In a case reported by Legrand (“La folie,” p. 519), the father of a family was found masturbating in the open street. After the act he consumed his semen.
A patient seen by me, an officer, of a prominent family, in broad daylight, made attacks on little girls at a watering-place.
A similar case is reported by Dr. Régis (“De la dynamie ou exaltation fonctionnelle au début de la paral. gén.,” 1878).
Cases reported by Tarnowsky (op. cit., p. 82) show that also pederasty and bestiality may occur in the prodromal stages and course of this malady.
Epilepsy.—Epilepsy is allied to the acquired states of mental weakness because it often leads to them, and then all the possibilities of reckless satisfaction of the sexual impulse that have been mentioned may occur. Moreover, in many epileptics the sexual instinct is very intense. For the most part, it is satisfied by masturbation, now and then by attacks on children, and by pederasty. Perversion of the instinct with perverse sexual acts seems to be infrequent.
Much more important are the numerous cases in literature in which epileptics, who, during intervals, present no signs of active sexual impulse, but manifest it in connection with epileptic attacks, or during the time of equivalent or post-epileptic exceptional mental states. These cases have scarcely yet been studied clinically, and forensically not at all; but they deserve careful study. In this way certain cases of violence and rape would be understood, and legal murders prevented.
From the following facts, it will certainly be clear that the cerebral changes which accompany the epileptic outbreak may induce an abnormal excitation of the sexual instinct. Besides, in the exceptional mental states of epileptics, they are unable to resist their impulses, by reason of the disturbance of consciousness.
For years I have known a young epileptic, of bad heredity, who, always after frequent epileptic seizures, attacks his mother, and tries to violate her.[[122]] After a time he comes to himself, and has no memory of his acts. In the intervals he is very strict in morals, and has but slight sexual inclination.
Some years ago I became acquainted with a young peasant, who, during epileptic attacks, masturbated shamelessly, but during the intervals was above reproach.
Simon (“Crimes et délits,” p. 220) mentions an epileptic girl of twenty-three, well educated, and of the best morals, who, in attacks of vertigo, would shout out obscene words, then raise her dress, make lascivious movements, and try to tear open her under-garments.