One of Gall’s most distinguished pupils, Dr. Voisin, has tested phrenology, in a visit recently made to the convict galley, at Toulon. Renaud, the Director, informed of the scientific purpose of the visit of this physician, allowed him to examine the cerebral organs of 350 thieves, forgers, or homicides; among whom he had designedly distributed 22 other convicts, condemned for rape, requesting M. Voisin to discover them from this number, by examining the posterior part of the head. This gentleman picked out 22, 13 of whom only were condemned for violence. Thus, then, he had selected nine who were not guilty of this crime; and, on the contrary, had allowed to escape him nine who had been committed. Now, the nine wrongly selected were libertines, whom the Director admitted required to be constantly watched; and the nine, on the contrary, whom he had not detected, were guilty by accident, or when intoxicated: with them, libertinism was only accidental, and not organic.
A few experimental proofs have been invoked, in support of Gall’s opinions of the cerebellum. We will cite a remark made by Serres, as to those bulls killed by striking them on the back of the neck. “The penis, in those where the cerebellum was injured, oscillated very evidently during the experiment.” The same gentleman observed a very marked erection in a young horse, who was killed by plunging a knife into the cerebellum. Segalas has produced the same effect in Guinea pigs, by pushing a stylet into this organ.
The principal proofs, however, have been drawn from the action of the diseased cerebellum on the genital apparatus. Thus, the erection of the penis in those who die by hanging, has been attributed, by Gall, to the affection of the cerebellum in this kind of death. Cruvelhier has contested this explanation. He thinks it may be explained by the stasis of the venous blood. “Respiration,” says he, “is retarded, in consequence of the medulla oblongata; and hence results a semi-asphyxic state, favorable to erection. In hanging, there may be an affection of the cervical part of the medulla; and priapism has been observed more than once in lesions of this part.” Phrenologists have also shown, that this symptom often follows the application of a blister or seton to the neck. Another fact, to show the connection of the cerebellum with the genital apparatus, is that of a soldier, whose generative powers had disappeared, after the fleshy scalp of the occiput had been removed by the blow of a sabre. We doubt whether similar cases to this, which was observed by Larry, have often occurred; although Dr. Bischoff has advanced, that wounds of the back of the head, and blows on this part, have often been followed by inflammation of the genitals.
Peculiar excitement of these organs has more than once attended a disease of the cerebellum. We have already mentioned this fact; and the cases stated were selected as those where the affection of the cerebellum might be considered as produced by venereal excesses. In those now to be mentioned, the genital excitement is, or seems to be, the consequence of this affection.
Erection of the penis, with or without pollutions, has several times been noticed as a symptom of apoplexy of the cerebellum. This phenomenon may have been observed in some cases of this affection which we have cited. Serres was the first one to call attention to this phenomenon, in his Memoir on Apoplexy of the Cerebellum, inserted in the Journal of Experimental Physiology; the principal facts of which have been adduced in his work on the comparative anatomy of the brain. One fact is, that of a man, forty-six years old, who died with violent apoplexy of the cerebellum, during which satyriasis and ejaculation appeared, with swelling of all the genital organs. Similar cases, which it is unnecessary to state here, might be added. One of them was observed by Falret. “The priapism was presented to my observation with a very remarkable circumstance. The patient had been affected with apoplexy, and presented a complete paralysis of the left side of the body. Different nervous symptoms indicated that there was also great irritation of the encephalon or its membranes. This man, although half frantic, made amorous proposals to the female who attended him, and presented a semi-erection of the penis: this part, instead of being straight, presented a concavity, which looked towards the side not paralyzed. I regret that I could not examine the cadaver of this individual. The affection of the genital organs, in apoplexies of the cerebellum, might probably have been noticed in many cases, if it had been sought after.” It has not been noted, in any of the cases analyzed by Andral. Cruvelhier, also, has never noticed priapism, in a case of apoplexy of the cerebellum which he has seen; but he adds, that he would not dare to say that it has never existed—at least, temporarily. In fact, it may easily escape observation.
Hydrocephalic patients often show a great passion for venereal indulgences. Gall, in noticing this remark, observes, that of all the parts of the encephalon, this is the least changed in these individuals. Chauffard has seen a hydrocephalic patient, fourteen to fifteen years old, with an enormous head, who was addicted to masturbation, and spoke of the pleasures he derived from it.
An acute or chronic irritation of the cerebellum, or of its envelopes, may cause venereal symptoms more than the alterations just mentioned. In a cadaver, brought from the hospital Bicetre to the amphitheatre, where the penis and testes were considerably swelled, the whole of the cerebellum was inflamed. One of the most interesting facts of this kind was reported by Chauffard. It was that of a man, fifty-three years old, of pleasant manners and mild character, who, in falling, struck his head against the bed-post. The inferior occipital region became inflamed; and subsequently, the habits of the patient were much changed: he became affected with satyriasis, and was so salacious, that he persecuted his wife and daughter, and all the females around him. This man, hitherto pious and modest, gradually became affected with the most violent erotic delirium, and finally committed the most indecent acts. During the next three months, this state increased; but, at the same time, his strength and intelligence failed. Finally, one day, after a violent fit of anger, occasioned by the refusal of his wife to listen to him, he became convulsed. The pain left the back part of the head, and affected the top of it. The left side of the body now began to be paralyzed; and the satyriasis was replaced by religious delirium, with constant mumbling of prayers. The patient died eight days afterward. According to Chauffard, at first, there was an affection of the cerebellum. When the state of the patient was changed, the organ of veneration was affected: this organ corresponds to the central posterior and superior part of the frontal bone, where the patient finally felt severe pain.
Was not the cerebellum, also, affected, in the following case reported by Sainte Marie:—“A merchant of Lyons, an educated and honorable man, seemed to be cured of an inveterate venereal affection, for which he had undergone a course of treatment with mercury. He, however, complained of restlessness, heat in the throat, pains in the occiput and nucha, and frequent erections. In 1812, after domestic troubles, he became affected with furious delirium. This state lasted three days, and terminated in priapism; during which, the patient had fourteen emissions in a few hours. This singular crisis resulted in a perfect calm: extreme debility, however, remained, which soon yielded to tonics and analeptics. Two years and a half afterward, this disease reappeared, under the influence of these same causes, and with similar symptoms. The termination was the same. There was a slight return of it after two years; but, this time, the patient escaped with slight erections, without much loss of semen.”
Facts of a similar character have induced several authors to attribute satyriasis and nymphomania exclusively to an innate or accidental state of the cerebellum. “The material condition of satyriasis,” says Voisin, “resides in the encephalon; and in all cases, the deranged manifestation of it depends on the nature and preponderating power of the cerebellum, or on those moral and intellectual causes which have favored the development of this organ—or, rather, on the external circumstances which at the moment of disease have brought it violently into action.” On the other hand, the localization of physical love in the cerebellum has been violently contested by excellent observers, particularly by Flourens and Bouillaud, who consider as the special function of this organ its presidence over locomotion. Bouillaud, particularly, has attempted to establish, by analyzing the observations of Gall and Serres, that they are not so conclusive as these authors asserted, and that they may be interpreted differently. Chauffard thinks that Gall has gone too far, and that his remark, that physical love and erections should not be attributed to the presence of the semen and the irritation which it causes, should be qualified by using the term exclusively. We also think, that, thus altered, Gall’s remark would be more just. The cerebellum has certainly a powerful action on salacity; but we shall see that each part of the genital apparatus exercises one equally great; and that, consequently, the organic principle of the state of rutting, and of venereal excesses, cannot be sought for solely in the encephalon.
In consequence of Gall’s opinions, many authors, among whom we will mention Chauffard, Voisin, and Londe, have thought it necessary, in order to subdue too great a degree of amativeness, to make applications directly to the cerebellum. Some attempts have seemed to justify this view of the subject. Sainte Marie says, that a physician of Lyons has cured inveterate nocturnal pollutions, by applying ice to the occiput and nucha before going to bed. A man, thirty years old, had three or four seminal emissions every night, which Lallemand had tried in vain to cure, by cauterizing the ejaculatory canals. Gensoult applied leeches and ice to the nucha: the pollutions were arrested, as if by magic. Serres, who reports this case, adds, that, since the publication of his memoir on cerebellar apoplexy, he has seen two cases of apoplexy, where erections appeared during the paroxysms. Both were cured by applying leeches and emollient cataplasms to the nucha. Might not narcotics be applied, endermically, near the cerebellum, to subdue the onanistic satyriasis? Might not belladonna, opium, &c., introduced in this manner, be used with advantage? Might not, also, the hair of the head be kept short, especially behind, and rest on a pillow of hair, instead of feathers? Setons and blisters, also, should be applied to the neck, in onanists, only with the utmost care; and they should be removed as soon as they are considered indispensable. Besides the irritation caused near the cerebellum, the influence of the cantharides is to be guarded against.