In this connexion we may refer to fornicatory acts effected with artificial imitations of the human body, or of individual parts of that body. There exist true Vaucansons in this province of pornographic technology, clever mechanics who, from rubber and other plastic materials, prepare entire male or female bodies, which, as hommes or dames de voyage, subserve fornicatory purposes. More especially are the genital organs represented in a manner true to nature. Even the secretion of Bartholin’s glands is imitated, by means of a “pneumatic tube” filled with oil. Similarly, by means of fluid and suitable apparatus, the ejaculation of the semen is imitated. Such artificial human beings are actually offered for sale in the catalogue of certain manufacturers of “Parisian rubber articles.” A more precise account of these “fornicatory dolls” is given by Schwaeblé (“Les Détraquées de Paris,” pp. 247-263). The most astonishing thing in this department is an erotic romance (“La Femme Endormie,” by Madame B.; Paris, 1899), the love heroine of which is such an artificial doll, which, as the author in the introduction tells us, can be employed for all possible sexual artificialities, without, like a living woman, resisting them in any way. The book is an incredibly intricate and detailed exposition of this idea.
A comparatively common sexual aberration is “exhibitionism,” first described by Lasègue,[659] the exposure of the genital organs, or other naked parts of the body, or the performance of sexual acts in public places, either in order, by the public exposure, to produce sexual excitement, or else as a result of the blind yielding to sexual impulse, regardless of the fact of publicity. In these cases we have almost always to do with a morbid phenomenon, dependent upon epileptic or other mental disorders. Thus, Seiffer, among eighty-six exhibitionists, found eighteen epileptics, seventeen dements, thirteen “degenerates,” eight neurasthenics, eight alcoholics, eleven “habitual” exhibitionists, and in ten cases various other morbid conditions. Of the eighty-six cases, eleven concerned persons of the female sex.[660] Recently, Burgl, in a careful and critical work upon exhibitionism,[661] has suggested the terms “exhibition” and “exhibitionism,” the former to be employed to denote an isolated act of exhibition, the latter to denote the repeated or customary act of exposure of the genital organs coram publico. This distinction is important, because exhibition occurs in mentally healthy persons, as well as in those suffering from mental disorder; exhibitionism, on the other hand, is, if we except extremely rare instances in debauchees not suffering from mental disorder, met with only in insane or mentally defective individuals.
In the case of these latter we have always to do with the actions of weak-minded persons; or with impulsive actions in persons in a state of epileptic or alcoholic confusion; or, finally, with coercive ideas in neurasthenic or hysterical persons, in paranoia, in general paralysis of the insane, or in some other form of insanity. But cases of exhibition or exhibitionism may sometimes occur from other motives in more or less healthy persons. Among the Slavonic peoples, exposure of the genital organs or of the buttocks is frequently an expression of contempt towards some one, or also an act of superstition (Krauss). Exhibitionism as a popular custom occurred at medieval festivals, and also in connexion with the “obscene gestures” of the ancients.[662] By habituation in early childhood the tendency to exhibitionism can be favoured, we learn from the case reported by von Schrenck-Notzing,[663] in which the person concerned had as a boy taken part in childish games in which the children passed by one another with bared genital organs. In his monograph upon the anomalies of the sexual impulse, which abounds in fine touches, Hoche (op. cit., p. 488) very rightly refers to the manner in which the exhibitionist tendency is favoured by habitual masturbation. Through the practice of masturbation the sense of shame in respect to one’s own body is certainly destroyed, and thus, in the case of an onanist, when some unusual impulse impells him, for example, to expose his genital organs in the presence of a person of the other sex, certain powerful inhibitory impulses are lacking, which, in non-onanists, would immediately overcome this impulse.
Of the two following cases of exhibitionism, that of a homosexual officer, twenty-five years of age, is certainly the most remarkable. In youth this patient had also masturbated to great excess, and he gives the following report of his exhibitionist tendencies:
“As a boy seven to ten years of age (that is, before I began to masturbate), it was a pleasure to me to go barefoot, and to show myself to others in this way. This impulse suddenly disappeared. But at about the age of fifteen or sixteen years (the time when I began to masturbate) this impulse reappeared, and has continued down to the present time. Inasmuch as time and opportunity were generally wanting, I could only satisfy these desires in my own home, when I went home on furlough. Since in the neighbourhood of my home I was very well known, I endeavoured by taking extremely long walks, or by little journeys to neighbouring parts, to reach places where I might hope to remain unrecognized. I was accustomed on these occasions to wear a shooting jacket and knickerbockers; the knickerbockers were wide and loose, and of as thin cloth as possible, so that I could easily roll them up in order that my thighs might be bare (for if the thighs remained covered the whole affair would have given me no pleasure). Further, on these occasions I was accustomed to wear no ordinary underclothing, but only a nightshirt. As soon as I reached the desired place, and had hidden the jacket, stockings, and shoes in a suitable place, the nightshirt was arranged as a blouse. Usually I had beforehand tried the arrangement of the dress at home. Often I went up to people who were engaged in field labours (I was especially fond of haymakers), and begged them to allow me to help them, which they were usually willing enough to do. I then took off my coat and bared my feet, and then, although there seemed no apparent reason for that, I took off my knickerbockers, until ultimately I was in the costume above described. I must, however, as already said, be seen; common people or workmen had usually to suffice me; but when people of education (for example, visitors at health resorts) saw me, this was what I greatly preferred. When once one gentleman said to another, ‘Look at his beautiful legs! what lovely legs he has!’ and I heard this by chance, I was extremely happy. I was then eighteen years of age, but even now I look back upon that incident with great pleasure. I also loved to show myself entirely naked; in such cases I always remained quite close to a pond or a stream, in order, if necessary, to be able to make the excuse that I had just been bathing. Frequently, however, I lay down close to a railway in a suitable place quite naked in an artistic posture, and enjoyed the pleasure of seeing the trains go by.
“I commonly did this only in warm, fine weather; but I also did it sometimes in snowy weather. When going about like this in very little clothing, or entirely naked, I had extremely agreeable sensations. The affair usually ended in my masturbating until ejaculation occurred; after which I returned, as it were, to reality. Otherwise I believe I should never have been able to bring myself to resume my normal clothing. For in this state I was almost insensitive to hunger, thirst, fatigue, heat, etc.; it was, in fact, a trance-like, extremely happy state.
“The desire to be photographed naked came later. I should have been extremely delighted to play the part of a naked model. I tried with great energy in various places (Vienna, Leipzig, and Hamburg) to get such a photograph as I wanted; but I was always turned away with a shrug of the shoulders or a shake of the head. Finally I succeeded in Erfurt, at a small photographer’s, in having my wish fulfilled.” (The patient sent a copy of this photograph.)
As the description clearly shows, we have here to do with exhibitionism upon an epileptic or neurasthenic basis. The patient describes the “confusional state,” out of which he awakens to “reality,” very vividly. An objection, however, to the idea of epilepsy is to be found in his very complete memory of these transactions.
Without doubt, in the following case, reported by von Schrenck-Notzing (op. cit., p. 96), we have to do with a case of neurasthenic exhibitionism:
The patient, a portrait-painter thirty-one years of age, was accused in the law-courts of repeated acts of exhibitionism. The imagination and sensuality of the accused have been abnormally excitable since earliest youth. For the last twenty years he has masturbated to excess almost every day, with imaginative representation, when masturbating, of male and female genital organs. In coitus he obtained no gratification. He preferred to expose his own genital organs to persons of the female sex, in the belief that he would in this way produce in them sexual excitement. This exhibitionism is a central point in his sexual life, and has acquired the character of a coercive impulse. He is profoundly neurasthenic, and exhibits extensive changes of character, loss of energy, lachrymosity, ideas of suicide, etc. Exhibits signs of mental weakness. Exhibitionism is to him a complete equivalent to ordinary sexual enjoyment, and is performed owing to an organic compulsion. Ethically, his personality is weakened. The accused was discharged on account of greatly diminished criminal responsibility.