists of the Second Empire referred as an authority, Schopenhauer, in the previously quoted essay “On Women,” Strindberg, in the “Confessions of a Fool,” and Weininger, in “Sex and Character,” preached contempt for the feminine nature;[499] and this seed has fallen upon fruitful soil in modern youth. Every young blockhead inflates himself with his “masculine pride,” and feels himself to be the “knight of the spirit” in relation to the inferior sex; every disillusioned and satiated debauchee cultivates (as a rule, indeed, transiently) the fashion of misogyny, which strengthens his sentiment of self-esteem. If we wish to speak at all of “physiological weak-mindedness,” let us apply the term to this disagreeable type of men. As Georg Hirth truly remarks (“Ways to Freedom,” p. 281), such masculine =arrogance= is merely a variety of “mental defect.”
Unfortunately, this misogyny has intruded itself also into science. The work of P. J. Möbius,[500] notwithstanding the esteem I feel for the valuable services of the celebrated neurologist in other departments, can only be termed an aberration, a _lapsus calami_.[501] But he does not stand alone. The admirable work of Heinrich Schurtz, also, upon “Age Classes and Associations of Men” (Berlin, 1902), is permeated by this misogynist aura; not less so is the equally stimulating work, “The Vital Laws of Civilization” (Halle, 1904), by Eduard von Mayer. This book, in association with the equally thoughtful and compendious work “The Renascence of Eros Uranios” (Berlin, 1904), by Benedikt Friedländer, and in conjunction with the efforts of Adolf Brand, the editor of the homosexual newspaper _Der Eigene_, and Edwin Bab (_cf._ this writer’s “The Woman’s Movement and the Love of Friends”; Berlin, 1904), to found a special homosexual group demanding the “=emancipation of men=,” have been the principal causes of the belief that the male homosexuals are the true “repudiators of woman,” and that from them has proceeded the increasing diffusion of modern misogyny. I repeat that this connexion is true only for the above-named group; that, on the contrary, genuine misogyny has been taught us by the world’s typically heterosexual men, such as Schopenhauer and Strindberg. Benedikt Friedländer and Eduard von Mayer preached, above all, a “masculine civilization,” a deepening of the spiritual relationships between men; whereas Strindberg and Schopenhauer, and even Weininger, really leave us in uncertainty as to what they imagine is to take woman’s place. All five agree in this, that the “intercourse” of man with woman is to be limited as much as possible; but only the two first-named openly and freely advocate homosexual relationships, or at least a “physiological friendship” (B. Friedländer), between men. Schopenhauer, Strindberg, and Weininger did not venture to deduce these consequences. Yet this is the =necessary= consequence of misogyny based on principle.
To the heterosexual men--and such men form an =enormous majority=--the noble, ideal, asexual friendship of man for man appears in quite another light from that in which it appears to the misogynist, to whom it is to serve to =replace= sexual love, whereas for heterosexual men friendship for other men is a valuable treasure =additional= to the love of woman.
Is there, then, any reason for this contempt and hatred for woman? Do not the signs increase on all hands to show us that =new= relationships are forming between the sexes, that a number of new points of contact of the spiritual nature are making their appearance--in a word, that =an entirely new, nobler, most promising amatory life= is developing? I will not fall into the contrary error to misogyny and inscribe a dithyramb of praise to feminine nature, as Wedde, Daumer, Quensel, Groddeck, and others, have done; but I merely indicate the signs of the times when I say =that woman also is awakening=! Woman is awakening to the entirely new existence of a free personality, conscious of her rights and of her duties. Woman, also, will have her share in the content and in the tasks of life; she will not enslave us, as the misogynists clamour, for she wishes to see =free men= by her side. What would become of woman if men became slaves? How could slaves give love?
Life has to-day become a difficult task both for man and for woman. Man and woman alike must endeavour to perform that task with confidence in their respective powers; but each, also, must have confidence in the powers of the other--a confidence which becomes =palpable= in the form of love or friendship, so that those who feel it have their own powers strengthened.
Not “Free =from= woman” is the watchword of the future, but “Free =with= woman.”
[491] V. Hoffmann, in a bad novel, “Das vierte Geschlecht” (Berlin, 1902), gives this name to the non-homosexual misogynists.
[492] Karl Gutzkow, “Säkularbilder,” vol. i., p. 55 (Frankfurt, 1846).
[493] In the Shi-king we find the following characterization of woman:
“Enough for her to avoid evil, For what can a woman do that is good?”
Indian literature is also full of such ideas. _Cf._ H. Schurtz, “Altersklassen und Männerbunde” (Age Classes and Associations of Men), p. 52.
[494] Simonides considered that women were derived from various animals. W. Schubert (“From the Berlin Collection of Papyri,” published in the _Vossische Zeitung_, No. 23, January 15, 1907) reproduces long fragments of a Greek anthology which collates praise and blame of woman in the original words of the poets.
[495] I quote from “The Plays of Euripides in English,” in two volumes, vol. ii., p. 136 (Everyman’s Library, Dent, London).--TRANSLATOR.
[496] H. T. Finck, “Romantic Love and Personal Beauty,” vol. i., pp. 186, 187 (Breslau, 1894).
[497] Equally amusing is the misogynist “Alphabet de l’Imperfection et Malice des Femmes,” by Jacques Olivier (Rouen, 1646), in which all the bad qualities of woman, observed down to the year 1646, are described with effective care and completeness.
[498] We know that Schopenhauer was a lover of erotic writings; a fuller account of this matter will be found in Grisebach’s “Conversations and Soliloquies of Schopenhauer.”
[499] That Nietzsche is wrongly accredited with misogyny is convincingly proved by Helene Stocker (“Nietzsches Frauenfeindschaft,” published in _Zukunft_, 1903; reprinted in “Love and Women,” pp. 65-74; Minden, 1906).
[500] P. J. Möbius, “The Physiological Weak-mindedness of Woman,” fourth edition (Halle, 1902). Näcke terms the recently deceased Möbius the “German Lombroso,” in order by this term to indicate, on the one hand, the man’s indubitable genius, and on the other hand the superficiality and purely hypothetical character of his scientific deductions.
[501] The grounds for this opinion were given in the fifth chapter.
## CHAPTER XIX
THE RIDDLE OF HOMOSEXUALITY
“_Through Science to Justice!_”--MAGNUS HIRSCHFELD.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XIX
Actual existence of original congenital homosexuality -- Its distinction from pseudo-homosexuality -- Homosexuality an anthropological phenomenon, not a manifestation of degeneration -- Secondary origin of “homosexual neurasthenia” -- Rarity of stigmata of degeneration among homosexuals -- Early spontaneous appearance of homosexuality -- As an essential product of personality -- Homosexuality in the child -- Physical and mental characteristics of completely developed homosexuality -- Effeminate and virile urnings -- Physical peculiarities of the homosexual -- Mental peculiarities -- Diffusion -- Numbers -- Ethnology of homosexuality -- Earlier history and literature -- Celebrated homosexual individuals -- Modes of
## activity of homosexual love -- Relations between homosexual and
heterosexual individuals -- Mode of sexual intercourse -- Examples -- Social relationships of the homosexual -- Places of rendezvous -- The “Allée des Veuves” of Paris -- An adventure of Victor Hugo’s -- Urning clubs in the Second Empire -- Urning balls at Paris -- Social relationships of the homosexuals of Berlin -- Meeting-places of urnings -- Men’s balls in Berlin -- Male prostitution -- Male brothels -- Blackmail -- § 175 -- Criticism of this section -- Demonstration of the necessity for its repeal -- Blackmail of homosexuals and suicide -- Need for the diffusion of general enlightenment regarding homosexuality -- Activity of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee -- Homosexuality in women -- The smaller percentage of genuine female homosexuals -- “Thoughts of a Solitary Woman” -- Relations of homosexual women to men -- The Woman’s Movement and homosexuality -- Sexual relationships of tribades -- The “protectrices” -- Social life of tribades -- Lesbian prostitution.
_Appendix: Theory of Homosexuality._ -- Homosexuality a heterogeneous sexuality -- Insufficiency of the theory of intermediate stages -- My own theory of homosexuality -- The significance of homosexuality in relation to civilization.
## CHAPTER XIX
Homosexuality--=love between man and man= (uranism), or =between woman and woman= (tribadism), a =congenital state=, or =one spontaneously appearing in very early childhood=--I consider “a riddle,” because, in fact, the more closely in recent years I have come to know it, the more I have endeavoured to study it scientifically, the more enigmatical, the more obscure, the more incomprehensible, it has become to me. But it =exists=. About that there is no doubt.
In the years 1905 and 1906 I was occupied almost exclusively with the problem of homosexuality, and I had the opportunity of seeing and examining a very large number of genuine homosexual individuals, both men and women. I was able to observe them during long periods, both at home and in public life. I learnt to know them--their mode of life, their habits, their opinions, their whole activity, not only in relation to one another, but also in relation to other non-homosexual individuals and to persons of the opposite sex. This experience taught me the indubitable fact that the diffusion of true homosexuality as a congenital natural phenomenon is =far greater= than I had earlier assumed;[502] so that I find myself now compelled to separate from true homosexuality the other category of =acquired, apparent, occasional homosexuality=, of the existence of which I am now, as formerly, =firmly convinced=. I denote this latter by the term “=pseudo-homosexuality=,” and treat of it in a separate chapter.
Formerly I believed that true homosexuality was only a variety of pseudo-homosexuality--in a sense larval pseudo-homosexuality. Now, however, I must recognize that true homosexuality constitutes a =special well-defined group=, sharply distinguishable from all forms of pseudo-homosexuality. From my medical observations, which have been as exact and objective as possible, I must draw the conclusion that among =thoroughly healthy individuals= of both sexes, not to be distinguished from other normal human beings, there appears =in very early childhood=, and certainly not evoked by any kind of external influence, an =inclination=, and after puberty a =sexual impulse, towards persons of the same sex=; and that this inclination and this impulse are =as little to be altered= as it is possible to expel from a heterosexual man the impulse towards woman.
Above all, in this definition of true original homosexuality I lay the stress upon the word “=healthy=”; for von Krafft-Ebing, though he admits the existence of congenital homosexuality yet regards it as a morbid degenerative phenomenon, as the expression of severe hereditary taint and of a neuro-psychopathic constitution; and this view is shared by many alienists.[503] Now, we must admit that a =portion= of genuine homosexuals--just as is the case with a portion of heterosexual individuals--possess such a morbid constitution; and we must acknowledge that yet =another portion= exhibit =manifestations of nervousness= and neurasthenia, which, beyond doubt, have developed during life out of an originally healthy state, in consequence of the struggle for life, the painful experience of being “different” from the great mass of people, etc.; but we ascertain that a =third=, and, in fact, the =largest, section= of original homosexuals are thoroughly =healthy, free from hereditary taint, physically and psychically normal=.
I have observed a great number of homosexuals belonging to all ages and occupations in whom not the slightest trace of morbidity was to be detected. They were just as healthy and normal as are heterosexuals. At an earlier date, though I was not yet aware of the relatively great frequency of true original homosexuality, it had become clear to me, on the ground of my own anthropological theory of sexual anomalies, that homosexuality might just as well appear in healthy human beings as in diseased. Therein I have always agreed with Magnus Hirschfeld, the principal advocate of this view, in opposition to the theory of the degenerative nature of homosexuality. For me there is no longer any doubt =that homosexuality is compatible with complete mental and physical health=.
It is very interesting to note that von Krafft-Ebing himself later came to the same view, and thus formally abandoned the degenerative hypothesis. In his “New Studies in the Domain of Homosexuality” he writes:[504]
“In view of the experience that contrary sexuality is a congenital anomaly, that it represents a disturbance in the evolution of the sexual life, and of the physical and mental development, in normal relationship to the kind of reproductive glands which the individual possesses, =it has become impossible to maintain in this connexion the idea of ‘disease.’= Rather, in such a case we must speak of a malformation, and treat the anomaly as parallel with physical malformation--for example, anatomical deviations from the structural type. At the same time, the assumption of a simultaneous psychopathia is not prejudiced, for persons who exhibit such an anatomical differentiation from type (_stigmata degenerationis_) =may remain physically healthy throughout life, and even be above the average in this respect=. Of course, a difference from the generality so important as contrary sexual sensation must have a much greater importance to the psyche than the majority of other anatomical or functional variations. In this way it is to be explained that a disturbance in the development in the normal sexual life may often be antagonistic to the development of a harmonious psychical personality.
“Not infrequently in the case of those with contrary sexuality do we find neuropathic and psychopathic predispositions, as, for example, predisposition to constitutional neurasthenia and hysteria, to the milder forms of periodic psychosis, to the inhibition of the development of psychical energy (intelligence, moral sense), and in some of these cases the ethical deficiency (especially when hypersexuality is associated with the contrary sexuality) may lead to the most severe aberrations of the sexual impulse. And yet we can always prove that, relatively speaking, the heterosexual are apt to be much more depraved than the homosexual.
“Moreover, other manifestations of degeneration in the sexual spheres, in the form of sadism, masochism, and fetichism, are relatively much commoner among the former.
“That contrary sexual sensation =cannot= thus be necessarily regarded as =psychical= degeneration, or even as a manifestation of disease, is shown by various considerations, one of the principal of which is =that these variations of the sexual life may actually be associated with mental superiority=.... The proof of this is the existence of men of all nations whose contrary sexuality is an established fact, and who, none the less, are the pride of their nation as authors, poets, artists, leaders of armies, and statesmen.
“A further proof of the fact that contrary sexual sensation is =not necessarily disease, nor necessarily a vicious self-surrender to the immoral=, is to be found in the fact that all the noble activities of the heart which can be associated with heterosexual love can equally be associated with homosexual love... in the form of noble-mindedness, self-sacrifice, philanthropy, artistic sense, poietic activity, etc., but also the passions and defects of love (jealousy, suicide, murder, unhappy love, with its deleterious influence on soul and body, etc.).”
According to my own investigations and observations, the =relationship between health and disease= is among homosexuals =originally identical with that among heterosexuals=, and only in the course of life, in consequence of the social and individual isolation of the homosexual, which acts on them as a =psychical trauma=, is this relationship somewhat altered in favour of the predominance of disease. Here, however, we have, as a rule, to do chiefly with =acquired= nervous troubles and disorders, with the development of a peculiar type of “=homosexual neurasthenia=,” and in these cases by superficial observers there may easily be a confusion between _post hoc_ and _propter hoc_.
Magnus Hirschfeld, who unquestionably possesses, relatively and absolutely, the greatest experience in the domain of homosexuality, maintains[505] that, according to his material of investigation--and this is of gigantic extent--at least 75 % of homosexuals are born of healthy parents and of happy marriages, often prolific marriages, and that nervous or mental anomalies, alcoholism, blood-relationship, and syphilis are no more frequent among the ancestors of homosexuals than among the ancestors of those endowed with normal sexuality. Only among from 20 to 25 % of homosexuals was he able, in conjunction with E. Burchard, to find hereditary taint. Only in 16 % could they find well-developed “stigmata of degeneration”; and, indeed, those with stigmata were throughout hereditarily tainted. This view is supported also by the facts (to which I already alluded in my “Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis”) that homosexuality is universally diffused in space and time; that it is independent of civilization, occurs among savage races who are not exposed to the conditions giving rise to degeneration in the same degree as civilized races; and that it is prevalent in the country, where the degenerative influence of life in large towns is not operative.
The most important characteristic of genuine homosexuality, its =spontaneous appearance very early in life=, which can only be referred to natural inheritance, appears to me to be a fact proved altogether beyond dispute. Men of the highest and most respected professions--above all, =judges=, =practising physicians=, =men of science=, =theologians=, and =scholars=--have described themselves to me as having been through and through homosexual from early childhood, so that I am thoroughly convinced that primary homosexuality makes its appearance at any rate very early in life.
The reports of physicians are of especially great importance. Hirschfeld (_op. cit._, p. 12) quotes the utterance of a leading alienist, himself homosexual: “I can and must declare that I have never known a case of homosexuality which I could regard as other than congenital,” and the accuracy of this statement has been confirmed to me personally by several homosexual physicians. The idea “congenital” harmonizes very well with the demonstrable casual =objective= cause of the first homosexual tendencies, which we are able to learn in almost every case of homosexuality. These can, as is well known, also occur transiently in heterosexual individuals--a matter which is discussed in the chapter “Pseudo-Homosexuality.” In the case of genuine homosexuality, however, these homosexual activities play from the very beginning a predominant rôle, and =remain permanent=, because they result from a natural inheritance, from a deeply rooted impulse. This is shown in the following interesting autobiography of a man of letters thirty years of age:
“From my earliest childhood there was something girlish in my whole nature, both outwardly and (more especially) inwardly. I was very quiet, obedient, diligent, sensitive to praise and blame, rather bright. I associated chiefly with adults, and was generally beloved. Sexual activity began in me unusually early. When I was about six years of age a tutor sat down on my bed, in which I was lying in a fever. He caressed me, and with his hand _membrum meum tetigit_. The voluptuous sensation which resulted was so intense that it has never disappeared from my memory. At school, where I always distinguished myself by my application and success, I sometimes enjoyed mutual ‘feeling’ with several other boys. From which side I inherited the unusual intensity of the sexual impulse I do not know, but I remember that when I was about twelve years old I already suffered a good deal from sexual desire, and that it came to me as a solution of a great difficulty when a comrade instructed me in the practice of masturbation. It is remarkable that for some time afterwards there was no evacuation of semen. When this first appeared I was very much alarmed and disquieted, but I soon became accustomed to it, and this the more readily because I had no doubt whatever that all men regularly indulged in the same pleasure. This ‘paradisaical’ state did not, however, last for long; and after a time, when I recognized the unnatural and dangerous nature of my conduct, I conducted a severe and unsuccessful contest against my desires. In my life generally I had a good deal to bear, and I can say that I have hardly preserved a single really pleasant memory of my past; and yet I could look back to this past with a certain pride and satisfaction if it had not been that the sexual side of my life has left such gloomy shadows in my soul.
“I remember that from very early days my eyes involuntarily turned with longing towards elderly vigorous men, but I did not pay much attention to this fact. I believed that I only practised masturbation (the influence of which I doubtless exaggerate in memory to some extent) because it was not possible for me to have sexual intercourse with women. I was accustomed sometimes to have friendly association with young girls, who appeared to be extremely attracted towards me. I always took care, however, that such love tendencies were nipped in the bud, because I felt that it was impossible for me to go any further with them. Ultimately I determined to seek salvation in intercourse with prostitutes, although they were disagreeable to my æsthetic and moral feelings; but I got no help here: either I was unable to complete the normal sexual act, or in other cases it was completed without any particular pleasure, and I was always consumed with anxiety with respect to infection. I had, indeed, often the opportunity of forming an ‘intimacy’ with a woman, but I did not do it, and always supposed that my failure to do so depended upon my ridiculous bashfulness and upon the excessive sensitiveness of my conscience. But though there is some truth in both of these suggestions, I have not taken into account the principal grounds--namely, that I am congenitally homosexual, and that I feel no physical attraction, or almost none, towards the other sex. This suffices to explain the fact (which can be explained in no other way) that when masturbating I almost always represented in imagination handsome elderly men. In my lascivious dreams, also, such men play the principal rôle. These longings were so powerful that it was impossible that I should not soon have my attention directed to them; but as I could not understand them and would not take the matter seriously (I knew, indeed, that man =must= feel drawn towards woman, and not towards man), I continued unceasingly and despairingly to fight against these fixed ideas, while at the same time with varying success I endeavoured to cure myself of masturbation; for in the first place it now gave very little satisfaction, and in the second place it destroyed my hopes of eventually procreating healthy children. I had almost come to believe myself no longer competent for the sexual life when I noticed one day that the view of a _membrum virile_ set my blood flowing fiercely. I then remembered that this had sometimes happened before, although to a less marked extent. I was now compelled to recognize that I was not the same as every one else. This fact, which I had before suspected, and of which I now became more and more firmly convinced, reduced me to despair, which was all the greater because in other ways I felt extremely unhappy, and because I did not dare to speak of it to any human being. Sometimes I still thought that there must be some ‘misunderstanding,’ and that there must be some salvation for me. Then it happened that a simple girl fell in love with me, and I went so far as to enter into an intimacy with her, although I openly assured her that as far as I was concerned it was simply a matter of physical enjoyment, and that I could not in any way make myself responsible for her future, for which reason care must be taken that there should be no offspring. During this intimacy, which lasted several months, I sometimes overcame my enduring inclinations towards men, but completely to suppress them was impossible. My association with the girl was still continuing, when one day in a public lavatory I saw an elderly gentleman whose appearance greatly pleased me. He looked at me tentatively. Cautiously he leaned over, in order _membrum meum videre_; he gradually drew near to me, moved his shaking hand and ... _membrum meum tetigit_. I was so much surprised and alarmed that I ran away, and avoided for some time afterwards passing by the same place. All the stronger, however, was the impulse to find this remarkable man once more, and this was not at all difficult. What an enigma such a man seemed to me! How could it happen that he dared to do that of which I had always been able only to think, to dream, with heart-quaking and horror? Could there, perhaps, be another man like this--perhaps several such exceptional beings? A short period convinced me that I was not quite alone in my way of feeling; but this was a weak consolation. Rather, since that time--that is to say, during the last five years--my inward battle has become more unbearable, for earlier my only battle was to reject homosexual ideas, and to overcome the habit of solitary self-abuse. Now sometimes I practise with another mutual onanism (to me the proper ‘natural’ mode of sexual gratification), and yet I cannot forgive myself for doing it because it is effected in so unæsthetic a manner, and is associated with such dangers. Notwithstanding all my endeavours, however, I have never been able to resist the temptation for a long time together; and thus I am hunted always by my impulse as by a wild animal, and can nowhere and in nothing find repose and forgetfulness. I have frequently changed my place of residence, but I always before long form new ‘relationships.’ The tortures which I suffer in consequence of the incomparable power of the impulse are greater them I can possibly express in words. I can only wonder that I did not lose my reason, and that in the eyes of my friends and acquaintances I am now, as before, ‘the most normal of all human beings.’ In the senseless and utterly unsuccessful contest with an impulse which, as far as I am concerned, is wholly, or almost wholly, congenital, I have lost the best of my powers, although I have long recognized the fact that this impulse in and by itself is neither morbid nor sinful, for a divergence from the norm is not a disease, and the gratification of a natural impulse, which in no respect and for no human being leads to evil consequences, cannot be regarded as sinful. Why, then, must I continue to strive against this impulse like a madman? Because it is very generally misunderstood, so unpardonably condemned. What help is it that I am now surrounded by love and respect? I know that so many would turn away from me with horror if they were to learn my sexual constitution, although it is a matter which does not concern them at all. Scorn and contempt would then be my lot. I should be regarded by the majority of human beings as a libertine; whereas I feel and know that, notwithstanding all the sensuality of my nature, I have been created for some other purpose than simply to follow my lustful desire. Who will believe that I suffer in the struggle with myself? Who will have compassion upon me? This idea is intolerable. I am condemned to eternal solitude. I have not the moral right to found a home, to embrace a child who would give me the name of ‘father.’ Is not this punishment sufficiently severe for God knows what sins? Why, then, should the consciousness be superadded that I am a pariah, an outcast from society? Owing to the opinion of society regarding the homosexual--an opinion based upon ignorance, stupidity, and ill-nature--society drives these unhappy beings to death (or to a marriage which in their case is criminal), and then triumphantly exclaims: ‘Look what degenerate beings they are!’ No, they are not degenerates, those whose lives you have made unbearable; they are for the most part spiritually and morally very healthy human beings. I will speak of myself. Why do I long for death? Certainly not because I am mentally abnormal. I am no morbid pessimist, and I know well enough that life can be very beautiful. But, unfortunately, it cannot be so for me; for my life is a hell; I am intolerably weary of my internal conflict; it has become horribly difficult to me to play the hypocrite, to pretend continually to be a happy man rejoicing in life; I am bending beneath the burden of my heavy iron mask. Recently I had myself hypnotized, in order to have my thoughts turned away as far as possible from sexual matters. My hypnotist said to me: ‘You see, you will be at rest now,’ and involuntarily in sleep I had to swallow these words, ‘Be at rest’! Good God, is that possible? Does the ‘normal’ man know how this word sounds in our ears? Who will understand my intolerable pain? Perhaps my dear parents could have done so, as they loved me above all, as if they had a presentiment that I should be the most unhappy of their children; but they have been dead for several years, and so, notwithstanding my numerous relatives and friends, I stand quite alone in this world, and vainly seek an answer to the questions ‘Why?’ and ‘Wherefore?’”
Genuine homosexuality exhibits, like heterosexuality, the character of an impulse arising from the =very nature= of the personality, which, in
## activity from the cradle to the grave, expresses the =continuity of the
individual= in respect also of this peculiar sexual tendency. Thus there does not exist a homosexuality =limited= merely to a certain age of life, as to childhood or youth, to maturity, or even to old age. Hence we must distinguish from genuine homosexuality the pæderasty of old men described by Schopenhauer, which does not begin till old age appears. We must distinguish, also, the love of Greek boys for elderly men; these must be included in the category of =pseudo-homosexuality=. An inclination which, like original homosexuality, is an =outflow of the essential nature= of the individual concerned, cannot disappear so long as the individual himself persists, cannot begin or end except with the beginning or end of his life. Homosexuality extends throughout the lifetime, and if by any cause whatever--for example, enforced marriage--it is apparently temporarily suppressed, it always reappears. It seems very doubtful if there really exists, as von Krafft-Ebing[506] assumes, a genuine =retarded= homosexuality--that is, original homosexuality which does not manifest itself until a comparatively advanced age. There do, doubtless, exist transient cases of pseudo-homosexuality, which have in some cases developed in those previously heterosexual, and which in other cases are superimposed upon a bisexual basis. These belong to the category of “=acquired=” homosexuality, which is always a pseudo-homosexuality.
The course of life of genuine homosexuals is a complete expression of the results of simple inversion of the sexual impulse, and the homosexual type makes its appearance in childhood. The fact of the “=difference=” between the homosexual and others is not experienced merely by the person himself, but is also noticed =very early= by those who have care of him. The “girlish” (in the case of female homosexuality, “boyish”) and “peculiar” nature is often observed by members of the family, by comrades, and by tutors, and gives rise to the use of nicknames. These manifestations and perceptions are a valuable objective confirmation of the subjective sensations of homosexual children. A Protestant clergyman whose homosexual son also studied theology remarked to M. Hirschfeld: “He was from the very beginning different from my five other sons.” The physical and moral peculiarities presently to be described are often manifested in very early childhood. Hirschfeld has frequently been able to diagnose “homosexuality” in children from ten to fourteen years of age. He alludes, among others, to a very timid boy, twelve years of age, who suffered from migraine, who cried frequently, who kept himself apart from his schoolfellows, and corresponded daily with a boy friend. He was fond of flowers and music; he had very little inclination to mathematics (according to Hirschfeld, a somewhat characteristic phenomenon in cases of homosexuality). The examination of the boy, who was extremely bashful, showed that =the genital organs were still completely undeveloped=, the penis resembling that of a boy of four years, whilst the breasts were markedly developed like those of a girl at the commencement of puberty.
I doubt whether the fondness on the part of boys for girls’ games, or on the part of girls for boys’ games, can be regarded as a symptom of diagnostic importance in regard to the existence of homosexuality, for a fondness for playing with girls and for cooking may often be observed in boys who later prove thoroughly heterosexual. Still, these things do play a great part in the autobiography of homosexuals, and have, in fact, great importance in cases in which these tendencies persist =after= puberty, when the heterosexually differentiated psyche would, after the transitory episode of these youthful games, display activities now corresponding to the fully developed sexual sensibility.
Puberty is the most important period with regard to the final =determination= of homosexuality by means of particular =physical= and =mental= characteristics.
The consideration of the physical and mental characters of male homosexuals leads clearly to the distinction of two different types--the =effeminate= and the =virile= urnings. With regard to the relative numbers of these two types there exist no definite data. Hirschfeld, in his “Urnings,” describes chiefly the type of the more or less effeminate urnings--that is, of those who show the greatest resemblance to the feminine nature--and does not express an opinion as to whether the number of effeminate homosexuals is greater than the number of virile homosexuals--that is, of those whose nature is predominantly masculine. Another experienced observer of urnings, Dr. J. E. Meisner,[507] is of opinion that in the =majority= of cases the male type of homosexuals is encountered rather than the female. According to my own observations, it appears to me that the number of virile and of effeminate urnings is about identical.[508] There are certainly numerous virile homosexuals, or rather homosexuals of a thoroughly =masculine= build of body, without great deviations from the normal type, who yet have a more or less feminine mode of sensibility. The distinction between effeminate and virile homosexuals would appear therefore to be only relative, and for the majority of cases Hirschfeld’s remarks (“Urnings,” p. 86) apply:
“A homosexual who was not distinguishable physically and mentally from the complete man is a being I have not yet encountered among fifteen hundred cases, and I am therefore unable to believe in the existence of such until I personally encounter one.”
More especially after removing any beard or moustache that may be present, we sometimes see much more clearly the feminine expression of face in a male homosexual, whilst before the hair was removed they appeared quite man-like. Still more important for the determination of a feminine habitus are direct physical characteristics. Among these there must be mentioned a =considerable deposit of fat=, by which the resemblance to the feminine type is produced, the contours of the body being more rounded than in the case of the normal male. In correspondence with this the =muscular system= is less powerfully developed than it is in heterosexual men, the skin is delicate and soft, and the complexion is much clearer than is usual in men. Last winter I attended an urnings’ ball, and I was much impressed, when looking at the _décolleté_ men, with the remarkable whiteness of their skin on the shoulders, neck, and back--also in those who had not applied powder--and by the fact that the little acne spots almost always present in normal men were absent in these. The peculiar rounding of the shoulders was also remarkable, from its resemblance to what one sees in women.
According to Hirschfeld, the skin of the urning almost always feels warmer than his environment. He refers the expression commonly used among the people (in Germany), “warm brothers,” to this circumstance, and derives the Latin _homo mollis_ (“soft man”) from the softness of the skin and of the muscular system (though in my opinion this term is applied rather to the =entire= effeminate, soft nature of the urning). Of great interest is the relation =between the breadth of the shoulders and the width of the pelvis= in homosexual men. Whilst the breadth of the shoulders of heterosexual men is several centimetres in excess of the width of the pelvis, and in women the width of the pelvis is greater than the breadth of the shoulders, according to Hirschfeld in the urning there is little or no difference between these two measurements. This, in respect of the bodily structure, would completely justify the expression “intermediate stage,” and would give the homosexual man a position between the heterosexual man and the heterosexual woman. Still, there are, without doubt, numerous virile homosexual men in whom this great width of the pelvis is not present. Investigations regarding the corresponding relationships among homosexual women have not to my knowledge hitherto been made. Very striking is the =often luxuriant growth of hair=, especially in the effeminate types, whereas the virile homosexuals are in this respect more approximate to normal men, baldness being common among them.
Our attention having been recently directed by the investigation of H. Swoboda to the existence of =equivalents of menstruation= in men, the occurrence of such equivalents among urnings is of interest. Hirschfeld reports the case of an effeminate homosexual who since the age of fourteen had suffered at intervals of twenty-eight days from migraine, associated with severe pains in the back and loins, so that his stepmother said to him: “It is with you just as it is with us.”
The =gait= and the =movements= of effeminate urnings also have a somewhat womanly appearance, and attract the attention even of one who is not in the secret. Short, tripping paces and elegant movements are characteristic of the effeminate.
In an earlier chapter we came to the conclusion that the fully adult normal woman was approximate in physical characteristics rather to the child and to the youthful human being than to the adult man; and in this connexion it is of interest that we must describe as a distinctively =feminine= characteristic the peculiarity of many male homosexuals, which enables them =for a long time to preserve a youthful appearance and demeanour=.
Very remarkable is the behaviour of the voice. The change in the voice may not occur at all, or does not occur till very late. The capacity for singing soprano or falsetto is also long preserved. Others, in whom the change of voice had failed to occur, were able to lower the pitch considerably by practice. A typical and well-known example is that of the baritone singer Willibald von Sadler-Grün, whom I had the opportunity of hearing recently, when, under the name of “Urany Verde,” he made a professional journey through Germany, and sang his songs dressed as a woman. He said of himself: “My voice has never cracked in a definite way. At twenty-three years of age I could sing soprano, and can still do so to-day, at the age of thirty. The deeper tones for speech and singing I acquired only by instruction and practice” (Hirschfeld, “Urnings,” p. 65). In this typical effeminate, the breasts also had a completely feminine character, as, according to Hirschfeld, is by no means rare in boy urnings, who at puberty experience swelling of the breasts, associated with painful sensations.[509] I must, however, maintain, in opposition to Hirschfeld, that abnormally marked development of the breasts is by no means rare in perfectly normal heterosexual men. For the diagnosis of homosexuality, the imperfect development of the larynx, and the failure of the voice to crack, are more important than the marked development of the breasts. I remember distinctly that in the case of a fellow-student of mine years ago his high voice used greatly to strike me. To-day I am able to understand how this fact was associated with his complete disinclination to sexual intercourse with women and his insensibility to feminine charms in general; and I am able in his case to diagnose homosexuality with absolute certainty.
In the case of =virile= homosexuals, all the above-mentioned physical peculiarities are far less noticeable. In their outward appearance they much more nearly resemble heterosexual men, but still they always have =comparatively= more of the feminine in their nature than the latter. Such a typically virile homosexual, in whose appearance the impression of femininity was entirely absent, I was able recently to recognize during a railway journey, in the course of which he confided to me misogynous opinions against other fellow-travellers, and also said that in the whole of his life--he was a man of a little over thirty--he had not had intercourse with women more than three or four times. During the long wait of the train at a station I took the opportunity, having mentioned that I was a physician by profession, to ask him if he was not homosexual, a fact which he at once admitted. Already in very early childhood he had felt himself distinctly drawn only towards masculine beings, and had =never= experienced the least inclination towards women. In this case also any kind of outward influence was excluded, because he had grown up at home and chiefly in a =feminine= environment. As I have already said, in appearance he was masculine, and he himself stated that he had no physical characteristics which suggested a feminine impression. That this is the case in numerous virile homosexuals is proved by the distinctive fact that many of them are =professional soldiers=, especially officers, in respect of whose appearance virility is very strongly insisted on.
The =mental= qualities of male homosexuals correspond fully to the physical, and occupy a middle region between the psyche of the heterosexual man and that of woman. But every =emotional element= is in them more prominent than energetic will-power and clear-sighted reason. Something soft and pliable is characteristic of the majority of urnings. This adaptability manifests itself in good-humouredness, in inclination to self-sacrifice, but, above all, in a most astonishing =mobility of the imaginative life=, which seems to be something characteristic of the homosexual, and to explain his frequent artistic capacity, above all his talents for =music=, for which vocation, indeed, his less fixed and more sketchy nature especially fits him, but also for poetry, painting,
## acting, and sculpture. “For all the fine arts,” says Hirschfeld, “from
cooking and artistic needlework to sculpture, we find that urnings have exceptional talent.” The inclination to intellectual occupation is distinctly greater among homosexuals than the inclination to bodily work. Associated with this is the ambition to distinguish themselves mentally above those by whom they are surrounded. Hirschfeld’s assertion that homosexuals belonging to the lower classes exhibit intellectual predominance over their environment, I am able emphatically to confirm, after frequent conversations with homosexual workmen and menservants. The peculiarity of their congenital tendencies has here early given rise to a certain intellectual profundity, has early taught these men to =reflect= about the world and about human existence. Every homosexual is a philosopher for himself. Most heterosexuals, especially those of the lower classes, never arrive at thinking so much about themselves and about their relations to the external world, as is a matter of course among homosexuals. The =imaginative=, the =dreamy=, is much more predominant in the homosexual than a crude sense of reality. This expresses itself particularly in his love, which far less frequently and exclusively than among the heterosexual takes the form of a gross and material sensuality. On the contrary, it permits us to recognize the inward need for tenderness and delicacy, for a peculiar ideal colouring. Goethe has contrasted this latter with the more sensual heterosexual love; he speaks of the
“remarkable phenomenon of the love of men for each other. Let it be admitted that this love is seldom pushed to the highest degree of sensuality, but rather occupies the intermediate region between inclination and passion. I am able to say that I have seen with my own eyes the most beautiful manifestations of this love, such as we have handed down to us from the days of Greek antiquity; and as an observant student of human nature I was able to observe the intellectual and moral elements of this love.”[510]
The ideal conception of Platonic--that is, of homosexual--love was a non-sensual, assexual love. The psychical element also plays an important part in modern uranism--a part overlooked or underestimated, whereas the sensual side is exaggerated.
Homosexuality as an anthropological phenomenon is diffused throughout all classes of the population. We find it among workmen just as much as among aristocrats, princely personalities, and intellectual heroes. Physicians, lawyers, theologians, philosophers, merchants, artists, etc., all contribute their contingents to uranism. If the extraordinarily frequent occurrence of homosexuality in the highest classes of society, especially in the leaders of the aristocracy, may possibly be brought into relationship with the processes of “degeneration,” still, on the other hand, numerous homosexuals are derived from healthy families, such as have not transmitted hereditary taint through a long series of ancestors. Recently G. Merzbach[511] has studied the relationship between homosexuality and the choice of a profession, and has proved that this choice is usually a consequence of the natural tendency. Thus we find an especially large number of homosexuals engaged in the production of ready-made clothing and in other manufacturing trades; others become music-hall comedians playing women’s parts, actors, dancers. Actors and singers appearing on the stage as women are to a large extent original homosexuals.[512] Among hairdressers and waiters we find also a relatively large number of urnings.
As regards the =diffusion= of homosexuality, the data obtainable up to the most recent times have been extremely contradictory. The first exact information is to be found in the work of a physician, published under the name of M. Kertbeny,[513] on “§ 143 of the Prussian Criminal Code of April 14, 1851, and its Continuance as § 152 in the Proposal for a Criminal Code for the North German Bund” (Leipzig, 1869). The author enumerates in Berlin 10,000 homosexuals among 700,000 inhabitants (equal to 1·425 %). A patient of von Krafft-Ebing, living in a town of 13,000 inhabitants, was acquainted with 14 urnings; and in another town of 60,000 he knew of at least 80. Many other equally uncertain estimates are recorded by Magnus Hirschfeld. They vary between 2 % and 0·1 %--vary, that is to say, within very wide limits. In view, therefore, of the importance of the exact determination of the number of homosexuals, which I myself had earlier declared to be desirable, we owe great thanks to Magnus Hirschfeld for having made an attempt[514] to obtain some exact data regarding this matter. He deduces from a compilation of thirty test investigations (reports regarding homosexuals in various classes of the population), and by means of an inquiry made with sealed letters, that the proportion of male homosexuals to the population =is about= 1·5 %. That is a very much =greater= percentage than has hitherto been assumed to exist. Formerly I doubted the accuracy of this figure, but since numerous respected, honourable, well-behaved persons, of whom I had not suspected it, have assured me that they have been homosexual since childhood, I have no longer any doubt regarding the approximate accuracy of Hirschfeld’s statistics. The enquiry made by Dr. von Römer in Amsterdam gave similar results, for he found the proportion of homosexuals to be 1·9 %. A third enquiry made by Hirschfeld among the metal-workers of Berlin gave a proportion of 1·1 %.
=Normal heterosexual= love was reported in about 94 to 96 % of the three inquiries.
“An imposing recognition of the love of man for woman, a powerful manifestation of the provision for the preservation of the species, and a contradiction to the fear that the uranian element in the population could ever seriously impair the well-being of the great majority” (Hirschfeld).
As “=bisexual=”--that is, as exhibiting tendencies towards both sexes--the average of the three enquiries reported 3·9 %, of whom, however, 0·8 % were mainly homosexual.
The total number of the purely and mainly homosexual was thus 2·2 %. Hence, according to the results of the last census of 1900, in the total population of the German Empire, numbering 56,367,178, there would be about 1,200,000 =homosexuals=; whilst of the population of Berlin, numbering 2,500,000, 56,000 would be homosexual.
In the interest of the scientific and social study of homosexuality, it is urgently necessary that these statistical investigations should be pursued, for if it should appear that the above estimates really apply to the whole Empire--which I do not feel justified in assuming without further evidence, since it is naturally possible that Berlin might contain a relatively greater number of homosexuals--uranism would, in fact, have a greater social importance than it has hitherto been assumed to possess. In any case, the number of urnings is large enough to make them appear a remarkable anthropological variety of our race.
The truth of this assertion is supported by the fact of the ubiquitous diffusion of uranism in time and space. In addition to homosexuality as a popular custom, genuine homosexuality also played a part in antiquity; and F. Karsch[515] has proved in an admirable book its occurrence among all savage races, although unquestionably numerous cases of non-genuine homosexuality must have been included. That homosexuality is in no way a sign of “degeneration” is proved also by the fact that it is more widely diffused among the still thoroughly vigorous Germans and Anglo-Saxons than it is among the Latin peoples. It is especially frequent in the German Ostsee provinces. It existed among the ancient Scandinavians.[516] Recently F. Karsch has announced the publication of ethnological researches on homosexuality, the first volume of which has already been issued, under the title “Homosexual Life among the Inhabitants of Eastern Asia: the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Koreans”[517] (Munich, 1906). In the preface he states expressly that he treats not only of original homosexuality, but also of artificially produced or acquired homosexuality--that which I call “pseudo-homosexuality.”
My earlier view, that true homosexuality is rare among the =Jews=, I find it necessary to revise, for recently I have made the acquaintance of numerous Jewish homosexuals.
For the =earlier history and literature of homosexuality= the most important, and, in fact, nearly exhaustive, sources are the article “Pæderasty,” by Meier, in Ersch and Gruber’s “General Encyclopædia,” section iii., part 9, pp. 149-189 (Leipzig, 1837); Rosenbaum’s “History of Syphilis in Antiquity,” pp. 119-227[518] (Halle, 1893); and, finally, the writings of the earliest German student of homosexuality, containing numerous interesting data, the Hanoverian official Karl Heinrich Ulrichs,[519] who, under the pseudonym “Numa Numantius,” published numerous works devoted to the emancipation of homosexuals, and to the proof of the congenital nature of homosexuality. The general title of these works is “Anthropological Studies on the Sexual Love of Man for Man.” They were published under various peculiar separate titles, such as: “Vindex” (Leipzig, 1864); “Inclusa” (Leipzig, 1864); “Vindicta” (Leipzig, 1865); “Formatrix” (Leipzig, 1865); “Ara Spei” (Leipzig, 1865); “Gladius Furens” (Kassel, 1868); “Memnon” (Schleiz, 1868); “Incubus” (Leipzig, 1869); “Argonauticus” (Leipzig, 1869); “Araxes” (Schleiz, 1870); “Uranus” (Leipzig, 1870); “Kritische Pfeile” (Stuttgart, 1879). In addition, Ulrichs, whose lifetime extended from 1825 to 1895, published uranian poetry under the title of “Auf Bienchens Flügeln” (“On the Wings of the Bee”); Leipzig, 1875. These writings, most of which are very rare in their original editions (although many were reprinted in the year 1898), contained a number of new points of view for the consideration of homosexuality, which have been recognized as sound by recent investigators.
Important contributions to the knowledge of homosexuality are afforded us by the studies of the life and works of celebrated and intellectually distinguished urnings. As unquestionably homosexual we may mention the poet Platen,[520] Michael Angelo,[521] Heinrich Hössli,[522] Heinrich Bulthaupt,[523] Johannes von Müller (the historian),[524] King Henry III. of France,[525] the musician Franz von Holstein,[526] Peter Tschaikowsky,[527] the authors Count Emmerich von Stadion and Emil Mario Vacano,[528] Duke August von Gotha,[529] George Eekhoud,[530] and the Belgian sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy (1602-1654).[531] The following celebrated persons have also been regarded as urnings, but, as it appears to me, on insufficient proofs: Frederick the Great; J. J. Winkelmann, who at most was bisexual, since we know of passionate letters written by him to a woman; and Alexander von Sternberg,[532] of whom the same is true; the reformers Beza[533] and Calvin,[534] who have unquestionably been wrongfully accused; and finally Byron and Grillparzer,[535] without troubling to enumerate hypotheses utterly without foundation. It is unquestionably a fact that a large number of intellectually prominent men were genuine homosexuals, and that their abnormal congenital tendencies did not prevent their doing important work in other spheres of activity. But this happened =notwithstanding=, and =not=, as many talented apologists wish to prove, =because of= their uranism.
When we pass to consider the =activity= of homosexual love, we find that homosexuals may, and actually do, love either other homosexual or heterosexual individuals. According to the account given by Meisner (“Uranism,” pp. 19, 20), the amatory ideal of most homosexual men is a heterosexual man, and intercourse between two urnings is, properly speaking, only a matter of necessity. But by several homosexuals with whom I discussed the matter this view was declared to be erroneous; in the majority of cases the attraction between two homosexuals plays the principal rôle. Ulrichs endeavoured to provide a theoretical justification for the sexual relationship between two homosexuals, and maintained (_cf._, for example, “Inclusa,” pp. 64, 65) that Nature destined the heterosexual, or “dioning,” as he calls them, by no means for woman alone, but also for the urning, for the “fulfilment of the sexual purposes of Nature, not directed towards reproduction.” According to Hirschfeld (“Urnings,” pp. 22, 23), it is unquestionable that, whilst many homosexuals greatly prefer to associate with those who also feel in a uranian manner, and whilst to many also it is a matter of indifference whether or not those with whom they have sexual relations are themselves endowed with contrary sexuality, quite a number of urnings feel attracted =exclusively= to normal, sexually powerful natures. As a rule, it is not difficult for homosexuals to gratify their inclinations in intercourse with heterosexual individuals. A middle-aged urning informed me that young heterosexual men =almost always= acceded in this matter to the expressed wish of homosexuals--in the first place from simple curiosity, and in the second place by no means rarely from sexual excitement. Indeed, according to this authority, effeminate homosexual men often produce in powerfully sensual heterosexual men the impression of femininity, and are seduced by the latter to mutual masturbation, especially in a state of alcoholic intoxication. Not infrequently does it happen--a striking example having come to my knowledge--that a young heterosexual has a love intimacy with a girl, and yet occasionally, when he is for any reason unable to have sexual intercourse with her, he =very willingly= transfers his affections to a homosexual man. Male prostitutes are also, to a large extent, heterosexual men who give themselves to homosexuals for pecuniary reward. Occasionally, moreover, heterosexual men mistake very effeminate urnings going about in women’s clothing for genuine women, and have intercourse with them in this belief--a belief which these latter are clever enough to keep up until the last possible moment.
Passing now to the consideration of the special circumstances of sexual attraction, we find that the true love of boys,[536] or rather the love of children (=pædophilia=), is rare in homosexuals. The age chiefly preferred is that between seventeen and twenty-five years, alike by mature homosexual men and by old men. On the other hand, it =is by no means an exceptional phenomenon= for youths, or even mature men, to feel attracted exclusively by elderly men (the so-called “=gerontophilia=”). There exists also a heterosexual “gerontophilia”--that is to say, abnormal love exhibited by young men for old women, or by young women for old men. Thus Féré reports (“Note sur une Anomalie de l’Instinct Sexuel: Gerontophilie,” published in the _Journal de Neurologie_, 1905) the case of a man twenty-seven years of age who was sexually attracted only by white-haired, elderly women. He referred this to an impression received in very early youth. When four years old he slept in the same bed with an elderly lady, a family friend, who was visiting the house, and he then for the first time experienced sexual excitement. He had a dislike to young girls and young married women. A white-haired elderly woman whom he loved dyed her hair light brown, whereupon he ceased to care for her. Further, effeminate urnings prefer virile homosexuals; whereas many of these latter have a great dislike to effeminates and to men in women’s clothing--to those male “women” who adopt by preference feminine nicknames, such as Louisa instead of Louis, Georgina instead of George, and who speak to one another as “sister,” just as the Roman Emperor Heliogabalus wished to be addressed as “mistress” instead of “lord.” Many urnings love beardless men; others love men with a moustache or a full beard; many homosexuals are fascinated by bright-coloured cloth, just as women are. Moreover, every possible individual detail may here have an attractive force, just as is the case with heterosexual love (the hair, the stature, the gait, the eyes, the intelligence, and the character).
Ideal love and the gratification of the grossest sensuality are also the two poles between which the =amatory manifestations= of male homosexuals oscillate. Many confine themselves to simple contacts, caresses, kisses and embraces. Most frequently sexual gratification is obtained by mutual masturbation. The idea that the non-homosexual especially associates with the word “pæderasty” is “pædication”[537]--that is, _immissio membri in anum_. This sexual act is, however, far less frequent than it is commonly assumed to be by heterosexuals. According to Magnus Hirschfeld, it occurs only in 8 %, according to G. Merzbach only in 6 %, of all cases of intercourse between male homosexuals. In an essay on pædication which I possess, written by a homosexual, it is represented as much commoner, and as “the most natural and least harmful means of gratification.” According to a verbal communication made to me, the author of this essay knew of one hundred cases of pædication in which no harm had resulted. Frequently _coitus inter femora_ takes the place of pædication; still more frequently “fellation,” or _coitus in os_, and the widely diffused “tongue kiss.”[538] Other perverse manifestations of the homosexual impulse also occur, such as anilinctus, fetichism, masochism, sadism, exhibitionism, etc., just as they occur in heterosexual individuals.
With regard to the relations of true homosexuals to women, generally speaking they =loathe sexual intercourse= with woman, but they do not dislike woman herself. Women, on the contrary, are greatly liked by most homosexuals; effeminate urnings more especially gladly seek their society, in order to gossip with them about all kinds of feminine belongings. =Marriages= are often contracted by homosexuals who are really ignorant as to their own condition, or who hope to conceal it from the world, or simply for pecuniary considerations. They result most unhappily if the wife has need of love, and understands the real nature of the case; or, again, if she becomes jealous of her husband’s male lovers; but when the wife is frigid, they may turn out quite happily. They are, however, always very unnatural. Hirschfeld[539] has thoroughly discussed the question of the marriage of homosexuals, and has also alluded to the occasional marriages between homosexual men and homosexual women. The fact proved by him that among homosexuals the impulse towards the preservation of the species is almost entirely wanting--not more than 3 % have the wish to possess children--shows how little fitted they are for the purposes of marriage.
The above-described sexual relationships may be illustrated by a few original reports taken from the autobiographies of homosexuals. For example, a homosexual man, twenty-seven years of age, writes:
“When I was young, from four to six years of age, I loved to look at the male generative organs, without knowing why they attracted me. I liked to look at sculpture and pictures representing male nudity. I detest woman’s work and the fashions of the day: a simple costume suffices for me. I learned the ‘great secret of the world’ when I was twelve years old, but woman had no interest for me, and I was always asking little boys of from ten to fourteen years of age to show me their private parts. I commenced to have carnal intercourse with boys (aged eighteen to twenty-four) when I was myself twenty-four. Only _coitus inter femora_, face to face, never from behind. I always assume the active rôle. A young man from eighteen to twenty-four years of age is to me like a woman. A woman is to me a thing (!), not so a man. Perhaps it is original, odd for our time; but what is to be done? Woman is a machine for producing children, and nothing more. I am not married, and never shall marry.”
Another homosexual writes:
“I was about five years old when, walking with a nursemaid in the pleasure gardens, I saw a man masturbating. Although I did not know what he was doing, the picture busied my imagination for many years. In my dreams, up to the age of fourteen years, the thought of living together with a companion of the same age as myself played the principal part. At the age of thirteen I fell in love with a schoolfellow, who was, however, but little inclined towards me. What perhaps especially interested me in him was that he brought sexual enlightenment to our class. Through moving to another town I lost sight of him. Although at that time I knew nothing of the real sexual life, still I sought for objects which excited my sensuality.
“An unknown man of about thirty-five years of age seduced me, and practised pæderasty with me on the first occasion that he met me. I felt that there was something altogether wrong about this practice, but was too weak to withdraw myself from his influence. After about three months he disappeared. Now also I knew what masturbation was, for in the school this practice was common.
“At the age of eighteen I left the school, and as in my comrades the impulse towards women now showed itself, I, for my part, felt all the more how everything directed me towards man. I often endeavoured, in obedience to the urging of my friends, to form relationships with women of the half-world, but this always filled me with the greatest horror and repugnance. To me it is a dreadful feeling when I notice that a woman is interested in me. All the more, on the other hand, did the male sex interest me. When I love a man I do not think (only) of sexual union, but I try to read in him what I am myself prepared to give: a sole interest, faithfulness, unselfish surrender. If I love a man, anyone else is nothing to me.
“Every man of standing of twenty to forty years of age is interesting to me--every one who is not positively repulsive--but most of all anyone who possesses a distinguished psyche. In isolated cases sympathy has also led me to love.
“The kiss is of the highest importance to me, and precisely because I regard love as created only for a holy purpose, so that human beings may be mutually ennobled and morally advanced by this passion, it has always been repulsive to me to observe how men flirt with one another, just as is the case with heterosexuals. For this reason I am disinclined to visit places of general resort--such as, for example, the Casino of Dresden, where all kinds of people come together. I have met hardly any other urning who shares my sentiments in this respect.”
A homosexual physician, thirty-two years of age, gives the following account of his sexuality:
“I cannot tell you at what age sexual inclinations first appeared in me. My sexual impulse is directed towards males. Before and during the time of puberty the impulse was quite indeterminate. I believe that at this time I even cherished the idea of some day carrying out intercourse with a girl. But this was not love; it was a purely physical desire. The spiritual side of the impulse was at this time completely wanting. The sexual impulse now extends only towards young men. I have hitherto had sexual intercourse neither with males nor with females, but I believe that I should be competent for the normal sexual act. This act, however, would give me no pleasure; it would be nothing more than masturbation. I feel complete indifference towards the female sex, but I do not feel hatred or disgust. Sexual dreams[540] relate always to persons of the same sex. On the stage, in the circus, it is always the men who interest me more than the women. In addition, I admire celebrated actresses and female singers, but my interest in them is purely artistic. From this standpoint also I am fully able to do justice to the beauty of young women, and have often wished to paint a girl, but this interest is always that of a painter--the colour of the hair, the complexion, interesting features. Social intercourse with persons of the other sex is quite unrestrained. The sense of shame I feel more in regard to women, but still I have also a strong sense of shame with regard to men. I always have a great difficulty to overcome when I have to take off my clothes in the presence of other men, and it is also very difficult to me to urinate when other men are present.
“My love exists only towards youths from the ages of seventeen to twenty-four, or, to speak more strictly, towards youths at the time of puberty. One of these of whom I am fond is sixteen years of age, but sexually he is completely mature, so that every one imagines him to be twenty.
“The direction of my sexual impulse has first become perfectly clear to me since reading the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_. I was already fully aware of the fact that young men were especially interesting to me, but had not previously understood that this interest was of a sexual nature. I had, indeed, heard of pæderasty--the case of Krupp and others--but I imagined that these individuals had developed such a tendency in consequence of satiety. ‘You,’ I said to myself, ‘are purer and nobler in sentiment. Pæderasty is loathsome to you; no human being will ever understand you.’
“Every young man at the age of puberty awakens in me a certain sexual interest. This is especially the case when they are slender and wiry in build, not fat, with well-developed, but not excessively powerful, muscles, with gentle and modest character. Roughness always suffices to destroy completely the commencement of inclination. Sturdy, plump youths, and those with an excessive development of fat under the skin, or with a wide, feminine aspect of the buttocks, leave me comparatively cold. The youthful forms embodied in Grecian sculpture are my ideal type. It is indispensable that they should be beardless, or at most have the merest beginnings of a beard. A youth with a heavy moustache leaves me cold; he is too masculine for me. Intellectual culture plays no part in the attraction; modesty and gentleness are necessary to render an intimate relationship possible. I find no preference for any particular profession. I have, indeed, pedagogic inclinations, but these appear to me to play no part in producing attraction, but come into action only later. One whom one loves is one in whom one would be glad to produce spiritual perfection. The attraction depends, in the first place, upon beauty of the body; beauty of the face is only of secondary importance. Smell has no influence upon the attraction.”
It will be noted that this writer, now thirty-two years of age, has hitherto had no experience of sexual intercourse, either heterosexual or homosexual. This is characteristic. Homosexuals in general, in contrast to heterosexuals, often proceed =at a comparatively late age= to actual experience of their sexual impulse in action. He goes on to describe the first beginnings of his love for a beautiful youth, eighteen years of age. He writes:
“My eyes watched every movement of the body, which continually displayed new beauties. I should have loved to fall upon his neck and kiss him. For sexual intercourse he appeared to me too pure, too noble; I should rather have lain before him in the dust and prayed to his beauty. I felt that I should have been a poet in order to be able to clothe in the right words this delicate and holy sentiment. And I must shut this all up within myself, must remain outwardly cold. It was enough to drive me to madness! Have compassion on us, and allow us at least an embrace, a kiss. That certainly can do no one any harm, and for me it would be a good action. The distressing tension which tortures us to death would be for the time relaxed. I always have a feeling that the process of sexual attraction must be of an electrical nature. I seem to myself to be charged with electricity, the tension increasing up to the highest point when the beloved is near me, and a prolonged contact or a stroking with the hand already suffices to bring about a certain calming of the nerves. The tension is to some degree diminished. The various components of sexual enjoyment appear to be developed in human beings with very different strength. In this way it is explicable that in one person the odour of the loved one, in another the changing tones of the voice, in a third the taste of the kiss (the tongue kiss), is most stimulating. It is, indeed, even conceivable that there exists a purely mental sexual enjoyment, and that to some individuals merely to look at the beloved person, or to read a letter from him, suffices.
“Sexual intercourse had hitherto never been practised, but I can asseverate that the mode of my desire is rather feminine. It would be my ideal if the loved one should feel sexual ardour for me; I should be a willing sacrifice. I should like to possess feminine sexual organs, in order to appear desirable to the loved one.
“I have battled powerfully against my nature, and have felt very unhappy. I regard myself as physically and mentally healthy. I have received at birth a double nature (alas! two souls dwell within my breast). My body is that of a man, my soul rather that of a woman; hence the conflict, hence my sexual desires, considered outwardly and only from the physical point of view, are contrary to nature. Alas! my soul can be seen by no one.
“Why do I only love a young man? Because he in ideal fashion enlarges my nature. My sexual sensibility is mainly feminine, and is directed, therefore, towards the masculine, and more especially towards the masculine in the time of youth, because the feminine sensibility in my nature is damped by a small masculine note. The effeminate urning probably loves the complete man as the best complement of his own nature. The slightly masculine note of my own sexual perception demands also in the man whom I love a slight feminine note, such as we find in the youth. He has, in fact, something feminine in him--beardlessness, no immoderate strength of the muscular system, a gentle disposition, receptive emotions--and yet he is masculine and sexually mature. Sexual maturity is a necessary part of every love. The young man, therefore, is the ideal conception of my nature. My love is as great, as holy, and as pure, as heterosexual love; it is capable of self-sacrifice. Believe me, for a loved one who fully understood me in every respect, I would gladly go to my death.
“Ah! how painful it is to us when we are regarded as debauchees or as sick persons!”
I must say that the above account, given to me by a much respected medical colleague, one whose nature is characterized alike by intellectual power and ideal sensibility, has made the deepest impression upon me, and has been an important influence in confirming my views regarding the nature of original homosexuality. Similar oral communications have been received by me from other physicians who have been homosexual from childhood onwards, one a neurologist and the other an alienist, and I attribute the greatest importance to the account given by this colleague of mine, who has a =twofold= understanding of the matter in question--as physician and as homosexual. It is also important to note that uranian physicians declare the majority of homosexuals to be physically and mentally healthy, a fact which I myself had not previously doubted, and that they contest the general validity of the degeneration theory.
Whilst in the smaller provincial towns and in the country homosexuals are for the most part thrust back into themselves, compelled to conceal their nature, or at most able to communicate only with isolated individuals of like nature with themselves, in the larger towns from early days the homosexuals have been able to get into touch with one another. Certain meeting-places--places of rendezvous for urnings only--have been formed; in certain =streets= and =squares= there have been formed urning-clubs, boarding-houses, and restaurants, and even urning-balls, while certain health resorts are to a degree monopolized by them. Moreover, the individual social groups of the homosexuals form unions. Thus, for example, Hirschfeld[541] reports the existence of an evening association consisting exclusively of homosexual princes, counts, and barons. Such pæderastic meeting-places and unions existed in the eighteenth century in Paris. From this time until about 1840 certain dark lateral alleys of the Champs Elysées, the thickets from the Place de la Concorde to the Allée des Veuves, between the Grand Avenue des Champs Elysées and the Cour de la Reine, served from the commencement of twilight for the rendezvous of homosexuals, not simply as a place of masculine prostitution, but as a meeting-place of urnings in general, who here in the dark sought and found love. The central point of this evening activity was the Allée des Veuves (now known as the Avenue Montaigne), the “Widow’s Alley”--“widow” was at that time the term used to denote the passive pæderast. This region of the Champs Elysées was to a certain extent monopolized by the homosexuals. They would not tolerate here the presence of any heterosexuals; they closed the entrances with cords, and placed guards at the openings of the alleys, who demanded a pass-word from every comer. Even the police did not venture into this dark region.
“Victor Hugo, who in the year 1831 lived in the Rue Jean Goujon in this neighbourhood, often accompanied his friends who had been visiting him part of the way home at a late hour of the night. They walked in groups, talking of literature and art as far as the Place de la Concorde. There the celebrated poet parted from his guests and returned alone homewards, composing new verses by the way. He often noticed individuals who, as he passed the entrance to the Rue des Veuves, watched him from afar off without speaking to him. He could not believe that these people were thieves, and asked himself what could be the cause of their always waiting in this lonely place; but notwithstanding the frequent occurrence of these scenes, he made no further inquiry into the matter. But once in the midst of his poetical reverie he was disturbed by a man who stepped forward from the darkness of a thicket, and with a polite greeting said to him: ‘Sir, we beg you not to wait any longer in this place. We know who you are, and we should not wish that any one of us who does not know you should cause you any uneasiness.’ ‘What are you doing there, then?’ answered Victor Hugo. ‘Every evening I see people walking about here, and disappearing among the trees.’ ‘Don’t concern yourself about it, sir,’ was the brisk answer; ‘we disturb no one and do no one any harm, but we shall not permit anyone to disturb us or to do us any harm; =we are here in our own grounds=.’ Victor Hugo understood, bowed, and pursued his way. As on another evening, walking with his friends, he wished to pass through another alley running parallel to the Allée des Veuves, he found that this was closed by a number of chairs, which were fastened together with cords. ‘There is no thoroughfare,’ called out a threatening voice; but another, speaking more quietly, added: ‘We beg Monsieur Victor Hugo on this occasion to pass along the other side of the Avenue des Champs Elysées.’”[542]
During the Second Empire the Allée des Veuves maintained its former position as a place of rendezvous for homosexuals. An urnings’ club, the members of which belonged to the highest classes of society, being persons of the Imperial Court, senators, great financiers, etc., had their meeting-place in a beautifully furnished hotel in the Allée des Veuves, in which soldiers of the Empress’s bodyguard (Dragons de l’Impératrice) and of the Hundred Guard of the Emperor served, in return for valuable presents, as the beloved of the various distinguished urnings, for which function the term “faire l’Impératrice” came into use. In the hotel there also lived from time to time transient unknown persons, who were only admitted after showing a kind of medal bearing a secret inscription. When the police made an examination of the hotel, they found a number of women’s dresses and similar articles, such as those which the Empress Eugénie was accustomed to wear on festival occasions. Numerous letters were also discovered which had been exchanged by the members of the club and their favourites of the Hundred Guard or of the Empress’s guard. A report was made to the Emperor of the results of the examination of this house. When he saw that persons of the highest position, and bearing most celebrated names, were involved in the affair, he at once ordered that the matter should be dismissed, and said to the Procureur-General: “We must spare our people and our country from such a scandal, which would do no one any good, and would do a great deal of harm.” In fact, almost no details of this affair became public.[543] Tardieu gave an account of another urnings’ club of the Second Empire, where there were concealed closets, on the walls of which erotic pictures were displayed. The manner in which the urnings made acquaintance with homosexuals is shown in a police report of July 16, 1864, in which the conduct of a literary homosexual, “un vieux monsieur fort bien et puissamment riche,” is described in the following terms:
“He enters the Café Truffaut, sees a young soldier who pleases him. By the intermediation of the waiter he makes an appointment, and departs without waiting for an answer. If the soldier agrees, he goes to the appointed place of meeting, and never goes alone, because Father C----n (the elderly urning) is well known. As soon as the two have met, other soldiers make their appearance, beat the old man, and compel him to give them all the money which he has about him. He does this willingly, and without ceasing prays for pardon. When he has not a single sou left, and when he has also given up his watch, he goes away weeping, and continually repeating the words, ‘What a miserable man I am!’”
This elderly urning was manifestly also a masochist, and therefore a very suitable victim of blackmailers, whom we here see at their work. In the police report to which we have already referred homosexual orgies are also described, the participants in which assumed women’s names and practised mutual masturbation and fellation, and also carried out obscene practices with a bitch. When Oscar Metenier in his book “Vertus et Vices Allemands” (Paris, 1904) states that Berlin has a monopoly in the matter of urnings’ balls, which, in his opinion, were not possible in Paris, he is unquestionably wrong as regards the time of the Second Empire. In this police report two typical urnings’ balls are mentioned. One of these took place in a house in the Place de la Madeleine, belonging to E. D., a man of business, who gave the ball on January 2, 1864. The second urnings’ ball was given by the Vicomte de M. in the Pavilion Rohan, Rue de Rivoli, on January 16, 1864, at which at least 150 men, many of them in woman’s clothing, took part. In many cases the appearance was so deceptive that even those who had invited the guests were not always able to determine the sex with certainty.
It is doubtless true that there is no other town in which there are so many social unions of homosexuals as there are in Berlin. Hirschfeld records--in addition to private parties--dinners, suppers, evening
## parties, five o’clock teas, picnics, dances, and summer festivals of
homosexuals, which are arranged every winter by urnings, and by female homosexuals or their friends. Moreover, the male and female homosexuals meet in certain restaurants, cafés, eating-houses, and public-houses frequented only by themselves.[544]
Such localities exclusively for the use of urnings exist in Berlin to the number of eighteen to twenty. There are also social literary unions, such as the club “Lohengrin,” the antifeministic “Gesellschaft der Eigenen,” the “Platen-Gemeinschaft,” etc. There are also cabarets (public-houses) for urnings. Hirschfeld, in his book “Berlin’s Third Sex,” written in a popular style, but extremely valuable owing to the clearness of his descriptions, gives an exhaustive account of all these institutions for urnings, and for further details I may refer my readers to this interesting work, the authenticity of which I am able to confirm as the result of my own visits to the above-mentioned places of meeting for urnings.[545]
In Paris there no longer exist places of entertainment frequented solely by urnings. In this respect they are replaced by certain Turkish baths, whose patrons are almost without exception homosexuals--men whose age varies from about twenty years upwards. In the industrial quarter, in the neighbourhood of the Place de la République, there existed a few years ago a Turkish bath, visited almost exclusively by young homosexuals between the ages of fifteen and twenty years. On the great boulevard there is a bath of a very expensive character, visited only by wealthy homosexuals, frequented, among others, by a celebrated French composer.[546]
A peculiar species of meeting-places for the urnings of Berlin is represented by the soldiers’ public-houses in the neighbourhood of the barracks, where soldiers are met and treated by homosexuals, and where arrangements are made for subsequent meetings. There also exists a “soldiers’ promenade,” where the soldiers walk up and down and offer themselves to homosexuals. Athletes also enter freely into relationships with homosexuals.
Urnings’ balls are to-day especially characteristic of Berlin. Von Krafft-Ebing has described them in detail, and recently also Hirschfeld has alluded to them in the above-mentioned work. I myself not long ago attended such a “men’s ball,” at which from eight hundred to a thousand homosexuals were present, some in men’s clothing, some in women’s clothing, some in fancy dress. The homosexuals dressed as women could have been distinguished from real women only by those in the secret. More particularly do I recall an elegant sylph, who, on the arm of a partner, glided across the hall--“glided” is the correct expression. During the dance his delicate features were leaning on the shoulder of the man, and he coquetted continually with ardent black eyes. I really believed this was a woman, but was assured that it was a male hairdresser. In the case of another urning dressed as a woman the diagnosis was rendered easier by a well-developed moustache.
The seamy side of the relationships of homosexuals in public life is constituted by the so-called “=male prostitution=,” which existed even in ancient times, and in our own day was especially well organized during the Second Empire, as we learn from the details given by Tardieu. The ranks of male prostitution are recruited partly from homosexual and
## partly from heterosexual men of the lower and more poverty-stricken
classes, who give themselves for payment to well-to-do urnings, and are practised in all the arts of elaborate coquetry (they use rouge, make a coquettish display of male charms, etc.). These are the so-called “aunts.” In all large towns there exists what is called a “Strich” (promenade), where male prostitutes are accustomed to walk, in order to attract their clients. In Berlin the principal promenades are the Friedrichstrasse, the Passage,[547] and some of the walks in the Tiergarten. Like female prostitution, so also male prostitution has its “=houses of accommodation=”; and in France there even existed, and still exist, typical “=male brothels=.” From 1820 to 1826 such a brothel was to be found in the Rue du Doyenne in Paris. In the neighbourhood of the Louvre the male inmates of this establishment were even subjected to regular medical examination, in order to protect their clients from venereal infection. With the fall of twilight the visitors made their appearance, and were received by young effeminates.[548] Still worse was another form of male prostitution, at the time of the Restoration, and in the earlier years of the reign of Louis Philippe--namely, the so-called _grande montre des culs_ in the Rue des Marais, where a number of male prostitutes displayed and offered their charms to the homosexuals visiting the place. A detailed account of the way in which this was done cannot be given, but is sufficiently indicated by what has already been said.[549]
Male brothels exist even at the present day in Paris. Thus, at the end of the year 1905 in the Rue St. Martin there was a small hotel whose homosexual proprietor not only let rooms to urnings for a brief stay, but also kept on the premises five or six young men between the ages of fifteen and twenty-two years, whose services were always available for homosexuals for payment. Besides this hotel there existed also in the year 1905 a kind of male brothel in the house of an urning, where at midday half a dozen young fellows were to be found, or could be fetched at brief notice, for the choice of homosexual visitors, for whose use a room was available at so many francs per hour.[550]
A phenomenon intimately related with male prostitution is =blackmail=, or “=chantage=.” Tardieu (_op. cit._, pp. 128-130) describes these relationships in vivid colours, and lays stress on the close relationship between male prostitution and criminality. Blackmail has become to-day a kind of special profession,[551] which is not directed solely against homosexuals, but also against heterosexuals, and the punishment of which cannot be too severe. Frequently these individuals, whose activity is a danger to the community at large, persecute their victims for many years in succession. Tardieu reports the case of a celebrated literary man, “whose purse the blackmailers regarded as their own.” =For more than twenty years in succession= he was plucked by successive generations of blackmailers, who considered him an assured source of income. He was “passed on from one to another.” As a rule, blackmailers wait for their victims in public lavatories; they suddenly assert that they have been indecently assaulted, and demand hush-money, which is commonly given to them, even by heterosexuals. A case of the last-mentioned kind recently occurred in Berlin, when a quite innocent young merchant was being plundered in this way, and his wife, by a courageous denunciation of the shameless blackmailer, freed him from this tyranny. It is, however, unquestionable that blackmail often ensues upon real advances on the part of homosexuals, and after the performance of sexual acts; and there is no doubt that in Germany the existence of § 175 of the Criminal Code has been most advantageous to professional blackmailers, has led to numerous scandals (alike disagreeable and dangerous to the community), and has given rise to numerous suicides.
This celebrated § 175 runs as follows:
“Unnatural vice between two persons of the male sex, or between a man and an animal, is punishable with imprisonment; it can also be punished with loss of civil rights.”
This paragraph of the Imperial Criminal Code is identical with § 143 of the former Prussian Criminal Code. Similar ordinances,[552] in some cases even more severe, are found in the laws of Austria-Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Bulgaria, the State of New York, most of the cantons of Switzerland, and more especially in Great Britain, where the most severe punishments are inflicted, and, at any rate logically, are inflicted also on women who practise homosexual intercourse. On the other hand, punishment for homosexual intercourse has been completely =abolished= in France, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Spain, the Swiss Cantons of Genf, Wallis, Waadt and Tessin, the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, the Principality of Monaco, and in Mexico.
§ 143 of the Prussian Criminal Code was adopted as the basis of § 175 of the German Criminal Code, in view of “the consciousness of right of the people,” who “condemn such practices not only as vicious, but also as criminal.” But this consciousness of right is based upon defective knowledge, and upon an erroneous view of homosexuality. As soon as we recognize that in homosexuality we have to do with a primary natural disposition, and as soon as this view has permeated wide circles of the population, the old consciousness of right will be replaced by a =new= one, =which will demand the repeal of a criminal law=, by which =a natural phenomenon= is regarded as a vice and a crime, and is esteemed as infamous. My studies in recent years having convinced me that in homosexuality we have to do with a typical biological phenomenon, I feel that I must unhesitatingly approve of the efforts of the =Scientific and Humanitarian Committee=, founded by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, which aims at making the people understand the nature of homosexuality, and demands the repeal of § 175 of the German Criminal Code. All the more is this reform demanded because real homosexual =crimes= can be very readily dealt with by means of the sections of the Criminal Code relating to sexual delinquencies in general.
Apart from this general codification of the injustice of § 175, and apart from the above-mentioned tragical consequences of the existence of this section, it is also necessary to point out that the expressions used therein are absurd and illogical.
1. Unnatural vice between men is punished, whereas that between women is left impune. But why should this latter be the case, if we adopt the standpoint (which we have, indeed, seen to be untenable) that homosexual intercourse is in itself vicious and criminal--why should homosexual intercourse between women be less vicious and criminal than homosexual intercourse between men?
2. The idea “unnatural vice” is equally absurd and inconsequent, and makes justice in respect of these offences absolutely impossible. By this term is understood not merely pædication (_immissio membri in anum_), but also any kind of intercourse between men “resembling sexual intercourse”--that is, _coitus in os_, _coitus inter femora_, even simple _frictio membri_--whilst mutual masturbation and other perverse practices are not punishable.
3. § 175 does not safeguard any citizen,[553] for the sexual freedom of the individual is not disturbed in any way by the intercourse between two adult men who fully understand what they are doing, nor is the general moral sense injured in any way if the act is not seen by any third person. In this latter respect, however, § 183 of the Criminal Code, which punishes annoyance to the public by improper conduct, already affords sufficient protection.
4. If § 175 is maintained with especial reference to the existence of professional male unchastity, von Liszt has rightly replied to this contention that the latter form of unchastity can be rendered harmless by a modified reading of § 361_b_ of the Criminal Code, just as the protection of virtue can be safeguarded by other sections of the Code.
5. The effectiveness of § 175 is extremely limited. According to Hirschfeld (“Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages,” vol. vi., p. 175), no more than 0·007 % of the existing punishable homosexual practices of the present day are detected and punished. Therefore a few =isolated= individuals are punished for an offence which thousands of others commit with impunity.
6. When § 175 of the Criminal Code was drawn up, the law-givers knew absolutely nothing about the homosexual impulse as an essential outcome of the personality; they merely wished to punish heterosexuals who committed homosexual practices, not to punish genuine homosexuals (_cf._ Numa Prætorius, “The Question of the Responsibility of Homosexuals,” published in the _Monthly Review of Criminal Psychology_, edited by G. Aschaffenburg, 1906, p. 561).
The worst and most tragic consequence of § 175 is the permanent infamy and social contempt suffered by persons who, =without any blame to themselves=, have a mode of sexual perception diverging from that of the great majority. The state itself commits a crime when it enrols in the category of vice and crime a biological phenomenon which has recently been recognized as such even by the Evangelical and Catholic Churches,[554] and has been freed by these Churches from the stigma of immorality. The continuance of this great injustice is the frequent cause of the =suicide= of homosexuals, especially of such as are men of exceptional spiritual and moral cultivation, and =frequently before they have actually indulged in their homosexual impulse=, the best proof that we have to do, not with vicious, but with unhappy men, who are unable to bear the misery of being socially despised and unjustly misunderstood by their associates. How many suicides from homosexual grounds occur it is impossible to establish exactly. We can only suspect the cause from certain attendant circumstances. A highly respected literary man writes to me regarding this question of the suicide of homosexuals: “When a fine young fellow, suffering frightfully as a result of his inherited disposition, shoots himself, his family will rather suggest that the cause was a chancre (which he has never had), than they will admit his homosexuality.” Several such cases have come under his notice. “A better cause,” he suggests, “for the suicide would have been unhappy love, for that is the actual truth.” Zola,[555] speaking of the letters of a homosexual, says that they exhibited “the most heart-breaking cry of human agony” that he had ever known.
“He earnestly resisted yielding to such shameful, lustful love, and he longed to know whence came this contempt of all men, whence this continuous readiness of the law-courts to crush him down, when in his flesh and blood were inborn a disgust towards woman, whilst he had brought into the world with him a true feeling of love towards man. Never had one possessed by a demon, never had a poor human body given up to and tortured by the unknown powers of the sexual impulse, so painfully expressed his misery. Have we not here a truly physiological case definitely displayed before our eyes--an inversion, an error, on the part of Nature? Nothing, in my opinion, is more tragical, and nothing demands more urgently investigation and a means of cure, if such can possibly be found.”
The =complete enlightenment= of the people would give rise to a spontaneous change in their conception of homosexuality, to which, moreover, the greater number of homosexuals belonging to the better classes could contribute, if they would freely and openly admit their tendencies. The secrecy and hypocrisy of many urnings is partly responsible for the hitherto prevailing false views on homosexuality. We cannot spare them this reproach.
Finally, § 175 is not merely an injustice to homosexuals, but it is also a danger to heterosexuals, in consequence of the =blackmail= which is so intimately associated with the existence of this section. It is not enough that these criminals of the most debased kind, who to a small extent only are recruited from the ranks of male prostitutes, reduce numerous unhappy urnings to social and financial ruin, and drive many others to suicide or to crime, of which the remarkable case of a County Court Judge a few years ago afforded a typical example. These wretches also dare with ever-greater success to make use of § 175 for the purpose of blackmailing =completely normal heterosexuals=. In fact, they often succeed better with these latter than they do with homosexuals, because to the normal man the idea of being regarded as homosexual is so repulsive.
A remedy for all these evils--for the suicides as well as for the blackmailing--can only be found in the =enlightenment= of the whole people--the first and most important thing to do--and in the =unconditional repeal= of § 175 of the Criminal Code.
It has been a most useful service on the part of the Scientific and Humanitarian Committee--a service the value of which has not yet been sufficiently recognized--that it has endeavoured, above all, to bring about the enlightenment of the people by means of popular writings,[556] and of the learned by means of scientific publications, such as the most successful _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_ (8 volumes, 1899-1906), and by means of lectures, by the convocation of public meetings, by petitions, etc.
The petition of the committee to the legislative bodies of the German Empire, asking for the repeal of § 175 of the Criminal Code, was signed by 5,000 persons belonging to the circles of men of science, judges, physicians, priests, schoolmasters, authors, and artists, among whom were some of the most celebrated names of cultured Germany. I cite here a few only: Ferdinand Avenarius, Hans von Basedow, Woldemar von Biedermann, H. Bulthaupt, Professor Crédé, Albert Eulenburg, Theodor Gaedertz, Rudolf von Gottschall, Franz Görres, O. E. Hartleben, Gerhart Hauptmann, S. Jadassohn, Hermann Kaulbach, R. von Krafft-Ebing, Joseph Kürschner, H. Kurella, Walter Leistikow, Leppmann, Max Liebermann, G. von Liebig, Detlev von Lilieneron, Franz von Liszt, Berthold Litzmann, Ph. Lotmar, John Henry Mackay, Mendel, Friedrich Moritz, P. Näcke, Paul Natorp, Albert Neisser, Max Nordau, A. von Oechelhäuser, A. von Oppenheim, J. Pagel, Pelman, R. Penzig, Placzek, Felix Poppenberg, Rainer Maria Rilke, O. Rosenbach, Wilhelm Roux, Max Rubner, Benno Rüttenauer, Johannes Schlaf, Arthur Schnitzler, A. von Schrenck-Notzing, Alwin Schulz, Moritz Schwalb, Georg Schweinfurth, Adolf von Sonnenthal, K. von Tepper-Laski, H. Unverricht, Max Verworn, A. Vierkandt, Richard Voss, Hans Wachenhusen, Felix Weingartner, Adolf Wilbrandt, Ernst von Wildenbruch, F. von Winkel, E. von Wolzogen, Ernst Ziegler, Theobald Ziegler, Theophil Zolling.
In addition, we might mention that in the year 1904 not less than 2,800 German physicians, as well as 750 head masters and masters of higher schools, signed the petition to the Reichstag for the repeal of § 175. Owing to certain scandals by which the highest circles were sympathetically affected--I need recall only the cases of Hohenau, Krupp, Israel, von Schenk, etc.--the conviction has been forced upon members of the most influential political circles that the repeal of the paragraphs of the Criminal Code relating to urnings is an unconditional necessity. We may, therefore, expect that the repeal will be effected within the next few years.
* * * * *
Compared with true original homosexuality in men, the same condition in women is of considerably less importance, because in women homosexuality is undoubtedly =much less common= than it is in men. In comparison with the number of urnings, the number of =female homosexuals=--of “=urnindes=,” “=Lesbian lovers=,” or “=tribades=”--is relatively small; whereas in many women, even at a comparatively advanced age, the so-called “pseudo-homosexuality” (see the next chapter) is much more frequently met with than it is in men. In the case of heterosexual men it is usually impossible to induce a homosexual mode of perception or to give rise to any kind of taste for homosexual activity; whereas in heterosexual women the corresponding change certainly occurs much more easily. Tendernesses and caresses play, indeed, among normal heterosexual women a rôle which makes it easier for us to understand how readily in woman pseudo-homosexual tendencies may arise. =Still, it is impossible to doubt the existence also of original homosexuality in women.= These are the cases in which, just as in urnings, the homosexual impulse appears in very early childhood, often long before puberty, in which case also the girl is distinguished from her heterosexual comrades in external appearance, exhibiting indications of a masculine build of body (slight development of the breasts, narrowness of the pelvis, development of a moustache, a deep voice, etc.); but such indications may be entirely absent, and the girl may not be distinguished from others in any respect beyond the perverse direction of the sexual impulse. These true tribades are much rarer than the false tribades, the pseudo-Lesbian lovers. For example, when visiting an urnings’ ball we may be quite sure that 99 % of the male homosexuals assembled there are true homosexuals; but at a tribades’ ball--such, also, are given in Berlin--certainly a much smaller percentage are “genuine”; the bulk of the women present are pseudo-homosexuals. I here append the interesting reminiscences of a genuine urninde, by which this relationship between original homosexuality and pseudo-homosexuality in women is very clearly shown:
THOUGHTS OF A LONELY WOMAN!
“Born in the country, the daughter of a merchant, I grew up as a very dreamy being, with an unceasing yearning after something unknown, beautiful, great--with a longing to become a singer or an artist. At the age of twelve I was already completely ‘woman,’ very luxuriantly developed, although still half a child, =filled always with an uncontrollable longing for a beloved feminine being who should kiss me and caress me=, whom I was to regard with love and with a sentiment of self-sacrifice. At the age of thirteen I came to live with relatives in a provincial town, where for a year I attended a young ladies’ school. Of my dreams no single one could be fulfilled. My mother, who was widowed when I was only three years old, had a severe economical struggle, being encumbered with six small children. After my elder brothers and sisters were married, I myself, being then twenty-four years of age, had to go out into the world to seek my own living, ignorant of the world and its dangers, delivered up to commonness and intrigue. I got a position in the house of a widow, filling the post of ‘companion.’ My ‘principal,’ a woman sixty years of age, was at first unsympathetic to me, but she treated me in a loving and motherly manner, which pleased me, for I was of a pliant and receptive disposition. Gradually I became her confidante. Every evening I had to get into bed with her (I slept close by); I must touch her with my hands. I did not then really understand why I had to stroke her legs; but one evening this sexagenarian guided my hand into a forbidden place. Now it became clear to me that this woman still had erotic perceptions. I felt how she quivered under my touch, pressed me firmly to herself, etc.; but I, for my part, felt nothing. It might have been different had she been a friend of my own age. I had not at that time any idea that ‘psychically’ I was different from other girls. I had an unceasing yearning for love, not directly sensual love, but spiritual love, out of which sensual love might later develop. Among the inmates of our house was a young merchant, a fine-looking man, who besieged me with his love, and, after long hesitation, I at length one day consented to give him the best that woman has to give. He took possession of my body with brutal voluptuousness. I was under the delusion that he would make me his wife. I had in the sexual act =no perception at all=, and was disillusioned. One day my seducer told me that he was going to be married, asking me to return him the ring he had given me, and offering me money. Moved to the inmost soul, without any human being to give me counsel or help (from a feeling of shame I had not disclosed the matter to my principal), I threw the ring at him, resigned my position, and made myself independent. I will only say in a few words how I had to struggle, to fight for my existence, how I was lied to and deceived by rascally men. When I came to Berlin I heard and read of homosexual love, but could not find what I dreamed of--namely, spiritual love, out of which sensual love might spring. I learned to know homosexual women, but they exhibited to me such elemental passion, brutality, sensuality, that, notwithstanding all my yearning for ‘homosexual’ love, I remained unresponsive. Only in kissing the lips of a woman sympathetic to me I have experienced an agreeable sensation, but that sweet state which I was able to induce in others by contact with them was =in me= not forthcoming. I began to wonder whether Nature had denied me this sensation, though I was myself also a normally developed woman. For years I lived ‘ascetically,’ since I regarded myself as a ‘psychological’ problem--I avoided every kind of intercourse--I only had a desire for tenderness and caresses. I often loved handsome women, feeling the wish to kiss them and to touch them, and I had learned to know women of the kind who prostitute themselves to other women for money. These were hateful to me, and never could I form a friendship with such, because they knew only common brutal sensuality, towards which I was not responsive.
“Some years ago I suffered from a severe abdominal and nervous disorder. I have already passed my fortieth year. After an illness lasting two years, I still feel the desire for homosexual love. Hitherto I have lived unhappily, continually asking myself why Nature has treated me so cruelly. Is it not possible once at least to enjoy this perception? A few weeks ago I made the acquaintance of a married woman, whose husband has been impotent for years, whilst she, on the other hand, is a very passionate character. Unfortunately, this woman, although in other respects she is very sympathetic to me, is upon a comparatively low plane of culture, and, what frightens me more, she has an intimacy with a female friend who is quite uncultured, but who resembles her in respect of sexual love, and who night after night lies with her in bed =beside the husband=, and the two women indulge their perverse voluptuousness, the friend playing the ‘man’s’ part. I have seen many strange things in my course through life, but =such a marriage= is a new experience to me. The man terms himself an artist, a painter, and allows his wife free play in bisexual love. I believe that this man himself experiences a titillation of the senses when he sees the two women together, and also that he makes drawings of ‘acts,’ out of which he makes a profit. In this house I have seen into a deep abyss, yet other bisexual women visit it. Although I have found my peace disturbed by these women, although I have been to a certain extent intoxicated, the conditions are too repulsive to me--since this woman is sunk into a morass deeper than she herself understands. Only through me does she begin to understand it. But a longer intercourse with her is impossible, for she lacks all the qualities that I look for in a woman whom I could love. In actual fact I envy this creature, for she is happy, since she experiences to the full those sweet sensations which Nature denies to me. Are there any more beings unhappy like myself? Perhaps the acquaintanceship with a woman whose feelings were similar to my own would be a happiness, if Fate would only have so much pity upon me as to throw a sorrowful companion in my way. I hope for it, but I do not believe that it will happen.
“To what sex do I really belong?”
In the love-history of this genuine urninde the ideal element is especially manifest; likewise the instinctive disinclination to man, which, remarkably enough, is often more powerfully developed in strongly feminine characters than in the more masculine tribades, as the prototype of which latter we may mention the painter Rosa Bonheur. During childhood Rosa Bonheur felt herself to be a boy, and preferred the society of boys to that of girls.[557] Throughout her life, notwithstanding her homosexual love, she felt strong sympathy with men. Such a double relationship occurs also among urnindes of the first kind. Even the true urninde, I may say, is =not so extremely homosexual= as is the true urning. Take, for example, the following account[558] of an original homosexual, and you will see the difference:
“I have not lost any of the valuable things of life--far otherwise. Many-sided, many-shadowed intellectual sympathy leads any man of lofty mind into harmony with me. There emanates unconsciously from my soul a profound, tender charm. My friends find me necessary to them. I share their interests. In our relationship there pass between us the most wonderful shades of sympathetic feeling--what the French so expressively speak of as _l’amitié amoureuse_. Thus my mode of being becomes absorbed into that of my friend, a peculiar melody passes to and fro between us, and a peculiar melody sounds in the stillness of my own soul. All the fine and delicate sensations which I have received from my friends become in me transformed into poietic force--the ecstasies of my spirit assume form and substance. From the spiritualization of the impulse there springs a stream clear as crystal, there arise passion and ardour; my exceptional soul lifts me upwards, above all sorrows and vexations. In this way is a talent conceived, and amid ecstasy it is born.”
The need for a spiritual contact with men is among homosexual women much stronger than the corresponding inclination on the part of urnings for spiritual contact with woman natures. For this reason there is no doubt that the “=Woman’s Movement=”--that is, in the movement directed towards the acquirement by women of all the attainments of masculine culture--homosexual women have played a notable part.[559] Indeed, according to one author,[560] the “Woman’s Question” is mainly the question regarding the destiny of virile homosexual women. I find it necessary to doubt whether, as Hammer maintains,[561] the raging hatred of men--the converse quality to the anti-feminism of the male urnings--really proceeds from the uranian group of the Woman’s Movement, for there exist no literary documents of importance to prove the suggested connexion. Homosexual women of intellectual weight have also assured me that among them there does at times exist an enmity to men on principle, just as, _mutatis mutandis_, misogyny has been developed as a system both from the heterosexual and from the homosexual side. For the diffusion of pseudo-homosexuality the Woman’s Movement is of great importance, as we shall see later.
The individual and social relationships of feminine uranism are nearly the same as those of male uranism. In both cases there exists an entire scale, running from pure Platonism to ardent sensuality. One kind of Platonic tribades are those described by Catulle Mendés in his sketch “Protectrices.” These are ladies of position who allow themselves the luxury of a “protégée,” generally a girl employed at the theatre, with whom during the performances they exchange glances, whose expenses they pay, with whom they go out driving, without the matter proceeding to actual sexual relations. In other cases, however, sensual gratification is the desired goal, which is attained by kisses, embraces, friction of the genital organs, or cuninilinctus (the so-called “=Sapphism=”). In this intercourse one party--the “father”--plays the active part, the other--“the mother”--the passive part. There exist passionate and intimate relationships of long duration--true “marriages”--among tribades. Thus, d’Estoc reports (“Paris-Eros,” p. 58) relationships of this kind which have lasted thirty years. Still, as a general rule, feminine homosexuals change their relationships more frequently than male homosexuals. An elderly tribade, whose correspondence lies before me, had within four years three love relationships. In these relationships jealousy plays an even greater part than in heterosexual liaisons. Two sympathetic urnindes who lived together described to me very vividly the joys and sorrows of the _amor lesbicus_. The cause of the troubles is always a _tertia_, never a _tertius gaudens_.
Like the urnings, the tribades also have their meeting-places, _jour fixes_. One such meeting, at which four genuine female homosexuals and one male homosexual assembled, I had the opportunity of attending. They have their parties, and even their balls, at which the virile tribades appear in men’s clothing,[562] and (as also when at home) use male nicknames. There also exist female prostitutes who devote their services entirely to urnindes. This tribadistic prostitution is especially widespread in Paris. Such prostitutes are called _gouines_, or _gougnottes_, or _chevalières du clair de lune_. Theatrical agents are said to be especially occupied with tribadistic procurement. There also exist tribadistic brothels in Paris.[563]
APPENDIX
THEORY OF HOMOSEXUALITY
Original, congenital, enduring homosexuality would appear to be an exclusively human peculiarity. It is very doubtful whether a similar condition exists among animals. We recognize among the lower animals homosexual acts, but no homosexuality.[564] Thus we have no philogenetic starting-point for the explanation of homosexuality. Moreover, homosexuality is fundamentally different from the other sexual perversions, sadism and masochism. These represent quite =extreme= forms of biological phenomena, an abnormal increase of physiological impulsive manifestations that occur in the normal heterosexual life, as part of sexuality in general. But homosexuality is an alteration =in the direction of the very impulse itself=--a change in the very nature of sexuality. To put the matter shortly, it is the appearance of a sexuality =heterogeneous to and not corresponding with the bodily structure=. To define homosexuality as the appearance of a feminine sexual psyche in a masculine body, or of a masculine sexual psyche in a feminine body, does not apply to all cases--for example, it does not apply to virile urnings or to tribades who remain womanly. The definition of homosexuality as a sexuality which does not correspond to the bodily structure embraces both these possibilities.
Whenever homosexuality in men is associated with a marked development of feminine secondary sexual characters, or in women with a marked development of masculine secondary sexual characters, the homosexual sensibility may be said to have to some extent a physical basis, but not completely so. For the “intermediate stage theory” proposed by Hirschfeld--the intermixture of feminine and masculine characters--may apply satisfactorily to “bisexuality,” to indeterminate sexual sensibility; but it does not apply to the thoroughly one-sided, monistic sexual sensibility, directed =only= towards members of the same sex, and often appearing very early, before the days of puberty. Moreover, in heterosexual male individuals the external appearance may at times suggest that there is a strong intermixture of feminine characters. These men, though heterosexual, have a womanly appearance.
The “intermediate stage theory” of Hirschfeld, which von Krafft-Ebing also appears to have recognized in his last work (“New Studies in the Subject of Homosexuality”), a theory which explains homosexual phenomena as dependent upon the existence of transitional stages between the sexes (“sexual links” of Hirschfeld), and which, moreover, erroneously includes the typical hermaphrodite states--this interesting theory explains =a portion only= of original homosexuality. It fails in cases =in which homosexuality occurs in the absence of any divergence from type=--for example, in those cases in which male individuals with thoroughly normal masculine bodies exhibit marked homosexual sensibility in early childhood, long before puberty. But these are the cases which offer the greatest possible difficulties to a scientific explanation. _Hic Rhodus, hic salta!_
Ulrich’s “feminine soul in a masculine body” applies to =effeminate urnings=, such as he was himself. But is the mode of sensibility of =virile= homosexuals “effeminate”? Why do we speak of a third sex? Here lie difficulties which we cannot overcome without further assistance.
How does it come to pass that the central organs in homosexuals do not correspond to the peripheral sexual organs, although the latter are formed embryologically long before the former, so that the central organs should properly be guided in their development by the peripheral organs? But they are not so guided. That is only explicable in this way--that the association between the central organs and the peripheral organs is interrupted by a third influence, and that =this last influence has a peculiar effect= upon the central organs =altogether independent of the nature of the reproductive glands=.
I will formulate this new theory of homosexuality in the following terms:
1. The so-called “undifferentiated stage” of the sexual impulse (Max Dessoir) may often fail to appear in cases in which the sexual impulse, either in heterosexuals or homosexuals, is definitely directed before puberty unmistakably towards the members of one particular sex. Especially in homosexuals do we often see =before= puberty the clear and unmistakable direction of the sexual impulse towards members of the =same= sex.
2. A critical theory of homosexuality must also explain the extreme cases; above all, it must also explain male homosexuality associated with complete virility.
3. The sexual organs and the reproductive glands cannot be the determining cause, because homosexuality makes its appearance in association with thoroughly typical male reproductive organs; nor can the brain be the determining cause in cases of true homosexuality, for, notwithstanding the intentional and unintentional operation of heterosexual influences on thought and imagination, homosexuality cannot be eradicated, and continues to develop.
4. Since this homosexuality often makes its appearance as an inclination (not as the sexual impulse) long =before= puberty, and =before= the proper activity of the reproductive glands is developed, it appears a reasonable suggestion that in homosexuality some physiological manifestation associated with “sexuality,” but not directly associated with the reproductive glands, undergoes a =change= which results in an alteration of the direction of the sexual impulse.
6. The most obvious influences to think of in this connexion are =chemical= influences, changes in the chemistry of sexual tension, which latter is certainly to a large extent =independent= of the reproductive glands, since it may persist in eunuchs. But the nature of this sexual chemistry is still entirely obscure.
Such a way of conceiving the process is thoroughly reasonable and tenable on scientific grounds, as was shown by E. H. Starling and L. Krehl[565] in their communication to the Scientific Congress at Stuttgart in the year 1905, regarding disturbances of chemical correlation in the organism, especially disturbances of the chemical influences proceeding from the reproductive organs. All minuter details regarding these “sexual hormone” (to use Starling’s own phrase) are still unknown, but the experiments to which we alluded in an earlier chapter have proved their existence. In my view, the anatomical contradiction, the natural monstrosity, of a feminine--or, at any rate, an unmanly--psyche in a typical masculine body, or that of a feminine or unmanly sexual psyche associated with normally developed and normally functioning male genital organs, can only be explained in this manner by taking into account this intercurrent third factor. This can be deduced very readily from some early =embryonic disturbances= of sexual chemistry. This would also explain why it is that homosexuality so often occurs in perfectly healthy families, as an isolated phenomenon which has nothing to do either with inheritance or with degeneration. When von Römer, on the contrary, describes homosexuality as a process of “regeneration,” we must maintain that for this view there are no sufficient grounds. Here begins the =riddle= of homosexuality; for me, at any rate, it is one. My own theory only attempts to explain the proper physiological connexions of homosexuality better, and, above all, more scientifically than earlier theories. With regard to the ultimate cause of the relatively frequent occurrence of homosexuality as an original phenomenon, this theory has, however, nothing to say.
I do not suggest that I am able for a moment to find the ultimate reason of the being and nature of homosexuality. There remains here a riddle to be solved. But from the standpoint of civilization and reproduction homosexuality is a senseless and aimless dysteleological phenomenon, like many another “natural product”--as, for example, the human cæcum. In an earlier chapter I drew attention to the fact that civilization has entailed an increasingly sharp sexual differentiation--that is, the antithesis between “man” and “woman” has become continually clearer. The distinction between the sexes is a product rather of civilization than of primitive nature. All sexual indifference, all sexual links, are primitive characters. Eduard von Mayer rightly believes that in the earliest days of the human race homosexuality was much more widely diffused than it is at present, that, in fact, it came into being side by side with heterosexual love. Civilization by means of inheritance, adaptation, and differentiation, has continually more and more limited the extent of the homosexual impulse. Unquestionably the homosexual human being, =as human being=, has the same right to exist as the heterosexual. To doubt it would be preposterous. Also, as a sexual being, in so far as only the individual aspect of love comes under consideration, the homosexual has an equal right. But for the species, and also for the advancement of civilization, homosexuality has no importance, or very little. It is obvious that, as a kind of enduring “monosexuality,” it contradicts the purposes of the species. Equally obvious is it that the whole of civilization is the product of the physical and mental differentiation of the sexes, that civilization has, in fact, to a certain extent, a heterosexual character. The greatest spiritual values we owe to heterosexuals, not to homosexuals. =Moreover, reproduction first renders possible the preservation and permanence of new spiritual values.= In the last resort the latter are not possible without the former. However obvious it may appear, we must still repeat that spiritual values exist only in respect of the =future=, that they only attain their true significance =in the connexion and the succession of the generations=, and that they are, therefore, eternally dependent upon heterosexual love as the intermediary by which this continuity is produced. The monosexual and homosexual instincts permanently limited to their own ego or their own sex are, therefore, in their innermost nature =dysteleological= and =anti-evolutionistic=. In speaking thus we leave entirely out of consideration the possibility that temporarily and for the purposes of individual development they may possess a relative justification.[566]
Moreover, the majority of homosexuals have a deeply rooted sentiment of the lack of purpose and the aimlessness of their mode of sexual perception, and this often gives them a very tragical and pitiable expression. Especially in the case of noble, spiritually important homosexuals, true carriers of civilization, is this sense of the incongruity between homosexuality and life most plainly felt. Even the talented Numa Prætorius (_Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. vi., p. 543) recognizes that--
“The love of the majority of men towards the other sex, based upon heterosexual impulse, has undergone a development and refinement, and has obtained a significance which makes homosexual love, in comparison with it, play quite a subordinate part.”
[502] “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., p. 219.
[503] Lombroso, at the Sixth International Congress of Criminal Anthropologists at Turin, May, 1906, actually drew a parallel between congenital homosexuality and the congenital tendency to crime! That this parallel is utterly non-existent and that crime and homosexuality differ toto cælo is shown luminously by Paul Näcke (“Comparison between Criminality and Homosexuality,” published in the _Monatsschrift für Kriminalpsychologie_, 1906, pp. 477-487).
[504] Published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, edited by Magnus Hirschfeld, vol. iii., p. 5 (Leipzig, 1901). _Cf._ also the account of the newer views by P. Näcke, “Problems in the Domain of Homosexuality,” published in the _Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie_, 1902, vol. lix., pp. 805-829 (this writer also maintains the existence of normal, healthy homosexual individuals).
[505] Magnus Hirschfeld, “Der Urnische Mensch,” p. 139 _et seq._ (Leipzig, 1903).
[506] Von Krafft-Ebing, “Retarded Homosexuality,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1901, vol. iii., pp. 7-20.
[507] J. E. Meisner, “Uranism, or the so-called Homosexual Love,” p. 11 (Leipzig, 1906).
[508] Max Katte (“Virile Homosexuals,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. vii., p. 94; Leipzig, 1905) remarks that it is an error on the part of recent writers in the domain of homosexuality to describe and vindicate so prominently the effeminate type of homosexual man, and to neglect the virile type. The same is true as regards the description of the corresponding types of homosexual women.
[509] This occurs also in heterosexual boys. I extract the following passage from the unpublished autobiography of a homosexual =physician=: “When puberty occurred I am not able to say--I expect it was about the age of sixteen or seventeen--but I know certainly that I noticed at the time of puberty a swelling of the breasts. There was only a slight forward curvature, which did not extend much beyond the areola, and was painful on pressure. I remember distinctly that I was anxious about the matter, and was afraid that there was some inflammation beginning. =However, the same seems to occur in every normal man.= A student whom I asked about the matter said that he had noticed a swelling of the mammary glands about the age of fifteen; recently, at the age of seventeen, he has had his first pollutions; his sexual sensibility is normal.”
[510] “Goethe’s Letters,” vol. vii., p. 314: letter of December 29, 1787, from Rome to Karl August (Weimar, 1890).
[511] G. Merzbach, “Homosexuality and Occupation,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1902, vol. iv., pp. 187-198.
[512] _Cf._ W. S., “Woman-Man on the Stage,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. ii., pp. 313-325.
[513] This writer is also the inventor of the word “homosexual,” which is found for the first time in his book.
[514] Magnus Hirschfeld, “Result of the Statistical Investigations regarding the Percentage of Homosexuals,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1904, vol. vi., pp. 109-178.
[515] F. Karsch, “Uranism or Pæderasty and Tribadism among Savage Races,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1901, vol. iii., pp. 72-201.
[516] “Traces of Contrary Sexuality among the Ancient Scandinavians: Reports of a Norwegian Literary Man,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1902, vol. v., pp. 244-263.
[517] Regarding homosexuality in Japan, _cf._ also “Pæderasty in Japan,” by Suyewo Iwaya, published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1902, vol. iv., pp. 264-271.
[518] In the second volume, now in course of preparation, of my work on “The Origin of Syphilis,” will be found a detailed critical investigation, based upon the most recent data, of homosexuality and pseudo-homosexuality in ancient times and during the middle ages.
[519] _Cf._ “Four Letters of Carl Heinrich Ulrichs (‘Numa Numantius’) to his Relatives,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1899, vol. i., pp. 36-96 (with portrait).
[520] Ludwig Frey, “The Spiritual Life of Count Platen,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1899, vol. i., pp. 159-214; and 1904, vol. vi., pp. 357-448.
[521] Numa Prätorius, “Michael Angelo as an Urning,” _op. cit._, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 254-267.
[522] F. Karsch, “Heinrich Hössli,” _op. cit._, 1903, vol. v., pp. 449-556. Hössli was the author of the work “Eros: the Greek Love of Men” (Glarus and St. Gallen, 1836 and 1838, 2 vols.), which, according to Karsch, represented for our own time what Plato’s “Symposium” and “Phædrus” represents for antiquity. Karsch gives an excellent table of the contents and an analysis of the books under consideration.
[523] J. E. Meisner, “Uranism,” p. 16 (Leipzig); also verbal communications by Meisner, who was personally acquainted with Bulthaupt, to myself.
[524] F. Karsch, “Our Sources for the Consideration of Reputed and Real Urnings,” “Johann von Müller the Historian (1752-1809),” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1902, vol. iv., pp. 349-457.
[525] L. S. A. M. von Römer, “Henry III., King of France and Poland,” _op. cit._, vol. iv., pp. 572-669.
[526] J. E. Meisner, _op. cit._, p. 17.
[527] Magnus Hirschfeld, “Sexual Transitional Stages,” Plate XXXII. (Leipzig, 1905).
[528] _Op. cit._, Plate XXXII.
[529] F. Karsch, “Duke August the Fortunate (1772-1822),” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1903, vol. v., pp. 615-693.
[530] Numa Prätorius, “Georges Eekhoud: a Preface,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 268-277.
[531] G. Eekhoud, “An Illustrious Urning of the Seventeenth Century, Jerom Duquesnoy, the Flemish Sculptor,” _op. cit._, pp. 277-287.
[532] F. Karsch, “A. von Sternberg, the Novelist,” _op. cit._, 1902, vol. iv., pp. 458-571. He obtained sexual gratification by masturbating while looking at masculine posteriora, but also frequently had relations with women.
[533] F. Karsch, “Theodor Beza, the Reformer (1519-1605),” _op. cit._, pp. 291-349.
[534] H. J. Schouten, “The Alleged Pæderasty of the Reformer John Calvin,” _op. cit._, 1905, vol. vii., pp. 291-306.
[535] Hans Rau, “Franz Grillparzer and his Amatory Life.” (Berlin, 1903).
[536] The love of boys, the “pæderasty,” of the Greeks related to young adult men.
[537] I have used the established spelling for this word, although probably its more correct spelling would be “pedication” (derived from pedex = podex).
[538] _Cf._ P. Näcko, “The Kiss of the Homosexual,” published in the _Archives for Criminal Anthropology and Criminal Statistics_, by H. Gross, 1904, vol. xvii., Nos. 1, 2, p. 177. _Cf._ also the reports on the tongue kiss published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1905, vol. vii., pp. 757-759.
[539] M. Hirschfeld, “Are Sexual Intermediate Stages Suited for Marriage?” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1901, vol. iii., pp. 37-71.
[540] We owe to Näcke the recognition of the importance of sexual dreams in the diagnosis of homosexuality and heterosexuality. _Cf._ his essay, “The Forensic Significance of Dreams,” published in _the Archives for Criminal Anthropology_, 1889, vol. iii.; also P. Näcke, “The Dream as the Most Delicate Reagent for the Detection of the Mode of Sexual Sensibility,” published in the _Annual Review of Criminal Psychology_, 1905.
[541] M. Hirschfeld, “Berlin’s Third Sex,” p. 26 (Berlin and Leipzig, 1905).
[542] The description of this interesting scene, with other details regarding the organization of the homosexuals of Paris, is found in the work of Pisanus Fraxi (Henry Spencer Ashbee). “Centuria Librorum Absconditorum,” pp. 406-416 (London, 1879) (based upon personal reports by Paul Lacroix).
[543] Ambroise Tardieu, “Offences against Morality from the Point of View of State Medicine,” German translation by F. W. Theile, pp. 133, 134 (Weimar, 1860).
[544] There are also numerous places of public resort which are indeed largely attended by urnings, but are also frequented by heterosexuals.
[545] _Cf._ in this connexion also the remarks of P. Näcke, “A Visit to the Homosexuals of Berlin,” published in the _Archives of Criminal Anthropology_, 1904, vol. xv., Nos. 1 and 2.
[546] _Cf._ P. Näcke, “Quelques Détails sur les Homosexuels de Paris,” published in the _Archives d’Anthropologie Criminelle_, 1905, new series, iv., No. 138. See the reference in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1906, vol. viii., pp. 795, 796.
[547] _Cf._ “The Secrets of the Berlin Passage,” pp. 19, 20 (Berlin, 1877).
[548] _Cf._ Pisanus Fraxi, “Centuria Librorum Absconditorum,” pp. 404-406 (London, 1879) (according to the reports of Paul Lacroix, who himself was a witness of the occurrences).
[549] _Op. cit._, pp. 404-407.
[550] _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1906, vol. viii., pp. 796, 797. According to d’Estoc (“Paris-Eros,” pp. 207, 208), the male prostitutes in these brothels are more especially men from southern countries--Italians, Orientals, Berbers, and negroes.
[551] _Cf._ Ludwig Frey, “Characterization of Blackmail,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1899, vol. i., pp. 71-96.
[552] _Cf._ Numa Prætorius, “The Criminal Character of Homosexual Intercourse, Considered Historically and Critically,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1899, vol. i., pp. 97-158.
[553] _Cf._ Z. Richter, “Does § 175 afford any Protection? A Criminalogical Study,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 30-52.
[554] “Opinions of Roman Catholic Priests on the Attitude of Christianity towards the Criminal Prosecution of Homosexual Love” (_Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 161-203); “What Position should the Church Assume towards Homosexual Love and its Criminal Prosecution?” by an Evangelical Theologian (_op. cit._, vol. iii., pp. 204-210); Caspar Wirz, “Urnings before the Church and Scripture” (Orthodox-Evangelical) (_op. cit._, vol. iv., pp. 63-108); “Homosexuality in the Bible,” by a Catholic priest (_op. cit._, vol. iv., pp. 199-243); “From the Memoirs of a (Catholic) Priest” (_op. cit._, pp. 1172-1178).
[555] A letter from Emile Zola to Dr. Laupts on the problem of homosexuality; translated, with an introduction, by Rudolf von Beulwitz (_Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1905, vol. ii., pp. 371-386).
[556] “What should the People know about the Third Sex?” An instructive work, published by the Scientific and Humanitarian Committee (Leipzig, 1904).
[557] _Cf._ “The Truth about Myself: Autobiography of a Contrary-Sexual,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. iii., pp. 292-307.
[558] M. F., “How I See the Matter,” _op. cit._, pp. 308-312.
[559] _Cf._ Anna Rüling, “What Interest has the Woman’s Movement in the Solution of the Homosexual Problem?” (_Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. vii., pp. 131-151).
[560] Arduin, “The Woman’s Question and Sexual Intermediate Stages” (_op. cit._, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 211-223).
[561] W. Hammer, “Tribadism in Berlin,” p. 97 (Berlin, 1906).
[562] _Cf._ “A Description of an Urnindes’ Ball,” given by M. Hirschfeld, “Berlin’s Third Sex,” pp. 56, 57.
[563] _Cf._ Martial d’Estoc, “Paris-Eros,” p. 59 _et seq._
[564] _Cf._ F. Karsch, “Pæderasty and Tribadism among Animals as recorded in Literature,” published in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1900, vol. ii., pp. 126-160; P. Näcke, “Pæderasty in Animals,” published in the _Archives of Criminal Anthropology_, 1904, vol. xiv., pp. 361, 362.
[565] L. Krehl, “The Disturbance of Chemical Correlations in the Organism” (Leipzig, 1907). Here, on p. 3, we find: “If we are compelled to assume that many varieties of cells in their rudimentary condition already bear the imprint of a masculine or feminine nature, =still this masculine or feminine nature doubtless only undergoes its real development under the enduring chemical influence of the ovaries and the testicles=.”
[566] This latter view has been maintained especially by Max Katte, in his treatise “The Purpose of the Existence of Homosexuals” (_Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, vol. iv., pp. 272-288), but he completely ignores the evolutionary points of view. In the same way, Hans Freimark neglects them (“The Meaning of Uranism,” p. 14; Leipzig, 1906); he regards homosexuality as a transition to a state in which “mankind will no longer need gross material contact for purposes of reproduction.”
## CHAPTER XX
PSEUDO-HOMOSEXUALITY (GREEK AND ORIENTAL PÆDERASTY, HERMAPHRODITISM, BISEXUAL VARIETIES)
“_Nous sommes les enfants des anciennes Sodomes;_ _Puisque l’on nous voit beaux, laissons-nous nous aimer._ _Notre sort est le plus désirable: charmer,_ _Nous sommes adorés des femmes et des hommes!_”
RACHILDE.
[“_We are children of the ancient Sodom;_ _Since people regard us as beautiful, let us continue to love one another;_ _Our lot is the most desirable: to charm,_ _We are adored both by women and by men._”]
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XX
Connexion between pseudo-homosexuality and bisexuality -- Great antiquity of the idea of bisexuality -- Magnus Hirschfeld’s treatise on bisexuality -- Bisexuality of the time of puberty -- Pseudo-homosexual tendencies at this period of life -- Examples (Gutzkow, Grillparzer) -- On the large scale -- Analogy to the pseudo-heterosexuality of youthful homosexuals -- Persistence of bisexuality -- The “Junores” -- Delusion of sexual metamorphosis -- Cultivation of pæderasts -- Women-men and men-women -- Brouardel’s type of effeminate Parisian street-arab -- Homosexuality in the state of trance -- Pseudo-homosexuality owing to the lack of heterosexual intercourse -- Anal masturbators -- Pseudo-homosexuality of prostitutes -- Temporary pseudo-tribadism in Paris -- Pseudo-uranism as a popular custom -- Explanation of the Greek love of boys -- Its fundamental difference from modern true homosexuality -- Value of the noble asexual friendship of men for men -- A letter of Gutzkow’s -- The Platonic Eros and Græco-Oriental pæderasty -- Bisexuality in German romanticism -- Explanation of this -- Hermaphroditism -- Previous under-estimation of the importance of hermaphroditism -- Recent researches -- True hermaphroditism -- Pseudo-hermaphroditism -- Male and female apparent hermaphrodites.
## CHAPTER XX
The dispute whether homosexuality is a congenital or an acquired phenomenon was one hitherto impossible to settle, because the whole province of those homosexual manifestations for which I suggest the name of “=pseudo-homosexuality=” had not been separated with sufficient clearness from true homosexuality for the essential difference between the two classes to receive accurate expression. True homosexuality is congenital. It is an original, =permanent, essential outflow= of the personality: pseudo-homosexuality, on the contrary, is either a homosexual sensibility suggested from without, transient, and not associated with the essence of the personality; or else it is merely =apparent= homosexuality, the illusion being dependent upon hermaphroditism or upon some other physical or mental abnormality.
The pseudo-homosexuality of the former category is explicable only by means of the fact of “=bisexuality=,” the existence of which has been scientifically proved only within recent years. By bisexuality we understand the possibility of two distinct modes of sexual perception occurring in one and the same person; and this, again, finds its explanation in the bisexual germinal vestiges which exist in every individual. There remains in every man a vestige of woman, in every woman a vestige of man, in a sense in a state of potential energy, which, however, is capable, by the action of various external influences, of being transformed into kinetic energy; but this vestige =always= plays a small part in comparison with the true specific sexual nature. This bisexuality was discussed in an earlier chapter of this book (pp. 39, 40 and 70, 71), and was there characterized as a phenomenon secondary in every respect, to which no great importance could be attached. The idea of bisexuality is not new; neither Fliess nor Weininger was its discoverer. It was already known to the ancients.[567] Heinse, in “Ardinghello,” gives expression to the idea in almost the same words as Weininger (see p. 40). Recently Magnus Hirschfeld[568] has collected the historical and literary details of the subject of bisexuality.
Bisexuality manifests itself more especially at the period of puberty, during the time of obscure yearnings and impulses--the so-called indifferent period which precedes the awakening of the sexual impulse. Physical bisexuality, therefore, often enough corresponds to psychical bisexuality. In the boy there is a trace of girlishness, in the girl a trace of boyishness; we have the two types of the dreamy youth and of the tomboy. Then there readily arise delicate inclinations between individuals of like sexes, especially as the result of continuous companionship, so that an obscure impulse of transient homosexual perception manifests itself between two boys, or between two girls, of the same age; or, again, this transient homosexuality may take the form of a worshipful admiration of an older person of the same sex. Gutzkow distinguished these two forms of pseudo-homosexuality, of which he had had experience in his own person. In his “Secular Pictures,” vol. i., pp. 50, 51 (Frankfort, 1856), he remarks:
“The feeling of love originates in most feminine natures, not from the quiet consideration of the secrets of love, but from a magnetic attraction towards other individuals, whom they regard as being better and more beautiful than themselves. Commonly the love for a man is preceded by an often illimitable love for a woman. Young girls fall in love with older girls--a phenomenon which often occurs also in boys, as I myself experienced when a boy, feeling the most ardent passion for one of my comrades, who now is extremely disagreeable to me.”
A similar explanation suffices for the transient tender love exhibited by Grillparzer towards Altmüller (_cf._ Grillparzer’s “Diary,” edition of Glossy and Sauer, pp. 24-26; Stuttgart). In boarding-schools, barracks, and training-schools we often find these pseudo-homosexual liaisons. The prison is said by Parent-Duchatelet to be a high-school of tribadism. He and other French authors report the epidemic diffusion of homosexual practices in prisons for women. Whenever homosexuality appears =suddenly= in an epidemic manner, =affecting large numbers of individuals=, we have to do, not with genuine original uranism, but with pseudo-homosexuality. As regards boarding-schools, which exhibit a lascivious environment extremely open to manifestations of this kind, Hans von Kahlenberg, in his “Nixchen,” p. 41 (Vienna, 1904), has vividly described the matter.
Youthful bisexuality is to be found in slighter forms in almost every human being, but it is a typical phenomenon of puberty, and disappears with the passing of this epoch, to make room for the completely developed heterosexuality of the adult. There occurs also in homosexuals, in whom homosexual sensibility first makes itself definitely manifest after puberty, a quite analogous inclination to the other sex before and during puberty. Thus, a typical homosexual twenty-three years of age, who now exhibits _horror feminæ_, related to me that at the age of sixteen or seventeen years he was very fond of girls, and pursued them a great deal, but without definite sexual desire. This transient obscure attraction of homosexuals towards the other sex is a kind of “pseudo-heterosexuality.”
Sometimes bisexuality will continue after the period of puberty, and in exceptional cases will persist throughout life. According to Hirschfeld, this occurs especially in men of genius, and in those inclined to become priests or schoolmasters. But in most cases even then one or other impulsive tendency--the heterosexual or the homosexual--is predominant. These individuals have been called “psychical hermaphrodites” (von Krafft-Ebing). These bisexual varieties may manifest themselves in very various ways, in most cases gynandry or androgyny is purely spiritual, and finds expression only in association with particular tendencies, especially =fetichistic= tendencies. The two following very remarkable cases throw a clear light on this peculiar form of bisexuality. We may as well accept for the more or less specific form of bisexuality described in these cases the suggested name of “junores.”
1.The case of a psychical hermaphrodite:
N. N., an American journalist, thirty-three years of age, writes: “From earliest youth I had an impulse to appear dressed in women’s clothing, and whenever I had an opportunity I had elegant body linen made for me, silken chemises, and whatever was the fashion. Even as a boy I used to borrow my sister’s clothing and wear it secretly. Only later, after my mother’s death, was I able to give free rein to my wishes, and I came into the possession of a wardrobe resembling that of the most elegant lady of fashion. Although compelled in the daytime to appear as a man, still I wear, under these clothes, a complete outfit of women’s underclothing--stays, open-work stockings, and everything proper to a woman, a bracelet also, and patent-leather women’s boots, with elegant high heels. When the evening comes, I breathe more freely. Then I can throw off the burdensome mask, and feel wholly woman. Wrapped in a tea-gown of an elegant cut, and wearing the finest underclothing, I am able to occupy myself in my favourite employments, among which may be mentioned the study of the primitive history of mankind, or I give myself up to some routine duties. A feeling of repose takes possession of me, such as is impossible during the day, when I have to wear men’s clothing. Although fully woman, I do not feel any need to give myself to a man. I feel flattered, certainly, if, when appearing in women’s dress, I please others, but I have no definite sexual desire towards my own sex. It may be that I have not yet discovered my _alter ego_. Notwithstanding all my well-developed feminine customs, I married, and am the father of a powerful, beautiful girl, who exhibits no tendencies whatever resembling mine. My wife, an energetic, cultured lady, was fully aware of my passion, but hoped in the course of time to wean me from it. In this, however, she was not successful. I performed my marital duties, but I gave myself up all the more to my customs. My wife obtained a separation, and at the time at which I now write she is intimate with another man, and is pregnant. My physique is thoroughly masculine, with the exception of the pelvis and of the calves of the legs, which are feminine in form. Summary: Outward appearance masculine. When wearing women’s dress I have completely the corresponding figure--waist, 20 inches; chest measurement, 34 inches; height, 176 centimetres (5 feet 9 inches); weight 125 pounds. Hands long and narrow, sensibility feminine. When wearing men’s clothing I feel a certain uneasiness. When I see an elegant lady or actress, I think how well I should appear in her dress. I have an abundance of earrings, pearls, lace scarves, and similar articles of adornment, and at a dance I give myself up to the idea of how delightful it would be to appear in women’s dress. If it were possible, I should completely abandon men’s clothing.”
2. “At about the age of fifteen and a half years I began to take an interest in women’s dress. I felt an inward impulse, which drove me to the windows of the shops displaying articles of women’s dress--corsets, etc. In shoemakers’ windows it was the women’s boots and shoes which attracted my attention rather than the men’s. The same was the case with dress fabrics, among which self-coloured materials for women’s dress pleased me best. Beautiful blue stuffs (satin) especially attracted me; also, I had an ardent love for blue velvet. As time passed, I felt a desire to possess such things, and to wear them. But since at home I had no means to spend in this way, whilst the desire sometimes was so violent as to give me no rest, I endeavoured to resist it with all the religious and rational grounds I could call to mind; yet this was of little help to me, for whenever I met a woman clothed to my taste, the longing was immediately reawakened. If I met a woman whose appearance aroused this desire (which henceforth I will call my ‘costume-stimulus’), I looked round, in order to overcome this costume-stimulus, to try to find a woman who displeased me. Within me there raged a conflict (which at that time was obscure even to myself) between the masculine nature and the feminine. One day the feminine in me gained the victory, as it impelled me (when my parents were absent from the house) to try on some of my sisters’ clothes; but as soon as I had put on the corset I had an erection, immediately followed by an ejaculation of semen. This gave me no gratification; on the contrary, I was very angry that putting on the corset should have given rise to an ejaculation of semen. At varying intervals I repeated this attempt to dress myself as a woman, and in doing so always endeavoured to avoid anything that could give rise to an erection. Gradually I succeeded in this matter of dressing; but I was now consumed also with the desire for caressing a feminine being, and therefore the dressing alone failed to satisfy me. Moreover, this dressing-up also failed to give me real pleasure, because I did not possess any costume which really suited me; but still, apart from sexual excitement, it produced a feeling of well-being. After I had dressed up as a woman, my imagination always busied itself with the idea of how beautiful it would be if I had a beloved before whom I might display myself unrestrainedly, just as I then was. In these fancies I always pictured to myself a girl of my own age, with long hair and well-developed breasts and hips. This imagination generally resulted in a pollution, which I sometimes endeavoured to prevent by taking off the articles of clothing as rapidly as possible.
“By a colleague I was initiated into the practice of masturbation. He explained to me that if I had no woman who would give herself to me, I was in a position to satisfy myself. The first time I resisted the impulse; but the costume-stimulus tormented me, and I had discovered that after a seminal emission I was at peace for a time; moreover, when dressing up, I was always exposed to the danger of being discovered, and so I began the practice of self-abuse. Masturbation did not give me proper gratification, and therefore, after practising it, I always experienced a great feeling of regret and also a feeling of exhaustion; moreover, it did not produce the feeling of well-being which resulted from dressing up as a woman.
“I was shy, and was very readily embarrassed in the presence of the female sex; I therefore avoided seeing much of women; I avoided it, also, on account of my costume-stimulus. It would have been preferable to me if, physically, Nature had made me a woman, so that I could have gone about freely among girls of my own age. For the reasons already given I did not learn to dance; moreover, the turning round made me very giddy, and from the age of seventeen and a half to nineteen years I suffered from attacks of syncope. At about the age of twenty-two years I fell in love with my present wife, who attracted me on account of her grace, her figure, and her character. My wife was even more bashful than myself. My inclination drew me towards her, but on account of my costume-stimulus, I avoided being alone with her. From now onwards I began to consider what I could possibly do in order to explain to my betrothed my true nature, but all the attempts which I made were failures. After six months’ engagement, I left the place where my betrothed was living. The engagement lasted seven years before we were married. The principal reason for the delay was that we were both impecunious. When I was alone with my betrothed, I was always thinking of my costume-stimulus. Shortly before we were married I told my betrothed in a letter of my peculiar tendency, for I felt it was my duty to do so. She could not understand how I could find pleasure in dressing myself up as a woman. At first she was indifferent regarding my costume-stimulus; later she thought it was morbid, an impulse bordering on the insane. I often had to call my imagination to my help in order to produce an erection. My marriage became more unhappy year by year. My wife, on account of my morbid tendency, suspected me of all possible perversities, and was of opinion that an individual predisposed as I was could not be capable of true, upright love for a woman. How I was to get woman’s clothing to my taste I did not know. In my marriage I was no better off as regards the costume-stimulus, but rather worse. I had more sleepless nights on account of this costume-stimulus than I had had before I married. As time passed, I became continually more ill-humoured, and was occasionally cross to my wife, which afterwards made me very sorry. In the sleepless nights I puzzled how I could possibly manage that my wife should not concern herself any more about the costume-stimulus, and how I could possibly fulfil my wishes in this respect. Gradually I succeeded in winning my wife to my side to this extent, that she agreed to make a costume for me, but I must not have many such.
“My wife was always looking for a reason. She believed that dressing up must have some cause, or must produce in me some effect, which I was unwilling to tell her. She was continually tormenting me about this; she would not believe that I spoke the truth, and she no longer felt any confidence in me. She believed that every one must perceive that I had this morbid impulse. She endeavoured to learn something about the matter from other women. Those whom she asked could only tell her evil and common things about men with tendencies like mine; some said I must be unconditionally an urning; others that I must have intercourse with other women behind my wife’s back; others that I wanted to lay aside men’s clothing in order to please girls under age, and so on. I suffered horribly from these false accusations.
“I endeavoured once again, in an essay I composed, which I entitled ‘The Junores,’ to make the matter clear to my wife. By junores I indicated men who wished to assume, or who did assume, the outward appearance of women in the matter of clothing, demeanour, and figure, but who sexually were masculine. All this was of no help to me. Our life together became continually more unbearable with the lapse of time; often there were scenes which had the most depressing effect on my mind. After violent scenes there occurred in me nocturnal pollutions, accompanied by no sensation of pleasure; also after these scenes erections were for a long time incomplete, so that a kind of impotence ensued.
“After every new accusation which my wife made against me I avoided going home in the evening. I wandered for hours in by-streets, overwhelmed by a feeling of futility and vacuity; my nerves all vibrated; sometimes I could not keep my limbs still. If I had had no children, or if I had known that they would be properly cared for, I should have known what to do in such a mood. One thing still torments me. Will my children be hereditarily tainted?”
I have myself seen both of these cases. The men concerned appear somewhat nervous, but they are otherwise quite healthy and manly, and both deny that they feel any sexual inclination towards men. The desire to wear women’s clothing, and to feel as a woman, may also make its appearance as a =morbid= phenomenon later in life, in the form of the “delusion of sexual metamorphosis” (_metamorphosis sexualis paranoica_); or it may be =artificially induced=, as among the ancient Scythians and among the Mexican “mujerados.” These latter are selected as men originally =most powerful=, and entirely free from any feminine appearance, and by incessant riding on horseback and by excessive masturbation they are made impotent (through atrophy of the genital organs) and effeminate, so that there may even occur a secondary development of the breasts (Hammond). All this belongs to the category of pseudo-homosexuality.
With regard to numerous historical women-men and men-women--such as, for example, the celebrated Chevalier d’Eon, Mademoiselle de Maupin (immortalized by Gautier in the romance of this name), and many other women going about in men’s clothing, or men going about in women’s clothing--it is, as a rule, no longer possible to determine whether they were genuinely homosexual, pseudo-homosexual, or bisexual.
I regard, however, the interesting type of =effeminate Parisian street-arab=, described by Brouardel at the Second Congress of Criminal Anthropologists at Berlin in the year 1889, as characteristically and originally homosexual.
“At the age from twelve to sixteen years the lad is still small, grasps ideas very slowly, and has little will-power. At the time of puberty he has experienced an inhibition of development, and his bodily growth has remained stationary. The penis is thin and flaccid, the testicles are small, the pubic hair is scanty, the skin is smooth, and the beard is very thin; the skeleton does not develop fully, like that of the normal male; the pelvis becomes wide, and the general outlines of the body become rounded (_potelées_) because there is an undoubted deposit of fat in the subcutaneous tissues, so that the breasts also become enlarged.”
This state persists. Brouardel found it still present in individuals of twenty-five to thirty years of age. These children of great towns are characterized by intellectual sterility and by incapacity for procreation. This type is found also among the well-to-do middle classes, and from such, according to Brouardel, the _décadents_ are recruited, while the effeminate gamins either become professional pæderasts, or undertake the preparation of _articles de Paris_.[569]
It is not difficult, in this description, to recognize true homosexuality.
Magnus Hirschfeld gives an account of a peculiar form of pseudo-homosexuality occurring in an individual who in ordinary life was asexual.[570]
The person concerned was an extremely effeminate and neurasthenic member of a spiritualistic club, who in his normal condition felt sensual attraction neither to woman nor to man, but who in the trance state felt himself to be an Indian woman, and then became inspired with an ardent passion for one of his fellow-members.
Also in chronic intoxications, especially in alcoholism, pseudo-homosexuality may make its appearance, in some cases as an enduring and in others as a transient condition.
An important category of pseudo-homosexuality is constituted by persons in whom it arises owing to =insufficient opportunity for sexual intercourse with members of the opposite sex=--as, for example, in the absence of women on board ship, in monasteries, in prisons for men, in the French foreign legion; and as regards lack of men in nunneries, and in the case of unmarried or unhappily married women, who supply a large contingent to pseudo-tribadism.[571] An account of pæderasty in prisons is given by Charles Perrier, “La Pédérastie en Prison” (Lyons, 1900).
In this category we must also mention the “debauchee pæderasts” for which =truly existent= kind of pseudo-homosexuals I propose the name of “=anal masturbators=.” These are heterosexual individuals in whom either primarily the anus plays the part of an erogenic zone, or in whom this region becomes erogenic in consequence of the exhaustion of all other varieties of sexual stimulus. Hammond, von Schrenck-Notzing, and Taxil have proved the existence of these anal masturbators and the frequent occurrence in them of pseudo-homosexual tendencies.[572]
An interesting phenomenon is the =pseudo-homosexuality of female prostitutes=. We certainly encounter among prostitutes a number of genuine tribades, who owe their adoption of professional prostitution to the existence of this original tendency to homosexual love, because in their relations with men the heart plays, and can play, no part (see above, p. 434). Prostitutes who are heterosexual by nature may become homosexual for two reasons: first, by intercourse with, and owing to the influence of, truly Lesbian associates, in whom the inward sense of solidarity possessed by all prostitutes is especially strong; in the second place, in consequence of the antipathy to intercourse with men, created by their experience of life, and striking always deeper roots, for they learn to know man only in his brutal sexual coarseness. The continuous compulsion to which they are subjected to satisfy the animal sensuality of worn-out roués by the most disgusting procedures ultimately produces in them the most unconquerable antipathy to the male sex, so that all the delicate sensibility of which they are capable is directed towards their own sex. The homosexual union appears to them, as Eulenburg rightly points out (“Sexual Neuropathy,” pp. 143, 144), to be something “higher, purer, and comparatively blameless.” They regard it in a more ideal light than sexual intercourse with men. Women owners of brothels also favour tribadistic love, because thereby they safeguard the prostitutes in their houses from the influence of _souteneurs_.[573]
As J. de Vaudère describes in his “Demi-Sexes,” pseudo-tribadism is especially diffused in Paris as a fashionable practice, and manifests itself here in the form described by Martineau,[574] of a =temporary= homosexuality, which is subserved by an extensive prostitution, and which clearly exhibits its pseudo-homosexual characteristics by its intermittent appearance in the form of spiritual epidemics.
Unquestionably we have to do with pseudo-homosexuality also in all those cases in which homosexual love makes its appearance as a =national custom= among a percentage widely exceeding the usual percentage of ordinary homosexuality. The typical example of this kind is =the love of boys of ancient Greece=--“pæderasty,” in the better sense of the word. Since in this work I am discussing the sexual life of the present day, I do not propose here to deal at length with this interesting topic, and must refer the reader to the second volume (in course of preparation) of my work on “The Origin of Syphilis,” in which I have discussed the subject at considerable length.
Since the Hellenic love of boys was a widely diffused custom, the origin of which may be directly referred to Crete, indirectly to the Orient, it is evident that only a fraction of the pæderasts can have been true homosexuals. The majority were pseudo-homosexuals. It is possible that the custom was first introduced by original homosexuals, and also that it was subsequently maintained by these. But soon it became a general practice for a man to regard his wife simply as a “procreative machine,” and to seek for true =spiritual= love from a youth. Since to the men of antiquity woman had no soul and no individuality, =the love of boys appeared to them something natural and morally justifiable=. It would, however, be completely unnatural if for the heterosexual community of our own time we wished to reintroduce the antique love of boys, since we modern men have learned that woman also has a =soul=; that she also has the same justification as man for the development of her human nature; that she can be, and ought to be, the object of individual, spiritual, profound love. I rejoice, that those who are fighting for the rights of the genuine congenital homosexuals, that men like Magnus Hirschfeld, Numa Prætorius, and other investigators, have recently expressed themselves in energetic terms as opposed to those whose aim is a sort of propaganda for the diffusion of the love of men among heterosexuals--whose endeavour it is, in fact, to introduce a formal cult of uranism. This movement can do nothing but harm to the just cause of homosexuals.
No one can prize more highly than I do myself a =noble friendship= between men, which at the present day is far too little practised;[575] no one can wish more heartily than I do that men could speak to one another of love, without being exposed to the suspicion of homosexuality.[576] In a certain sense I am in thorough agreement with the beautiful demonstrations of Heinrich Schurtz and Benedict Friedländer on masculine friendship as a normal fundamental impulse of humanity and as the foundation of social intercourse.[577] But this friendship between heterosexual men, based upon natural sympathy and community of occupation, has =not the least sexual admixture=, whereas only in the beautiful dialogues of Plato can the Greek love of boys, which some advocate at the present day, be ascribed to the spiritual Eros.[578] In reality, however, the Greek love of boys degenerated into the grossest sensuality, since the youth stimulated sexual desire like a woman, and was used as such,[579] so that the originally ideal character of the relationship disappeared.
In the =Oriental= love of boys[580] this ideal element was probably never present, and sensual relationships played the principal part from the very first. The boys’ brothels of the Mohammedan East were visited by heterosexual men just as much as by homosexuals. The same men derived pleasure from intercourse both with women and with boys. Bisexuality was in this case put into practice as a matter of course.
German civilization also passed through an epoch in which bisexual
## activities of feeling were clearly manifest in both sexes, without,
however, leading at any time to the physical practice of pseudo-homosexuality. This remarkable period was the time of transition between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The “Sturm und Drang” had quieted down; its fiercely active forces had been controlled; its vigorous will had been pacified, and guided in concrete directions; its kinetic energy had in a sense become potential in two new formative and emotional tendencies of the time, which progressed side by side, and, notwithstanding all the differences between them, influenced one another mutually to a considerable extent--classicism and romanticism. Classicism, under the stimulating influence of Winckelmann, looked back to the “noble simplicity and quiet greatness” of the antique, to the beauty exhibited simply in =form=, whose wonder Goethe more than any other has made manifest to us. Romanticism, on the other hand, was the term employed to indicate the boundless enlargement and increasing profundity of the emotional life, of which the =formless= is especially characteristic. This appears most clearly in the work of Novalis, Tieck, and Wackenroder; but both tendencies meet in the sphere of the sexual. I need only mention the name of Winckelmann to indicate how markedly the purely æsthetic contemplation,[581] and the purely æsthetic enjoyment, of the beautiful human form must have favoured the development of homosexual modes of perception. We may in this connexion speak of the “Greek Renascence.” On the other hand, the romantic mood, the deepening of the individual life of feeling, the eternal searching for new, peculiar sensations, was very apt to awaken those activities of feeling slumbering so deeply beneath the threshold of consciousness, which we to-day denote by the term “bisexuality.” In Friedrich Schlegel’s “Lucinde,” for example, we find frequent allusions to this bisexual mode of perception, as in the place in which he speaks of a confusion of the masculine and feminine rôles in the love contest. When, in so much of the published “Correspondence” of this period, kisses, embraces, caresses, and tendernesses between two men or two women appear to fly to and fro, it may be that this is neither to be regarded as purely homosexual perception, nor as a simply conventional contemporary custom, but rather as the very characteristic expression of a tendency to bisexual imaginations and dreams induced by the hypertension, overdriving, and artificial increase, of the emotional life. Thus only, for example, can we explain the passionate profusion of tenderness which appears in many of the letters of Jean Paul, written by him to men; for Jean Paul was unquestionably heterosexual.[582]
The same is true of the women of this time. According to Welcker, the friendships of the women of the romantic period exhibited this character of a Platonic love. Since the dominion of romanticism “influenced emotional young men in very various ways, in more than one morally strict circle, two women friends were so inseparable and so indispensable to one another that those round them used sometimes to laugh at this amativeness, of which, however, a serious suspicion was impossible.”[583]
An interesting proof of the existence of pseudo-homosexuality among the women of that time is afforded by a passage[584] from a romance by Ernst Wagner (1760-1812), one of the scholars of Jean Paul. The book is entitled “Isidora,” and in it the Lesbian love-scene between the Princess Isidora and her friend Olympia is very plainly described, although both of them at the same time are passionately in love with men.
The last and not unimportant phenomenal form of pseudo-homosexuality is =hermaphroditism=. It is a remarkable fact that only in recent years has science attempted a serious study of hermaphroditic states, which previously, as Blumreich[585] points out, were to a large extent ignored, both as regards their social importance and their frequency. It was the great service of Neugebauer[586] and Magnus Hirschfeld[587] that they drew general attention to these remarkable sexual intermediate stages, and proved their eminent practical importance, which had previously been suspected by no one. How completely the matter had been ignored is proved by the remarkable fact that the new Civil Code for the German Empire completely ignores the juridical determinations of the former Prussian Civil Code regarding hermaphrodites, alleging that there existed no persons whose sex was indeterminate or indeterminable!
The so-called “=true hermaphroditism=”--the condition in which male and female reproductive glands (testicles and ovaries) are met with =in a single individual=--is one of the greatest rarities. By the investigations of Salen (1899), Garré-Simon (1903), and Ludwig Pick (1905), the existence of such individuals with mixed reproductive glands (“ovotestes”) has been proved as an actual fact. Walter Simon, in the one hundred and seventy-second volume of _Virchow’s Archives_, has described the rare case of true hermaphroditism observed by Garré. In a person twenty-one years of age, brought up as a man, and having thoroughly masculine feelings, there suddenly occurred, associated with swelling of the breasts (gynecomasty), monthly recurring hæmorrhages, proceeding from the supposed intertesticular fissure; also from time to time, associated with voluptuous erection of the penis, there was discharged whitish mucus, and the libidinous ideas connected with this discharge referred always to women. The physical structure and facial expression of this individual were feminine; the build of the thorax, the shoulders, and the shape of the arms exhibited male characteristics. In a right-sided swelling, resembling an inguinal hernia, were found a testicle-ovary (Ger. _Hodeneierstock_), an epididymis, a parovarium, a spermatic cord, and a Fallopian tube.
More frequent than these cases, in which naturally the determination of sex is practically impossible, are cases of =pseudo-hermaphroditism=, which also possess the greatest importance in connexion with the problem of pseudo-homosexuality. In these cases of pseudo-hermaphroditism the reproductive glands are, in fact, distinctively male or female, but the characteristics of the =excretory organs= and of the =external genital organs= do not enable us to determine the sex, for they are in part male, in part female, and in part completely undifferentiated, which is to be explained as dependent upon an incomplete or entirely wanting differentiation of the primitively identical rudiment of the external genital organs of the two sexes (inhibition of the processes of growth at some stage of development). Thus there arises _pseudo-hermaphroditismus masculinus_, in cases in which the genital fissure is not completely closed, so that the urethra possesses a fissure below (hypospadias); also the two halves of the scrotum may fail to join, so that a fissure is left between them, simulating a vaginal inlet. Since in these cases the testicles are commonly retained within the abdominal cavity, or else appear in the inguinal region, simulating an inguinal hernia, the penis is believed to be a kind of enlarged clitoris, and the individual is mistaken for a woman (_erreur de sexe_). If it further happens that, on account of the supposed inguinal hernia, the individual is ordered to wear, and continues to wear, a truss, the testicular tissue disappears completely as a result of pressure atrophy, and the correct diagnosis becomes more difficult than ever. I recently saw a case of this kind in a male hermaphrodite, twenty-two years of age, who had been brought up as a woman. He had, however, always felt attraction towards women, and, having a large membrum, he was able, notwithstanding the existence of hypospadias, to complete regular coitus. In the ejaculated semen the examining physician had =not found any spermatozoa=; but in this case the testicles had doubtless atrophied in consequence of the wearing of a truss. This pseudo-hermaphrodite has recently published the history of his upbringing as a “woman.” The work is of great interest from the psychological point of view, and is entitled “A Man’s Years as a Girl,” by “Nobody” (Berlin, 1907).
Where the reproductive glands are female there results a _pseudo-hermaphroditismus femininus_ in cases in which the external genital organs of this female pseudo-hermaphrodite exhibit a certain similarity with the genital organs of the male--for example, when the clitoris is exceptionally large, and the labia majora have grown together, so that the vaginal inlet appears to be wanting. In this case also there may be a mistake in diagnosis, and, consequently, the individual having been educated as a man, apparent homosexuality may result when the natural sexual inclination towards the male manifests itself in due course.
In both varieties of pseudo-hermaphroditism there exist very various anatomical and physiological possibilities in respect of the relationship of the secondary sexual characters to the anatomical character of the reproductive glands, in respect of the menstrual equivalents in male pseudo-hermaphrodites, in respect of the relationship of the sexual impulse to the reproductive glands, in respect of the greater or less strength of the impulse, in respect of periodic genital hæmorrhages in male pseudo-hermaphrodites, in respect of possible sexual aberrations, etc. For more exact details I must refer the reader to the works of Neugebauer and Hirschfeld. Here I will only refer to a case described by the last-named author, of a male pseudo-hermaphrodite, forty years of age, Friderike S., who had been brought up as a “woman,” who at a very early age had exhibited an inclination towards women =only=, and an antipathy to sexual intercourse with men. In this individual a reproductive gland resembling a testicle could be detected, out of which there issued a structure resembling the spermatic cord. In the left inguinal canal was an atrophied reproductive gland of indeterminate character. The membrum was something between penis and clitoris. The labia majora and minora bounded a short cæcal vagina. Internal female reproductive organs could not be detected. On the other hand, there appeared to be a prostate gland. In the sexual secretion, which was discharged by a different opening from the urine, H. Friedenthal =was able to detect very numerous completely normal spermatozoa=, whereby the male character of this pseudo-woman was completely proved, and whereby also the alleged “homosexual” tendencies were now shown to be heterosexual.
[567] _Cf._ L. S. A. M. von Römer, “Regarding the Androgynous Idea of Life,” _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1903, vol. v., pp. 707-940.
[568] M. Hirschfeld, “The Theory and History of Bisexuality,” published in “The Nature of Love,” pp. 93-133 (Leipzig, 1895). _Cf._ also P. Näcke, “Some Psychiatric Experiences in Support of the Doctrine of Bisexual Vestiges in Mankind,” published in _The Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1906, vol. viii., pp. 583-603.
[569] _Cf._ C. Lombroso, “Recent Advances in the Study of Criminality,” pp. 109-111 (Gera, 1899).
[570] M. Hirschfeld, “Berlin’s Third Sex,” p. 13.
[571] These pseudo-tribades, belonging mainly to the aristocracy and to the upper middle classes, are known in Parisian slang as “Sapphos,” in contrast to the genuine “Lesbian lovers.”
[572] _Cf._ my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis,” vol. i., pp. 224-227.
[573] _Cf._ L. Martineau, “Leçons sur les Déformations Vulvaires et Anales,” p. 21 (Paris, 1885).
[574] _Op. cit._, pp. 29-31.
[575] Karl Gutzkow writes in a beautiful letter to Max Ring: “Our time is so separative, our hearts beat in so solitary a manner, and yet the need of intimate bonds is there, but who dares to tie them? Any intimate friendship formed between men in early youth disappears like dust before the wind. Then comes the love of woman, which fills the whole of our heart; then follows the care for material existence, which increases our egoism; and the danger that our heart will shrink makes its appearance all too soon. Who draws near to another human being? Who admits that he has need of others, and that his life is a life without love? We all suffer in this way; we should form warm friendships between man and man” (“Berlin in the Time of Reaction,” reminiscences by Max Ring, published in _Deutsche Dichtung_, 1898, vol. xxiii., pp. 51, 52).
[576] Such a noble love between men shines, for example, from the letters of Count Arthur Gobineau to Prince Philipp zu Eulenburg-Hertefeld. _Cf._ Prince zu Eulenburg-Hertefeld’s “Eine Erinnerung an Graf Arthur Gobineau,” especially pp. 22, 23 (Stuttgart, 1906).
[577] _Cf._ H. Schurtz, “Age Classes and Associations of Men” (Berlin, 1904); B. Friedländer, “Physiological Friendship as a Normal Fundamental Impulse of Humanity and as the Foundation of Social Intercourse,” in the _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1900, vol. vi., pp. 179, 214; and the same author’s “Renascence of Eros Uranios,” pp. 163-211 (Berlin, 1904).
[578] O. Kiefer, “Plato’s Attitude towards Homosexuality,” _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1905, vol. vii., pp. 107-126. _Cf._ also “Lyrical and Bucolic Poetry,” _op. cit._, 1906, viii., pp. 619-684.
[579] This connexion was recognized, although in the inverse direction, by Heinrich Laube. In a passage of “Junge Europa” (vol. i., p. 72 of the new edition; Vienna, 1876) we read: “Constantia is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Outline, muscles, figure, eyes, speech, mind, feeling--everything in her is beautiful; she is the ideal of a man found in the feminine form. I love this power in woman above everything; the soft, the non-resisting, does not offer me enough opposition. _Perhaps such women as these form the transition to the Hellenic love of boys._”
[580] _Cf._, in this connexion, also P. Näcke, “Homosexuality in the Orient,” published in the _Archives for Criminal Anthropology_, 1904, vol. xvi., pp. 333 _et seq._
[581] Goethe confirms this in a conversation with Chancellor von Müller, in which he deduces the “aberration” of Greek love from this, “that, according to his own æsthetic judgment, man has always been more beautiful, more perfect, more complete, than woman. Such a feeling, when it has once originated, easily passes over into the animal and the grossly material.” _Cf._ _Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1905, vol. vii., p. 127.
[582] Especially instructive is his correspondence with Christian Otto (_cf._ “Jean Paul’s Correspondence with his Wife and with Christian Otto,” edited by Paul Nerrlich; Berlin, 1902). For example, he writes once to this friend: “Ah, my friend, if I could only once more clasp your form to my breast.” _Cf._ also the interesting remarks on the peculiarly intimate masculine friendship of this period given in the last (eighth) volume of the “German History” of Karl Lamprecht (Freiburg, 1906).
[583] F. G. Welcker, “The Odes of Sappho,” published in the _Rheinisches Museum für Philologie_, 1856, vol. xi., p. 237.
[584] I reproduce this passage in the eighth volume of _The Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, pp. 609, 610.
[585] L. Blumreich, “Diseases of Women, including Sterility,” being
## chapter xx. of Senator and Kaminer’s “Health and Disease in Relation
to Marriage and the Married State,” published by Rebman Limited (London, 1906).
[586] Franz Neugebauer, “Seventeen Cases of the Coincidence of Mental Anomalies with Pseudo-Hermaphroditism, selected from a Collection of Seven Hundred and Thirteen Observations of Pseudo-Hermaphroditism,” published in _The Annual for Sexual Intermediate Stages_, 1902, vol. ii., pp. 224-253; same author, “Interesting Observations in the Department of Pseudo-Hermaphroditism,” _op. cit._, 1902, vol. iv., pp. 1-176; same author, “Surgical Surprises in the Domain of Pseudo-Hermaphroditism, containing One Hundred and Thirty-four Observations of Cases, with Fifty-four Instances of Erroneous Determination of Sex, in most Cases proved by the Scalpel,” _op. cit._, 1903, vol. v., pp. 205-424; same author, “One Hundred and Three Observations of more or less marked Development of a Uterus in the Male (_pseudohermaphroditismus masculinus internus_), in addition to a Compilation of Observations of Regular Periodic Bleeding from the Genital Organs, Menstruation, Vicarious Menstruation, Pseudo-Menstruation, Molimina Menstrualia, etc., in Pseudo-Hermaphrodites,” _op. cit._, 1904, vol. vi., pp. 215-326; same author, “Compend of the Literature of Hermaphroditism in Human Beings,” _op. cit._, 1905, vol. vii., pp. 471-670, and 1906, vol. viii., pp. 685-700.
[587] Magnus Hirschfeld, “Sexual Links: Intermixture of Masculine and Feminine Sexual Characters (Sexual Intermediate Stages),” Leipzig, 1905.
## CHAPTER XXI
ALGOLAGNIA (SADISM AND MASOCHISM)
“_We must continually keep before our minds the fact that in no other department of life so much as in the sexual life do we find side by side, and closely associated each with the other, the noblest and the basest, the superhuman and the subhuman, because the finest and the deepest roots of our spiritual and bodily existence spring, for the most part, from this subsoil; and we must remember that man would not be able to sink so deep, far beneath the level of animality, if he had not first raised himself by his own powers, in conflict with Nature and with himself, through an immeasurable height of civilization._”--ALBERT EULENBURG.
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XXI
Algolagnia, or painful voluptuousness -- Biological roots of algolagnia -- Its rôle in the civilized life of mankind -- Connexion between pain and voluptuousness -- Pain in the _vita sexualis_ -- Sadism and masochism -- Physiological algonagnistic phenomena -- The sexual enjoyment of spiritual pain -- Philosophical views on this subject -- Weltschmerz and pessimism as sources of pleasure -- The joy of grief -- Cruelty as intermediator in the production of algolagnia -- Theories of cruelty -- The enjoyment of power -- Nietzsche’s justification of cruelty as a factor in civilization -- Sadistic and masochistic phenomena of civilization -- Examples from the present day -- Increase of sexual desire by means of emotional concussion -- Evolutionary theory of algolagnia -- Cruelty of woman -- Debauchees and prostitutes -- “Tropical frenzy” as an especial form of sadism -- Various explanations of tropical frenzy -- Influence of sexual differences between man and woman -- Genesis of the “hen-pecked” state and of “mistress-rule” -- Coquetry and flirtation -- Frequent association with sadism and masochism -- Flagellation as the principal form of algolagnia -- Imitation of physiological algolagnia -- Exciting influence of massage and friction -- Various factors of the sexual influence of passive flagellation -- Active flagellation -- Chance occurrences leading to the development of flagellomania -- Sexual influence of whipping upon children -- Examples -- “Schoolmaster’s flagellantism” (Dippoldism) -- Examples -- Flagellation and prostitution -- Flagellation brothels -- Inclination of woman to flagellation -- A Parisian “school” -- “Corset discipline” -- Sadistic bodily injuries and lust-murder -- Characteristics of lust-murder -- “Girl stabbers” -- Other forms of sadistic bodily injury -- Sexual vampirism -- Offences against property committed from sadistic motives -- Vitriol throwing -- Sadistic arson -- Sexual kleptomania -- Symbolic forms of sadism -- Verbal sadism -- Erotic dictionaries -- Verbal exhibitionism -- Example -- Other varieties of symbolical algolagnia -- Satanism -- Wide diffusion of passive algolagnia, of masochism -- Passive algolagnia -- Examples -- Masochistic instrumentarium -- A masochistic “torture-chamber” -- Masochistic prostitution -- Letter of a masochist -- A “slave” -- Characterization of male masochists -- A very typical case of masochism -- Masochism in women -- Letter of a female masochist.
_Appendix_: A contribution to the psychology of the Russian revolution (History of the development of an algolagnistic revolutionist).
## CHAPTER XXI
The homosexual and pseudo-homosexual phenomena described in the preceding chapters constitute a far from universal variety of sexual impulse, but “=algolagnia=” is much commoner. This name was introduced by Schrenck-Notzing as a general term for the phenomena of =sadism= and =masochism=, since these two sexual aberrations are closely related one to the other.
Algolagnia, or painful lasciviousness, if we exclude from consideration its most extreme manifestations, such as lust-murder and suicide from lust, belongs unquestionably to the most widely diffused of sexual aberrations; indeed, in its slighter forms it is almost universal. An experienced woman told Havelock Ellis[588] that she had known only one single man who was entirely free from sadistic lust; and, on the other hand, there are few women in whose sexuality no algolagnistic phenomena are demonstrable. This is natural, for algolagnia, differing in this respect from other sexual aberrations, has the =deepest biological roots=. Its nucleus, =pleasure in the pain of others or in one’s own pain= (the term “pain” being here used in the very widest significance, both physical and mental), is an elementary phenomenon of amatory
## activity. “Love is in its very nature pain,” we read in the “Divan” of
the Persian poet Rûmi. It is certain that we have here to do with an anthropological phenomenon, one that is normal within wide limits. Algolagnia plays the greatest rôle in the individual life of single human beings and in the civilized life of humanity at large. It enables us to get a view into the hidden depths of the human spirit, and displays to us the remarkable phenomenon of the association of primeval animal instincts with the highest spirituality. It at the same time debases love, and renders it more profound, and it touches the most secret aspects of our nature.
“Der Schmerz beseelt Und er entfesselt nied’re Triebe, Die sonst dem Menschenherz gefehlt.... Der Schmerz betäubt--er kann beglücken, Im Schmerz liegt ein geheimes Fleh’n; Er lässt mit feurigem Berücken Ein frevelhaftes Bild ersteh’n,”
[“Pain animates And unchains lower impulses, Which had otherwise been absent from the human heart.... Pain benumbs--but may also give happiness, For in pain is hidden a secret prayer; With an ardent charm It gives rise to a wanton idea”]
sings Joseph Lauff in his “Geisslerin” (Cologne, 1901). Is there any pleasure without pain? is there any love without sorrow? He who is familiar with the history of civilization will answer these questions in the negative. Pain is a civilizing factor of the first rank; it is the necessary pre-condition and the inevitable accompaniment of pleasure and the affirmation of life. This is the central idea of the philosophy of Nietzsche. The pain of love is only a special case of the great immeasurable _Weltschmerz_ and _Weltlust_ (world-pain and world-joy), which move us so deeply in the powerful descriptions of Schopenhauer, and have always been the most lofty objects of contemplation to philosophers and to students of civilization.[589]
That love-pleasure and love-pain, the forces of creation and destruction--yes, indeed, that love and death (which Leopardi in a wonderful poem celebrated as twin brothers)--are separated only by a “thin veil” (Havelock Ellis), was an idea first expressed in the celebrated work of the formidable Marquis de Sade,[590] whose books, taken as a whole, are merely a paraphrase of the idea of the connexion between pain and voluptuousness; and, moreover, de Sade does not recognize this connexion only in active algolagnia--that is, in the =infliction of pain=, the voluptuousness of cruelty, the so-called “sadism”--but he recognizes it equally in passive algolagnia, in the =suffering of pain=, the voluptuousness of being tortured, in the state named after the author Sacher-Masoch, “masochism.” De Sade, who was the first consistent advocate of the anthropologico-ethnological theory of psychopathia sexualis, himself collected almost all the facts regarding the biological roots of painful lasciviousness, and regarding algolagnistic phenomena in ethnology and in the history of civilization.
The foundation for the understanding of active and passive algolagnia is constituted by the fact that we have here, in the first place, to do with a =purely biological= phenomenon, which makes its appearance in every normal love. The sexual act exhibits to us pain and pleasure in an indissoluble association. Love’s embrace is a “sweet pain,” a painful pleasure.[591]
The nature of the sense of voluptuousness is still rather obscure, but it is certain that painful sensations make their appearance as its accompaniment, probably indeed as an actual part of voluptuousness. I may remind the reader of the interesting remarks of Edmund Forster, mentioned on p. 44, regarding the conception of sexual tension as a stimulation of the pain-perceiving nerves of the genital organs. Still more clearly is pain reflected (pain both active and passive) in the love-embrace itself, in the phenomena[592] which we previously (pp. 50-51) described, such as fierce embraces, convulsive seizures, grinding of the teeth, screaming and biting, both on the part of the man and on the part of the woman. Lucretius (“De Rerum Natura,” iv., verses 1054-1061) gave a vivid description of the normal sadistic and masochistic accompaniments of coitus. In this association sadism certainly predominates on the part of the man, though not exclusively; and, contrariwise, masochism predominates, though not exclusively, on the part of the woman. The sadistic “love-bites,” for example, are more frequently given by the woman, especially among savage races,[593] but among the Slavonic peoples it is the man rather who practises the “biting-kiss” during the sexual act.[594]
“Es brausen mir wie Wirbelwind Im Busen namenlose Triebe: Ich möchte dich beissen, einzig Kind, Du süsse Frucht, vor Lust and Liebe,”
[“Nameless impulses are raging Like a whirlwind in my breast: I should like to bite you, little one, Sweet little fruit, to bite you from desire and love”]
writes Karl Beck in his “Stille Lieder.”
How closely these phenomena are connected with the ideas of =blood= and =cruelty=, and how this connexion is favoured by the redness and the flow of blood during sexual excitement, are matters previously discussed (p. 51); and in my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis” (vol. ii., pp. 39-41) I have considered the question at greater length. In the same category must also be placed the sexually stimulating influence of red colours.
In association with these algolagnistic manifestations, so long as they remain within physiological bounds, we do not so much see =actual= physical pain, the actual infliction of suffering or cruelty, as the =idea= thereof, as mental pain; indeed, actual pain is often not lustful, as such, but only in idea. Eulenburg,[595] especially, has rightly drawn attention to this mental intensification of algolagnia. Mental pain and tears give a wonderful depth to love, increase passion, as Goethe describes in his “Stella.” Love needs pain, in order to be perceived as love. Why? Because pain is something new, a contrast to pleasure, whose eternity would be unbearable. This is described very clearly in the “Letters of Ninon de L’Enclos,” which, though apocryphal, are not less psychologically interesting (German edition, pp. 220, 221; Berlin, 1906).
“Change in the spiritual state is important to the happiness of both the lovers. And what could better provide this advantage than a separation? Have you never experienced the sweetness of a tender separation? The disquiet, the commiseration, the tears which accompany the departing lover, are they not something most valuable to a delicate, sensitive soul? Commonly, lovers regard separation for a few days as an evil. But if they examined the nature of their reputed pain a little more closely, they would soon perceive that this pain does not make a purely disagreeable impression on the soul; on the contrary, an entrancing joy lies hidden therein. The pain enfolds a delightful charm; and we learn that the heart, however much it may be moved with sympathy, always finds itself in an agreeable mood as soon as it is able to exercise its sensibility.”
Similarly, G. H. Schneider remarks (_op. cit._, pp. 126, 127), that in all love relationships there arises a need for becoming aware of
“the contrast between the pain and the ecstasy of love, by misunderstandings, by transient mental torment, by momentary jealousy on the part of the woman, or by sportive or earnest threats; and this need is gratified instinctively by man, because he feels instinctively that love without it disappears or will disappear.”
He explains this necessity for pain and sorrow in love as dependent upon a degree of exhaustion, a fatigue of the nerve-centres concerned, which demand a period of repose. In the ancestors of the human race, and in the lower animals, this repose was obtained by the =alternation= of quite opposite feelings, such as love and hate; thus the occasional stimulation of those centres also by which pain is perceived is a physiological necessity for the nervous system.
Nothing, in fact, is harder to bear than a succession of beautiful days; this is true even of love. Why is it that the very best, unalterably tender wives or husbands are so frequently deceived? Certainly it is because they often forget that with the sweetness of love it is necessary to intermingle a little bitterness, and so to allow their partner now and again to experience the “joy of grief.”
“Frau Venus, meine schöne Frau, Von sussem Wein und Küssen Ist meine Seele worden krank, Ich schmachte nach Bitternissen.”
HEINRICH HEINE.
[“Madame Venus, beautiful lady, Of sweet wine and kisses I am sick unto death-- I yearn for a taste of bitterness.”]
Mental pain as a general sociological, literary, and philosophical phenomenon, manifests itself as =Weltschmerz= and =pessimism=. Both modes of perception conceal intense feelings of pleasure. Schopenhauer, who was well aware of this fact, remarks (“Works,” ed. Grisebach, i., 508) that the recognition of the sorrows of existence, of the misery which extends itself over the whole of life, is accompanied by a =secret joy=, which by the “most melancholy” of all nations was termed the “joy of grief.” Admirably also has Kuno Fischer, in his account of Schopenhauer’s philosophy, described the pleasure to be found in the pessimistic mode of perception; and O. Zimmermann has written an interesting psychological work upon the “Joy of Grief” (second edition; Leipzig, 1885).
The pleasure anyone experiences in his own pain, or in that of another, constitutes the =nucleus= of all algolagnistic phenomena, and to =cruelty= as an intermediator in this painful lasciviousness there belongs only a secondary rôle. The deeply-rooted instinct of cruelty, which first manifests itself in early childhood, is biologically associated with the perception of pain. Various theories of cruelty have been propounded. Thus, according to Schopenhauer, cruelty gives rise to pain in another, in order to diminish its own pain; and, according to this view, it is only a means of treatment for the relief of one’s own pain. More illuminating is the explanation of the English psychologist Bain, who derives cruelty from the consciousness of power and the enjoyment of power, from the delight felt in dominating the tortured individual. Nietzsche is the most celebrated apostle of this diffusion of power, this enjoyment of power in the “superman,” and by means of the “masterful morality.” He formally does homage to cruelty as a means of advancing towards higher civilization.
“Almost everything,” he says, “which we call higher civilization depends upon the spiritualization and deepening of =cruelty=.... That which constitutes the painful pleasure of comedy is cruelty; that which is agreeable to our senses in the so-called tragic sympathy--fundamentally, indeed, whatever is pleasurable to us up to the most intense and delicate metaphysical horror--obtains its sweetness only from the intermingled ingredient of cruelty. That which the Romans enjoyed in the arena, that which Christ enjoyed in the Passion of the Cross, the Spaniards regarding an _auto-da-fe_ or a bull-fight, the Japanese of to-day, with his love for the tragic, the Parisian workman who has a passion for sanguinary revolutions, the Wagnerian rejoicing in the spectacle of Tristan and Isolde--all alike enjoy, all alike are suffused with secret ardour as they drain the Circe’s cup of ‘cruelty.’
“We must therefore,” he continues with justice, “for ever deny the absurd psychology which attempted to teach regarding cruelty that it arose only from the view of =another’s= pain! There exists an abundant--over-abundant--joy also in one’s own pain, in making one’s own self suffer; and whenever man persuades himself--it may be only to self-denial in the religious sense, or to self-mutilation like the Phœnicians and the ascetics, to self-torment in religion, to the puritanic convulsive penitence, to the vivisection of conscience, and to Pascal’s sacrifice of the intellect--in all these alike he is lured onwards and impelled forwards by his cruelty alone, by that dangerous emotion of cruelty =directed against himself=.”
With a few brilliant words Nietzsche thus describes the principal phenomena of algolagnia. Ethnology and the history of the world offer us in equal measure numerous interesting proofs of the primitive tendency of human nature to sadistic and masochistic manifestations. We must learn to recognize the diffusion throughout the entire world of active and passive algolagnia, making its appearance in the most diverse forms, in order to understand many occurrences of the present day. In my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis” (vol. ii., pp. 43-75, 95, 96, 109-113, 120-157, 228-240) I have collected these anthropological and ethnological data, regarding the universal diffusion of algolagnia in all epochs and in all countries; and I have referred to the occurrence of sadism and masochism as affecting mankind =in the mass=, a fact of particular importance in this connexion. To give some examples: Campaigns, gladiatorial combats, man-hunts, beast-baiting, bull-fights,[596] sensational dramas, public executions, inquisition and witch trials, lynch-law as practised to-day in North America,[597] in the behaviour of the crowd of onlookers at the former punishment of the pillory, especially also in revolutions, of which to-day once more we have the most horrible examples in Russia (_cf._ also the appendix to this chapter), in the primeval custom of marriage by capture, in cannibalism, the belief in witches and werwolves, in slavery, flagellantism, and the scourgers of the middle ages, the horrible “satanism” of the same period, gynecocracy or the dominion of woman, the service of women of the Minne epoch, the Italian _cicisbeato_, and the Slavonic sexual slavery of men, asceticism and martyrdom, the ethnological diffusion of skatological, koprological, and urolagnistic practices, etc. These facts suffice to prove that in all times, and among all nations, sadism and masochism, in all the forms we still observe to-day, were most widely diffused; and to show that they arise from certain instincts deeply rooted in the soul of the people, whose existence =even to-day= manifests itself everywhere. Take, for example, the following extract from the _Vossische Zeitung_, No. 475, October 10, 1906:
“A great automobile race which took place in Long Island at the beginning of the month presented certain features reminding us of the old gladiatorial games. Three men were killed during the race, a woman and a boy were so seriously injured that at the time of writing they are at the point of death, and from twenty to thirty persons suffered fractures and other grave injuries. From all parts of the United States as many as half a million persons had assembled to see the races. At the very outset the huge crowd was in a state of hysterical excitement. The Automobile Club had taken the utmost care in its preparations for the safety of the course, and had shut it off on both sides by a net 8 feet in height. This protecting wall was, however, torn down by the crowd, which pressed in everywhere, especially at those places which the cars were to pass at their highest speed. Notwithstanding all the warnings of the police, those in search of sensation only tried to get out of the way when the cars were close upon them. At a turning in the course there were assembled 1,000 persons belonging to the best circles of New York society. Every time when, at this dangerous point, one of the cars had an accident, these people rushed forwards, in order to see as closely as possible what was going on; the women screamed and fainted from excitement, while the police bludgeoned the people blindly, in order to make room for the following cars, and in order to prevent worse evils. =The spectators were as if mad with the desire to see blood.= A lady who was pressing forward with the crowd, when one of the cars had upset, expressed her disappointment plainly, ‘=Oh dear, there is no one killed!=’”
In an essay entitled “Russia as It Now Is,” regarding the Russian punitive expeditions against the revolutionaries, the St. Petersburg correspondent of a German paper reports:
“These expeditions have long forgotten the political purpose of their ‘mission’; they murder simply =out of congenital lust to murder=, =from racial love of blood=, =from plainly perceptible morbid perversity=. The shooting of boys, the flogging of women, without mentioning the still worse ‘punishments’ =which we cannot even venture= to =describe=, which take place in the presence of, or with the actual assistance of, the greater and lesser provincial satraps, and regarding which I have collected extensive material--all produced in me, who have been a student of criminal psychology, very remarkable reflections.”
In these cases, no doubt, the principal cause of the actions in which cruelty becomes pleasurable is the =powerful emotional disturbance=, the violent excitement, which, again, increases sexual desire. De Sade himself was familiar with the fact that excitement produced by strong emotions had a powerful influence upon sexual processes; that it increased them, changed them, and led to abnormal manifestations. “All sensations increase one another mutually.” Anger, fear, rage, hatred, cruelty, increase sexual tension, and therewith also increase the pleasure of the discharge of that tension. Bouillier[598] drew attention to the fact that frequently in men, who otherwise have exhibited in their life very genial and sympathetic natures, it is not the desire of blood and suffering in itself which evokes sexual cruelty, but it is the desire for this associated increase in emotions. Similarly, Horwicz[599] explains the joy of martyrdom also as dependent upon the powerful sexual stimulation which it produces.
A peculiar form of sexual excitement associated with emotional disturbance has been described by Charles Féré, under the name of =ergophilia= (“Note sur une Anomalie de l’Instinct Sexuel: Ergophilie,” published in _Belgique Médicale_, 1905). The case was that of a woman, twenty-six years of age, who when a child of four had first experienced sexual excitement at a fair while watching a little girl juggler of her own age playing with three balls. Subsequently every time when this scene occurred to her memory she had a sexual orgasm; also when once at a circus she was watching some gymnasts whose performance was characterized by elegance and ease, she had the same experience. The same also occurred when she saw a man use a scythe. In a frigid marriage she always returned to these imaginations, as the only means of obtaining sexual gratification. Féré is right in distinguishing from sadism this form of sexual excitement induced by the view of elegant bodily exercises. The =generally= exciting view of movement had in this case a =special= exciting influence upon the genital organs of an obviously hysterical person. Perhaps also the case reported by Amrain (_Anthropophyteia_, vol. iv., p. 242) is similar to this--a case in which a man fifty-three years of age was sexually excited by the spinning round of prostitutes on rapidly rotating stools.
Helvetius, Bain, Lully, James, Herbert Spencer, Steinmetz, and many other psychologists and anthropologists, have endeavoured to explain on =evolutionary= grounds this intimate association between the emotions, and to establish an association between cruelty and sexuality. They suggest that the gratification of sexual needs is for the individual a love-battle, involving the sacrifice of numerous opponents in order to gain the favour of the beloved being. =In this way there arose an association between the shedding of blood and sexual enjoyment=; and the rage of battle, as Marro very rightly insists, may sometimes be suddenly transferred from the rival to the female herself, and thus assume a sadistic character. Definite traces of this connexion may still be observed among the popular customs of many nations, as, for example, in New Caledonia, where the girls are pursued by their lovers into the bush, and, after they have been overpowered, and after sexual intercourse has taken place, “they are brought back, bitten, bruised, scratched, covered with bites on the shoulders and the back of the neck.”
I regard the emotional theory of cruelty as the best, because it provides the easiest explanation of all the facts; and above all, because it also explains the frequently observed cruelty of =woman=, who, as the =more easily excited= creature, displays a higher, more artificial kind of cruelty than man, whose balance is not so easily disturbed by his emotions. Montaigne[600] makes the acute observation that cruelty is usually accompanied by a feminine softness. Havelock Ellis[601] also remarks that the most extreme, most elaborate degree of sadism is commonly associated with a somewhat feminine organization.
We might explain the cruelty of women, and that of enervated, effeminate voluptuaries from fear and cowardice, from the debasing consciousness of the weakness of their own personality, which by means of cruelty takes =revenge= on the strength of another, and transiently luxuriates in the associated intoxication of power, in the mere =idea= of superiority. It is certainly in this way that we must explain the horrible cruelty of worn-out debauchees, such as is described by de Sade in his romances. Such types also were Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, Domitian, Heliogabalus, and Cæsar Borgia; among women, Catherine de Medici and those “delicate Creole women who, after enjoying voluptuous pleasure in intercourse with a negro slave, proceed to enjoy the further pleasure of seeing the man unmercifully flogged.”[602]
In addition, =the blunting of the senses= which results from long-continued sexual excesses demands the stronger stimulus of cruelty. Just as in the debauchee, so also in the prostitute, this blunting of the senses induces a predisposition to sadism. Many prostitutes and masseuses become sadists quite as much from inclination as from custom (the latter from intercourse with masochistic clients); and they find sexual pleasure in tormenting men, regarding themselves as incorporate ideals of “mistresses.”
Among Europeans, =residence in hot climates= gives rise to a peculiar form of tropical cruelty, the so-called “=tropical frenzy=.” The psychology of this condition is complex. Various predisposing causes must concur in order to produce tropical frenzy. In the first place, it occurs almost exclusively in Europeans who fill official positions giving them =very extensive powers=, such as they did not enjoy before leaving home. Those who become affected live usually in regions in which all the limitations of conventional morality and of social relationships with their fellow-countrymen are laid aside, so that the civilized man is in a position which enables him to follow without restraint his own inward impulses; also he finds himself in contact with an “inferior” race, which he regards and treats as half or completely animal.[603] The influence of climate is also of great importance, as Hans von Becker assumes. Owing, it may be, to the intense heat, disturbances of metabolism ensue, and by the formation of toxins, the central nervous system and the psyche are injured, and thus there is induced a “tropical moral insanity,” a morbid impulsiveness, associated with complete loss of understanding of ordinary ethical and moral principles. Or, again, it is possible that, as Plehn believes, the abnormally high temperature gives rise to acute outbreaks only in chronic alcoholists, taking the form of tropical frenzy. In any case, this disorder is with especial frequency characterized by marked sadistic practices, as is proved by the colonial scandals of every country. In connexion with this, we do not need any further demonstration of the manner in which the institutions of =slavery= and =serfdom= have always induced and furthered sadistic instincts, and, speaking generally, the same is true of all relationships by which isolated individuals are given uncontrolled powers over the bodies and lives of their fellow-men.
A chief cause of algolagnia, of active algolagnia, but more especially of the passive form, is to be found in the =diverse sexual demeanour of man and woman= respectively, and this, again, depends upon the difference between the masculine and feminine natures. Opposed to the stormy, eager activity of the man, we have the quiet passivity of the woman. The latter has aptly been compared to a magnet which, notwithstanding its own apparent immobility, still irresistibly attracts and holds fast the iron (the man), making the latter in a sense her slave; upon this passivity depends the unmistakable superiority of woman in =purely sensual= love. Physical nature alone gives her an advantage over man, just precisely in the point to which she outwardly appears subordinated to him. Thus, among the Indians of Central Brazil man is officially lord and master of woman--and does what she wills.[604] Thus it has always been in the highest grades of civilization also, wherever sensual relationships have been solely effective in determining the relative positions of men and women. The true “=henpecked husband=” (I say “true,” because there also exist such in appearance only) of our European civilization is the man who, from the beginning, has been subjected to the domination of his wife in consequence of his own immoderate sexual needs; by these needs he has been permanently placed under her control, and this control has secondarily been extended to other relationships. This is the psychological secret of the henpecked state, just as it is also of the “=mistress rule=,” which, beginning as a purely sexual relationship between king or prince on the one hand and his mistress on the other, later extends also to the domain of political
## activity. The greater the sexual passivity and coldness of the woman,
the more readily does she gain dominion over the man. A favourite means for this purpose is the practice of “=coquetry=” (a matter previously discussed), which can also be defined as the activity of women in fettering men to themselves and in bringing them under feminine dominion. The Anglo-Saxon “=flirt=” is only a lighter shade of “coquette,” representing rather spiritual-æsthetic coquetry, whilst the true coquette makes use of purely =sensual= means, and speculates upon sex only, without reference to the intellectual qualities. “A truly coquettish woman listens with pleasure to the rankest flattery of the most insignificant individual; she takes the trouble to stimulate the desires of the most contemptible being, although she is daily surrounded by longing admirers.”[605] Joseph Peladan relates in one of his romances how a distinguished lady, while getting into her carriage, intentionally displayed her leg to a poor man standing by, although at the very same moment she was coquetting audaciously with a gentleman of her own rank. Woman instinctively aims at the subjection of man, and voluptuous stimulation serves her as the best-tried means of doing this. In so far as man becomes the “slave” and victim of his sensuality, does he exhibit a masochistic disposition; but, in so far as by his force and his intelligence he overcomes this sexual dependency, and by means of his natural activity and energy displayed also in sexual relationships, behaves heedlessly and brutally to the woman, who has now become completely passive, does the sadistic element preponderate in him. From this we are able to understand how it is that sadism and masochism may often appear in the same person; they are only the active and the passive form respectively of the algolagnia which lies at the basis of both of them, and in which the true essence of both these phenomena subsists.
When in the following paragraphs we briefly describe the individual phenomena and types of sadism and masochism, we do this always with the tacit implication that the majority of types are not pure forms either of sadism or masochism, but represent a mixture of both. This is especially true of the most widely diffused of all algolagnistic perversions, the so-called =flagellomania= (=sexual desire for flagellation or flagellantism=)--that is to say, =flogging and whipping, or being flogged and whipped in order to induce sexual excitement=. An elaborately critical account of sexual flagellantism in its physiological, psychological, literary, and historical relationships is to be found in the second volume of my work on “The Sexual Life in England,” pp. 336-481 (Berlin, 1903). In this passage there is a fairly complete collection, alike of the older and of the newer literary material devoted to this topic.[606]
Flagellation is, therefore, the principal means by which sadistic tendencies become active, because in this manner all the physiological sadistic accompaniments of sexual intercourse unite, and make their appearance with a stronger potentiality. It is an imitation and a conscious synthesis of these sadistic accompaniments, which in their most primitive form are to be seen in the lower animals. Especially in the case of tritons and salamanders we can observe a typical flagellation, effected by means of the tail, prior to coitus. The voluptuous gratification during flagellation varies in character according as the flagellation is active or passive. The nature of the latter is as follows: by vigorous friction and blows, especially in the region of the genital organs, and more particularly on the buttocks, a peculiarly increased voluptuous stimulus is induced by the painful sensations. Simple =massage= and =friction= of the skin suffices to produce such an effect, especially after warm baths, as has long been known in the East, and is employed in the so-called “Turkish baths.” More especially, the rubbing of the buttocks evokes a =purely physical reflex stimulation= of the spinal and sympathetic =ejaculatory centre=; still more rapidly is this produced by flogging and whipping of these parts (the so-called “lower discipline”). The painful sensations are said ultimately to undergo complete transformation into voluptuous sensations; unquestionably the =imagination= must here render much assistance, and the masochistic element is especially marked in those who undergo passive flagellation. The increased flow of blood to the genital organs, to which the flagellation necessarily gives rise, must also obviously play a part in evoking and strengthening the voluptuous sensation. Simultaneously also this congestion gives rise to erection of the penis; hence the very ancient employment of flagellation to relieve impotence, alluded to by Petronius in a celebrated passage of his “Satyricon.”
In the case of active flagellation, the voluptuous stimulation is mainly of a sadistic nature; the view of the parts quivering under the lash, becoming red or even bleeding, the cries of the person who is being whipped, the erotic influence of the kallipygian charms, here play the principal rôle.
The inclination to flagellation, both passive and active, is generally aroused =by some chance occurrence=, such as looking at a flogging, when the spectator finds himself to be in a state of sexual excitement and recognizes its cause--as, for example, in consequence of the official and ritual practice of flogging in schools, prisons,[607] barracks, monasteries, etc., also by whipping and giving blows in social games. Especially dangerous is the whipping of =children=, whose sexual impulse is only too often aroused by blows upon the buttocks, and then, unconsciously, this excitement is in their minds permanently endowed with a causal connexion with whipping, from which ultimately a perversion (flagellomania) is induced. Well known is Rousseau’s description of this connexion in his “Confessions.” I append the following description by a patient of this tendency to flagellation:
“In a similar way to that which you describe, flagellantism was unfortunately awakened in me in early youth. This was first developed in me by the fact that my parents allowed the maidservants to exercise a far-reaching right of chastisement. When I was fourteen years old, I still received whippings from the servants, with my father’s knowledge and consent; and these whippings, since my father had forbidden any other kind of chastisement as harmful to health, took place on the buttocks, and were always effected after this region of the body had been bared. I still remember most vividly that when I was at the age mentioned a maidservant who was hardly two years older than myself switched me in this region with especial zeal. I remember also that when I was in my ninth year, owing to the free use which the maidservants commonly made of their privilege, I had entirely ceased to dread this chastisement; indeed from that time I often intentionally incurred a whipping by the maids, which was not difficult; and from the age of fourteen years I personally gave the maidservants my permission to chastise me in the above manner without the knowledge of my parents, and was always thrown by it into a state of sexual excitement. Such excitement was also produced in me by merely witnessing the chastisement of my two sisters, who were somewhat younger than myself, both of whom were still beaten with a switch when they were fifteen years of age. As regards my two sisters, this did not lead to desire on their part that this procedure, which was always disagreeable to them, should be frequently repeated, but they were always glad to see me whipped; and, as a matter of fact, my own sensation of pleasure was greatly increased by their being present, and moreover, especially in later years, I always enjoyed it more if the maidservant whipped me in the presence of her friends or if one of them let me hold her hand during the process. I especially preferred being struck with the bare hands, although occasionally I endured severe whippings with the stick or with the dog-whip at my own special request.”
In a second case which came under my own observation, the person affected being a lawyer, then twenty-eight years of age, the cause of the development of his flagellomania was different and more indirect.
At the age of eleven or twelve years he was lying on the top of a dog-kennel and masturbating, and he had tied his feet to the top of the kennel, lest, when in a state of sexual excitement, he might fall off. Since then he had always felt an impulse to have himself tied, which he sought to satisfy in boyish games (robbers, police, etc.); this always induced in him agreeable sexual feelings, which were further increased by onanistic friction. At the age of fifteen there became associated with this desire to be tied a further need to be whipped while he was tied up. This patient has a disinclination to normal coitus and to the female genital organs, but he desires to receive flagellation only from women. Two successive attempts at normal sexual intercourse were unsuccessful. The patient induced in a maidservant the inclination to passive and active flagellation, and this woman, although she resisted at first, was subsequently, six months later, a passionate flagellant. In other respects the patient is thoroughly healthy, and has been through his one-year term of military service in the cavalry.
With regard to the origin of “=schoolmaster’s sadism=,” which is, unfortunately, very widely diffused, the well-known case of the schoolmaster Dippold recently gave a horrible example.[608]
The teacher or schoolmaster may, at the commencement of his activity, be entirely free from any flagellantic tendency. This tendency makes its appearance in the course of the customary exercise of his duties of physical chastisement. This gradually induces in him a sense of sexual pleasure. As long as these chastisements are kept within normal bounds, and only occasionally undertaken, we have to do merely with a tendency, with an aberration of sexual gratification, such as occurs in numerous healthy individuals, even when they are not teachers or schoolmasters, persons who seek and find an opportunity for the exercise of these tendencies in the brothel or with “masseuses.” When, however, a systematic flagellomania develops, and the person affected no longer merely chastises, but maltreats and tortures, and does this habitually and with bestial cruelty, as in Dippold’s case, we certainly have always to do with sadism developed in the soil of a morbid predisposition. The following cases appear to be of this nature:
1. A case which reminds us of that of Dippold recently appeared before the Second Criminal Chamber in Hamburg. The accused was a man belonging to the cultured classes, who had had a University education, had become a reserve officer, and had filled many other positions, finally that of the editor of a journal published by an advertising firm. The accused lived in Berlin in the years 1900 to 1903. There he formed an intimacy with a woman, whom he induced to entrust him with her son, for the continuance of his education. Going himself to live in Hamburg in July, 1903, the boy was sent to him in that town in January, 1904, and was placed in a boarding school. “In order not to be disturbed in his teaching,” the man also rented a room in the neighbourhood of the school. When engaging this room he asked the landlady if there were curtains to cover the windows. On the first day on which she visited the room the landlady noticed that the accused flogged the boy, and as she did not wish to allow this in her dwelling, she reported the matter to the police. After some time the woman learned by questioning the boy certain remarkable facts, especially with regard to the “educational methods” which the accused had carried out in Berlin, and in her report to the police she added certain details, which led to the arrest of the accused. The accused admitted that he had caned the boy severely, and he declared that he had done this only for educational reasons, as the boy was of a bad character. In this respect the statement of the accused was confuted by the evidence of the boy’s teacher in Berlin, that of his teacher in Hamburg, and that of the inmates of the pension in which he lived; all of these gave him a very good character. With respect to the mode of chastisement, the details of which were heard _in camera_, the court held that there was no doubt that the accused had chastised the boy, not for educational reasons, but on account of perverse tendencies of his own, and condemned him to imprisonment for one year and loss of civil rights for two years. It is a noteworthy fact that the accused, during the latter part of this period of association with the boy, had lived in a happy marriage with a young woman.
2. A disciple of Dippold. The following remarkable case was published in the _Berliner Tageblatt_, No. 629, December 11, 1903: A furniture-polisher of this town accosted boys whom he met in the street, gave them some trifling commission, and so arranged matters with them that they must ultimately return to him at his room. Here he gave himself out to be a detective officer, showed the boy a token which he pretended was his official commission, and then gave the boy a severe lecture. “He regretted,” he said in conclusion, that, owing to the misconduct of the lad, it would be necessary to fine his parents, unless the offences were condoned by the immediate chastisement of the boy. The “detective” easily persuaded his victims that it would be better to accept the immediate flogging. After he had stretched his victim across his knees and beaten him with a stick, he looked to see that the blows had not made too obvious marks, and sent the lad away with a further brief admonition. In most instances the boys who had been whipped concealed what had happened from their parents; but still the matter came to light, and this new Dippold is to be tried for causing grievous bodily harm, and for the false pretence that he occupied an official position. The accused is a young man, twenty-five years of age, and, with his small and slender figure and with a blonde moustache, he makes rather the impression of a young man of eighteen.
Very frequently the tendency to flagellation is at first artificially evoked in brothels. Hogarth, in his “A Harlot’s Progress,” has rightly depicted the switch as a necessary requisite of the interior of a brothel, and this simple instrument of flagellation is rarely absent from a prostitute’s dwelling. It appears to be England alone, the classical country of flagellomania, in which actual “flagellation brothels” have existed.[609] A historical example is that of the celebrated establishment of Theresa Berkley, the inventor of an especial apparatus for the whipping of men, the so-called “Berkley-Horse.” It appears that in England the female sex has a taste for active and passive flagellation; and we find that a German author[610] attributes to woman a greater inclination towards flagellomania than that exhibited by man. This tendency is encouraged by certain male flagellants, who obtain sexual gratification by the flagellation of women. Guénolé (_op. cit._, pp. 151, 152) reports the existence of secret places in Paris where young women and girls combine to form a kind of “school,” in which male sadists carry out “instruction” with the switch!
In connexion with flagellation we must consider the peculiar tendency to the =fettering= of the individual to be flogged, who desires to be rendered =defenceless=. For this purpose various apparatus exist of the same kind as the “fettering-chair” invented in the eighteenth century by the Duke of Fronsac.[611] Of the same nature also is the impulse to wear very tight shoes and gloves and very small corsets, the so-called “=corset discipline=,” in which the person affected, who may be of either sex, is laced up very tightly in a very small corset. This is met with chiefly in England, especially in association with sexual flagellation.
In comparatively rare cases flagellomania is a morbid condition by which responsibility is entirely abrogated; but from the medico-legal point of view responsibility is impaired or suspended in the majority of cases of well-marked sadism, which we have now to describe. To this category belong:
1. =Sadistic Bodily Injuries and “Lust-Murder.”=--The main types of this category are the “girl-stabbers” and the “lust-murderers,” who simply for the purpose of producing sexual excitement, or when already under the influence of such excitement, inflict on women more or less severe injuries with a knife or other murderous instrument. The actual intention to =kill= is present only in very rare cases. The lust-murder is, as a rule, only a murder as a =sequel= of a sexual act committed by force, the murder being done from fear of discovery, etc.; thus the murder has not in these cases anything directly to do with the sexual act. In other cases we have what appears to be a lust-murder in which death has resulted, contrary to the wish of the offender, from a sadistic bodily injury. Killing from a purely sexual motive is a very rare occurrence, of which, however, some very widely known cases are on record--like those of Andreas Bickel, Menesclou, Alton, Gruyo, Verzeni,[612] and “Jack the Ripper,” the Whitechapel murderer. [Regarding the Whitechapel murders, see E. C. Spitza, “The Whitechapel Murders: their Medico-Legal and Historical Aspects,” published in the _Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases_, December, 1888. Great attention and alarm was aroused in Paris in the years 1818-1819 by a girl-stabber (_piqueur_). In numerous caricatures, popular songs, and vaudevilles these assaults were “celebrated,” of which a very rare pamphlet, “La Piqure à la Mode” (Paris, 1819), gives evidence. _Cf._ J. Grand-Carteret in “Les Images Galantes” (1907, No. 7). Much alarm was caused in July, 1902, by the crimes of a new “Jack the Ripper” in New York, and by the horrible child-murders committed in Berlin by an obviously insane sadist, not yet arrested. In a single day he ripped up the abdomens of several small children with a pair of scissors.] Many “murder epidemics” (_manie homicide_), such as the murders recently committed in Sweden by Nordlund, who, though indubitably insane, was executed for them, are certainly connected with sexuality. The two following cases from German experience relate to typical “girl-stabbers”:
_Ludwigshafen am Rhein, March 26, 1901._--After the manner of the Whitechapel murderer, an unknown criminal had for several weeks made the parts of the town lying in the direction of the suburb of Mundenheim unsafe. Not less than eleven girls were seriously injured after nightfall by stabs in the abdomen. To-night the police succeeded in arresting the criminal, who is a drover, Wilhelm Damian by name, twenty-eight years of age. Five years ago he was suspected of having committed a lust-murder on a servant-girl; he was arrested at this time, but was discharged owing to the lack of sufficient proof. Now the suspicion is aroused that Damian is responsible also for the lust-murder committed two years ago near Mundenheim on a little girl seven years of age, because the circumstances of that case suggested that the murderer was a butcher by occupation, and this applies to Damian.
_Kiel, November 29, 1901._--It is not yet possible to arrest the stabber who, during the last week, has been active in the poorest quarter of the town. At first he limited himself to the northern districts, and there wounded only women and girls; but in the last day or two he appeared, not only in the central parts of the town, but also in the southern quarter, where, the day before yesterday, in the evening, he wounded a girl by two stabs, one in the neck and one in the hip. Since then a man has been stabbed, apparently by this same evil-doer, but was not seriously hurt. This happened in one of the busiest streets of the town, so that the escape of the criminal is very remarkable.
Other peculiar sadistic injuries sometimes occur. Thus, in the year 1902 a printer, twenty-two years of age, was condemned by the criminal court of Breslau, because in =thirteen= cases he had thrown =oil of vitriol= at young ladies! Here also we have probably to do with a sadistic tendency. In the end of October, 1906, in Berlin, a case came under notice in which a young girl took another girl to the dentist (!) and (after previous anæsthetization) had two teeth drawn unnecessarily; but whether this case was or was not of a sadistic nature remains undetermined. But we certainly have to do with sadism in those cases in which men or women inflict slight injuries on their love-partner for the purpose of sucking blood, which gives them sexual gratification (=sexual vampirism=). Many =murders by poison= (women murderers commonly prefer the use of poison to that of any other instrument) also arise from sadistic tendencies. At any rate, the majority of professional female prisoners, such as Jegado, Brinvilliers, Ursinus, Gottfried (the celebrated poisoner of Bremen), and others, were unquestionably women given to sexual excesses or sexually very excitable, so that here voluptuousness and the lust for murder appear to have an intimate causal connexion.
The following remarkable case of sadistic deprivation of freedom is reported by Kiernan (“A Remarkable Case of Fetishism,” published in _The Alienist and Neurologist_, 1906, p. 462):
“Two citizens of good position, of Wladikaukas, in Russia, had repeatedly carried off girls of good family, and had treated them in an extraordinary way. On account of senile dementia they were acquitted of criminality, and were sent to an asylum. The last victim was a young heiress, who was kept prisoner by them for an entire year. Two masked elderly men fell upon her by night, gagged her, put a bandage over her eyes, and drove away with her in a carriage. When the bandage was taken off, she was in a well-furnished drawing-room. The two old men, without saying a word, gave her a scanty dress of feathers, and shut her up in a great gilded cage, which stood in the drawing-room. One of them--she never saw the other again--came in silence to visit her every morning, looked at her through the bars of the cage, often threw her lumps of sugar, and every morning brought her a can of hot water, which he emptied into a vessel inside the cage, saying, ‘Take a bath, little bird.’ These were the only words which she heard. After a year had passed, the man let her out of the cage, put a bandage over her eyes, and drove her in a carriage to a place near her house. No similar case is known to me in medical literature. Everything was conducted Platonically; there was no coitus, no exhibitionism or masturbation, either before or after looking at this peculiar bird. Certainly there must have been some kind of abortive sexual gratification, of a sadistic character, and with the limitation that only young girls of good family, dressed as birds and kept in a cage, could excite libido. But why must they have the appearance of a bird? Possibly in the subconsciousness the idea of the bird as a lascivious animal played a certain part. But why did one only come and see the ‘bird’ every day? That they must be young girls is natural in the case of old men: extremes meet; but that they must be of good family suggests a sadistic element, and still more is this suggested by the imprisonment.”
2. =Offences against Property committed from Sadistic Motives.=--To this class belong all sadistic injuries not of the person, but of property. For example, pouring vitriol over the clothing, of which the following case (_Vossische Zeitung_, No. 574, December 7, 1905) is an example:
At the present time an unknown man is making the south-eastern districts of Berlin unsafe by the use of oil of vitriol. This dangerous criminal pours the liquid upon women’s clothing, selecting by preference light-coloured fabrics. Yesterday evening he almost completely ruined the new light-coloured dress of a young lady who was passing along the Hermannstrasse. The offender, who apparently derives pleasure from injuring women’s clothing, is of middle height, about twenty-five years of age, has fair hair, and wears a fashionable overcoat.
To the same category belongs =arson= from sexual motives, which was formerly[613] attributed to a “passion for fire” (pyromania); but when sexual motives play a part, it is unquestionably of a purely sadistic nature.[614]
Of the same character is =sexual kleptomania=--theft from sexual motives. Lichtenberg was familiar with this, for he says “the sexual impulse very frequently leads to thefts,” and he alludes to the proposal which has been made in England to castrate thieves.[615]
The organic causation of the kleptomania so often seen at the present day in large shops is very frequently of a sexual nature, dependent upon puberty, the climacteric, menstrual anomalies, etc. Cases of this character have been reported by Worbe, Gönner, Schmidtlein, Unzer, Häussler, Lombroso, and Ferrero. The suspicion of sexual sadistic grounds for kleptomania may always be justifiably entertained when rich ladies repeatedly steal articles of small value of which they have no need.
A typical case of sexual kleptomania is reported by H. Zingerle (“Contributions to the Psychological Genesis of Sexual Perversities,” published in the _Annual for Psychiatry and Neurology_, 1900):
A woman, twenty-one years of age, who from childhood had been psychopathic, had from her school-days onwards had a definite desire to appropriate certain objects, especially such as were made of brown leather (brown shoes), umbrellas, money. Only the act of stealing gave her any gratification, not the keeping of the stolen objects, which she usually destroyed or gave away. =During the act of theft she had a well-developed sense of voluptuousness, accompanied by a discharge of secretion from the genital organs.= She performed these thefts as the result of an irresistible impulse, and after them she felt remorse. She preferred large objects such as were difficult to hide, and it was =precisely when there were great hindrances to be overcome and dangers to be run=, and when in the pursuit of her aim she was =subjected to emotional disturbances=, that the accompanying =voluptuous sensations were most prominent=. The psychopathic basis of this condition is unquestionable.
In addition to these two categories of sadism, which for the most part depend upon morbid conditions, we meet also with a =symbolic= form of sadism, where this manifests itself rather in idea than in reality, and where the person thus affected luxuriates in all possible =fantasies= of the infliction of pain and of abasement.[616] This mitigated sadism is certainly to some extent connected with physiological sadism. Thus the so-called =verbal sadism= is nothing more than an increase in, an emphatic instance of, the physiological voluptuous sighing and crying _in coitu_, whose influence in verbal sadism is increased, and exercises a stronger stimulus, by the accentuation of the =animal=, the =brutal=, the =coarse=, and the =obscene=. Verbal sadism is not a peculiar refinement of modern debauchees, but a phenomenon belonging to folk-lore and ethnology, an extraordinarily widely diffused mode of expression of the primitive sadistic instinct of the genus homo. In the popular speech of all countries we find that =abusive terms= and =curses= are intermingled with extraordinary frequency with sexual matters and ideas. The naïveté of this sexual depravity and cursing, with its thousandfold variations, shows its origin from the purely instinctive sources of the popular soul, as the celebrated brothers Grimm recognized when they devoted a careful, critical investigation in their well-known dictionary to the obscene verbal treasury of the Germans. A rich material for the study of the sources of verbal sadism is offered by the _vocabularia erotica_ of Hesychios; also by the =collections= of local and provincial =riddles= and =proverbs=.[617] A typically developed verbal sadism is found among the Hindus, especially the women. The Indian erotist Vātsyāyana rightly deduces it from the various sounds which are uttered in normal coitus. In European brothels the verbal sadists and verbal masochists are well-known phenomena--men who find sexual enjoyment in the expression of the coarsest, commonest, obscene words, curses, and abusive language; in some cases by doing this themselves (verbal sadism), in other cases by listening to it when done by others (verbal masochism). Such verbal sadists, also, are the individuals described by A. Eulenburg (“Sexual Neuropathy,” p. 104) as “verbal exhibitionists,” people who gladly indulge in lascivious conversation in the presence of women, or who whisper obscene words in women’s ears. Many men visit prostitutes, not for the purpose of having sexual intercourse with them, but merely for the opportunity of such lecherous conversation. The following case, complicated by bisexual or masochistic features, is characteristic of this:
A leading merchant of middle age visits a cocotte from time to time, and puts on the girl’s silken clothing, whilst she must put on man’s dress; they then go out walking arm-in-arm in dark, unfrequented streets, and converse meanwhile in an extremely obscene, indecent manner; this alone suffices him for sexual gratification. During the whole time he does not touch the girl.
This sexual depravity and obscene language can also be conducted by correspondence. Thus we have a kind of “=epistolary sadism=” and “=epistolary masochism=.” The former, especially, is frequently employed in the circles of the “masseuses” and “strict governesses,” in relation to their masochistic _clientèle_, whilst the answers belong to the second category.
A remarkable symbolic form of sadism or masochism is represented by =inunction= and =lathering=, for the purpose of sexual gratification. Lathering with soap more especially is a phenomenon with which those who have to do with brothels are especially familiar. Either the man finds sexual pleasure in lathering the prostitute or he experiences gratification in the passive attitude when she lathers him. Some time ago, in a trial in which a man belonging to one of our leading mercantile houses was accused, I referred in my evidence to analogous occurrences in brothels and among prostitutes. This testimony was disputed by another physician, who stated that this “lathering” for the purpose of inducing sexual excitement was “unknown” to him. It is, however, a well-known phenomenon whose existence has been confirmed to me by colleagues in Berlin, and more especially in Hamburg. According as it is active or passive, it is respectively sadistic or masochistic. Whether, in such cases, a defilement of the woman’s person is effected, as in a case reported by von Krafft-Ebing, in which a man blackened his mistress with charcoal, is indifferent. The larval sadism consists in the =act of manipulation=, in the inunction or lathering.
As a last form of symbolic sadism may be mentioned =blasphemy= based on =sexual motives=, the so-called “=satanism=,” which played a great part more especially in the middle ages, and as the “black mass” constituted a peculiar cult, in which the Christian Mass was profaned by sexual practices, and was insulted to the uttermost. According to Schwaeblé, these obscene masses are still celebrated at the present day in two places in Paris. He gives a detailed description of such a black mass which was celebrated in a house in the Rue de Vaugirard.[618]
=Passive algolagnia=, =masochism=, the desire to endure =pain= and =degradation= and =abasement= of every kind, for the purpose of inducing sexual excitement, is perhaps to-day more widely diffused even than its converse.[619] The cause of this, which is to be found in the conventionality of our time, is a matter to which I have previously more than once alluded (_vide supra_, pp. 322-324, 467-469). This view is supported also by the remarkable fact that, above all, =lawyers=, leading State officials, and judges, constitute a disproportionately large contingent of masochists--that is to say, persons whose professional life gives them a certain unusual exercise of power, and whose profession imposes on them a strict official demeanour. Precisely these conditions, perhaps, arouse masochistic tendencies to activity, as a kind of liberation from conventional pressure and the professional mask.
The connexion between love, voluptuousness, and the suffering of pain, has already been discussed. In masochism there also comes into play the important element of abasement, a complete self-surrender of body and soul, self-sacrifice. The union of these perceptions and their voluptuous tinge has been beautifully described by Alfred de Musset:[620]
“My passion for my mistress had become extremely unruly, and my whole life had assumed a kind of monastic savagery. I will give only one example of this: She had given me her miniature likeness in a medallion. I wear it on my heart--many men do this. But one day in the shop of a second-hand dealer I found an iron scourge on the end of which was a small plate covered with little spines. I had the medallion fastened on to the plate and wore it in this way. The spines, which at every movement pierced the skin of my breast, produced in me the most peculiar ecstasy, so that I sometimes pressed my hand on the place in order to drive them deeper. I am well aware that this was folly; but love makes us commit many such follies.”
In masochism physical pain plays an important part. The “mistresses” have at their disposal an extensive instrumentarium for producing such pain, for masochists often have the most peculiar ideas regarding the mode in which their pain should be caused. Probably unique in their kind are the two following authentic cases, which my colleague, Dr. D----, in Hamburg, was so good as to report to me:
1. A rich Hamburg merchant, known among the prostitutes by the name of “Nail William,” had sexual intercourse only with certain prostitutes, who had to allow their nails to grow quite long and pointed. They had to scratch him on the scrotal raphe and on the penis until the blood flowed in streams. One day he consulted a physician on account of extensive œdema of the scrotum and the penis.
2. Another man had his scrotum sewn to the sofa-cushion with thick sail-maker’s needles. He sat for a while in this “fettered” condition, after which the strings were cut!
All possible cutting and stabbing instruments and burning substances are used for the gratification of the masochist’s lascivious love of pain; they have themselves scratched, bitten, pinched, burned, their hair torn out; they are trodden upon, whipped with switches or ox-whips; they have themselves “put to the question” in every possible way in special “=torture chambers=” or “punishment rooms.” Such a genuine torture chamber, in the house of a Hamburg prostitute, was recently described by the public prosecutor, Dr. Ertel, in Hamburg.[621] Of the dwelling of this prostitute the following account is given in the testimony of the examining judge:
To the side of the flat towards the bath-room is the door of entrance to the so-called “black room.”
The walls of this room, lighted by one window only, were covered with a coal-black material of the nature of calico, and the plaster of the ceiling was similarly covered; to the middle of the ceiling, proceeding from the centre of a black rosette, was attached a pulley, consisting of the usual rollers and blocks, made in this instance of metal, and furnished with a strong twisted cord.
In the dark corner between the window and the wall there stood a peculiar scaffold, made of roughly hewn planks, consisting of two similar parts placed side by side; the back of this scaffold was placed against the wall beside the window.
The purpose of this scaffold was not immediately apparent. Seen sideways, the form of this wooden structure was somewhat like that of a heavy, coarsely-made armchair; the upper parts of the arms were about the height of a man’s shoulders. To the framework along the upper edge there were attached five fairly strong iron rings, which were screwed into the wood. The framework ran on rollers, so that it could be moved about.
On the wall was hung on a nail a leather girdle with buckles; there was also a rope about the thickness of the finger, ending in a loop; there were also two dog-collars, part of a sword-stick, leather reins, and fetters for wrists and ankles, the former being heavy iron handcuffs.
The window in the wall separating the “black room” from the bathroom, the glass of which was frosted, was covered with special hangings. The inner side of the door of the room was also hung with black.
In respect to this “black room” A. testified:
“Z. insisted that one room should be entirely draped with black, as the ‘hall of judgment.’ He sent me pulleys from Cologne, by which he was to be drawn up and hanged.[622] This excited him, his face got quite blue, and it made him ‘ready’ for intercourse. I was afraid that it might kill him, and I only allowed him to have it done once.
“To the wooden framework in the ‘black room,’ Z. was securely fastened, so that he had the illusion that he was on the scaffold.”
In all large towns widely diffused =masochistic prostitution= subserves the desires of male masochists, and frequently also those of female masochists. These priestesses of _Venus flagellatrix_ hide themselves commonly under the cloak of a “=masseuse=”[623] an “=educationalist=,” or “=governess=,” adding to this professional title the expressive adjective “=severe=” or “=energetic=.” “=Wanda=” is also a favourite pseudonym, which corresponds to the masochistic nickname of “=Severin=” (the principal character of Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus im Pelz”).
These women, the “mistresses,” treat their masochistic clients as “slaves” or “dogs,” and maintain this fiction not only in personal association, but also in correspondence--masochists are all passionate correspondents. The relationship also of the “=lady=” to her “=page=” is a favourite one (the so-called “=pagism=”). The nature of the relationship is clearly shown in the following original letter of such a masochist:
“BERLIN,
“_June 7, 1902_.
“GRACIOUS LADY,--
“First of all I must sincerely ask your pardon for daring, most honoured lady, to write to you. I saw recently a lady with a glorious figure and magnificent hips enter your house, and I suspect that you are this lady. If you, gracious lady, desire a servant and a slave, who will blindly obey all your commands, and upon your order, as a slave, without any will but your own, will perform the basest and dirtiest services, I should be happy if you would be so gracious as to make me that slave, if I might visit you from time to time in order to serve you, my strict mistress and commander. If at any time I should fail to obey you absolutely, you can treat me most cruelly and chastise me most severely.
“Will you, gracious lady, deign to answer me, your basest servant, and to make use of the enclosed envelope to tell me if you, this evening, will go for a walk, and how, and where, in what café you may chance to spend the evening, and if you will be my strict mistress, and if I may venture to be your slave. Perhaps, most honoured lady, you could be at the Oranienburger Tor at eight o’clock precisely on =Friday= evening, with a rose in your hand. Full of subjection and abasement, obedient to your strict commands, and slavishly kissing your feet and hands, I am your most abject servant and your basest slave.”
Such a slave luxuriates voluptuously in the lowest services, in the most loathsome abasements, such as are indicated sufficiently in the names “=coprolagnia=” and “=urolagnia=.” I have in my possession a series of letters by masochists full of such things, described with the utmost
## particularity, some even in a poetic form (!), which I cannot print on
account of their loathsome contents. A sufficient idea of the slavery of the masochist is given in the above-mentioned report of the public prosecutor, Dr. Ertel, in which a “mistress” states:
“When I took my meals he lay either under the table, or in a corner of the room; I threw him bones, and gave him the remains of my own food. He often barked, and usually had a dog-collar round his neck, with a chain attached to it. He had given himself the name of Nero, so this is what I called him. When anyone wished to come near me without permission, he bit him in the leg; this was the first step in a slave’s duty. He swept out my room, boiled potatoes, roasted meat for me, and did other work of the house. He also wanted to be my horse; I had to ride on him; he carried me in this way from one room to the other.[624] When he disobeyed me in any way, I had to use the whip. He related to me that formerly he had corresponded with a music-hall comedian who played woman’s parts, and subsequently had associated with him, but he got weary of this, and disappeared for a long time to get free from the man. He told me also that he was accustomed to make appointments in the Schaarhof (a street in Hamburg in which the prostitutes visited by the lowest classes of the population live). On Sunday evenings these women have many visitors, when the workmen have got their week’s money.
“Often I had to shut him up in a wardrobe, with a chain round his neck, fastened to the wall of the wardrobe, so short that he could hardly move; the door of the wardrobe was shut upon him.
“In my flat I had to give him a slave’s dress to wear, in order that he might feel himself to be fully a slave. I took away all his money, all the keys of his house, of his office, and of his safe, and returned them to him only after a night and two days. Z. only does this occasionally, when he is utterly beside himself; often he is quite reasonable. He does not associate with any decent people; the society in which he feels happiest is that of whores and other obscure persons; he has himself said this to me. Even the people who make use of him avoid him in the street.
“He would also learn to dress hair, and how to paint the face, if I ordered him. Painted faces stimulate him.
“Once he said to me that I might have another slave; this I did. First of all I had to bind Z. hand and foot, and to wrap up his head in cotton-wool, in order to give the new slave the idea that he had been very badly treated, and had been sent to the hospital. When, later, the new slave came, and I explained everything to him as Z. had told me to, and led him in to see Z., the new man was very much surprised to see Z. tied up in this way, became frightened, and soon went home.”
Another prostitute reports:
“I made the acquaintance of Z. in No. 8, Schwiegerstrasse. He has three or four times had intercourse with me. He had himself whipped by me. Z. once asked me to fetch a man, which I did. This man got into bed with me, and satisfied himself manually, without having intercourse with me. Z. on this occasion lay under the bed: he wished to do so; I believe he had arranged this in order to obtain sexual excitement in this way. Z. and the other man did not see one another.
“When the other man had gone away, Z. did the most disgusting things.
“When Z. had himself whipped, he first had his hands fastened with iron handcuffs.”
It would be quite erroneous to assume that in the case of these masochistic “slaves,” whose human worth has been lowered to the depths, who seem completely to discard their humanity and to sink below the level of animals, that we always have to do with effeminate, degenerated weaklings. No; much more frequently they are =healthy, powerful men, of an imposing appearance and distinguished demeanour=, who find pleasure in playing such tragic rôles, and who obviously obtain sexual gratification by this complete reversal of their nature. The “slave” just described was “by nature tall and stately. His features were =energetic= and sympathetic, and he had a large beard. His eyes were =clear and bright. In actions and appearance he was a thoroughly masculine being.=”[625] In Berlin there exist masochists in high official positions, in appearance and in profession true manly natures--“supermen”--who only become “slaves” in relation to their “mistresses.” According to Sacher-Masoch, Germans and Russians especially are inclined to masochism; but, as a matter of fact, this tendency is also widely diffused in France and England. Zola describes such a type in “Nana.”
The slave type is not always completely developed; more commonly masochism manifests itself in a less marked degree. There are many and various shades: sometimes there is only a spiritual abasement, exhibited in apparently trifling procedures and practices (symbolic masochism). A few authentic cases will serve to illustrate this--they sound incredible, but are in fact true:
1. A handsome and fine-looking officer, married to a beautiful wife, continually associates with an elderly, robust washerwoman, with whom he also has sexual intercourse. Since he refuses to leave this woman, his wife has separated from him.
2. A State official of high position, fifty years of age, visits a prostitute from time to time, and puts on her clothing, with corset and stockings, while she wears man’s clothing. Then for two hours they play cards. At eleven o’clock he lays himself, still clothed, in her bed, whilst she must lie down naked upon the bed covering. Nothing else happens. He does not make the least attempt to touch her; and after a time he goes away, first paying her fifty marks.
3. An active Minister of State (!), now deceased, used often to visit a cocotte, who had to sit upon him, and then _in corpus totum ei minxit_. This was sufficient to give him sexual gratification (urolagnia).
4. An engineer meets a prostitute (who has been previously instructed what to do) in the street, and asks her if he may go home with her for twenty marks (shillings). Having reached the home of the girl, he suddenly declares with tears that he has only five marks with him. The prostitute overwhelms him with abuse, takes the five marks from him, and then carefully searches his clothing, until somewhere or other she finds a hundred-mark piece! The moment of the discovery of this piece of money is precisely the moment when the man has the sexual orgasm. In answer to his prayers and whining, to his pitiful request that she shall at least give him back half the money, he only receives scornful abuse. Finally, she presses one mark into his hand, and gives him his _congé_. This procedure is repeated regularly every fortnight--an expensive amusement for a man who is by no means wealthy. But he is unable to give up this peculiar passion, which for him is the only way of obtaining sexual gratification.
5. A man of the upper classes, thirty years of age, frequents only prostitutes with artificial teeth. They must take these teeth out, and he puts them in his mouth and sucks them. He then stretches himself upon the covering of the bed, and the prostitute must lay one of her dirty chemises upon his face, whilst he at the same time holds one of her shoes in each hand. This is for him the critical moment. To the girl herself during the whole procedure he does not direct a single glance; for him there exist only the teeth, the chemise, and the shoes. Thus we have to do with a case of masochism with mental fetishistic associations. The previously described medieval “cure by disgust” (the exhibition of a dirty chemise) would in this man have had the opposite effect to that intended.
Masochism is much commoner in men than in women, because the latter have more command over their sexual impulse, and are not so readily subordinated and enslaved thereby as are men. The physiological masochism of woman is of a more spiritual nature. Still, in women who are very excitable sexually a similar “sexual obedience” may appear to that which we encounter in men. Shakespeare, in the “Midsummer-Night’s Dream,” when he makes Helena feel herself to be Demetrius’ little dog, gives her definite masochistic characteristics.
Masochistically inclined, also, are women of good position who play the part of prostitutes, either in brothels or in the streets, such as have recently been described by d’Estoc in “Paris-Eros”; we may regard the celebrated Messalina as their prototype. Similarly disposed are women of good position who have enduring sexual relationships with men of the lower classes, such as workmen, coachmen, etc., and who even seek sexual enjoyment with any casual member of the rabble they may meet in the streets--a practice of which Lombroso has collected examples. Passive algolagnia also occurs in women, as is proved by the following letter of a typical masochist:
“BERLIN,
“_November 9, 1902_.
“HONOURED LADY,--
“I allow myself to make the polite inquiry whether you will consent to visit me once a week, in my dwelling in the Kurfurstendamm, after your reception hour. I have a peculiar wish from time to time =to be chastised in the most severe and energetic manner, until the blood flows=. I am twenty-eight years of age, and widowed, and have a very large and luxuriant figure. For the flagellation I would pay fifty marks (shillings). If you accede to my wish, I beg you to describe how you intend to carry out the chastisement. On what part of the body will you whip me? In what way should this be clothed, if clothed at all? What instrument will you use for the whipping? In what position should I receive the whipping? How many blows should I receive the first time?
“After the sixth blow my voluptuous sensations increase to such a degree that my whole body trembles with sensuality. Are you yourself inclined to sensuality, and do you carry out this chastisement from purely voluptuous motives?”
We cannot determine whether in this case homosexuality plays any part. In my “Contributions to the Etiology of Psychopathia Sexualis” (vol. ii., p. 183), I have printed a letter of another unquestionably heterosexual masochist woman to an “energetic” man.
APPENDIX[626]
A CONTRIBUTION TO THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALGOLAGNISTIC REVOLUTIONIST).
The author of the following sketch, the Russian anarchist N. K., was arrested in Warsaw in the early months of 1906. Like all those who at this time were considered to be members of the revolutionary party, the intention of the authorities was to shoot him immediately, without any elaborate inquiry, after a drum-head court-martial.
His demeanour during the shooting of his companions, who preceded him to death, and also during the court-martial, showed that his psychical individuality was so profoundly abnormal that the Colonel in command of the firing-party suspected him to be a psychopath, and on his own authority postponed his execution pending further examination in the citadel. While imprisoned K. wrote his reminiscences, which are here given word for word and without comment: