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.