Case 177. B., aged 27; of neuropathic mother and alcoholic father. He has one brother who is a drinker; and an hysterical sister.
After his eleventh year, onanism, solitary or mutual. After his fifteenth year, impulses to exhibition. He attempted it at a street-urinal; he felt pleasure in it, but also immediately twinges of conscience. If he attempted to oppose his impulse thereafter, he became apprehensive, and had a feeling of oppression in his chest. When a soldier, he was often impelled to expose himself, under various pretexts, to his comrades.
After his seventeenth year he had sexual congress with women. It gave him great pleasure to show himself naked before them. He continued his exhibition on the street. Since he could but infrequently count on female spectators at urinals, he changed his place to churches. In order to exhibit himself at such places, he always had to strengthen his courage by drinking. Under the influence of spirits, the impulse, at other times controllable with difficulty, became irresistible. He was not sentenced. He lost his position, and then drank more. Not long after, he was again arrested for exhibition and masturbation in a church.
Case 178. X., aged 35; barber’s assistant. Repeatedly punished for offense against decency, he is again arrested; for, during three weeks, he had been hanging around girls’ schools, trying to attract the attention of the pupils, and, when he had succeeded in this, had exhibited himself. Occasionally he had promised them money, with the words, “Habeo mentulam pulcherrimam, venite ad me ut eam lambatis.” At his examination X. confessed everything, but did not know how it had come about. He was the most reasonable of men in other respects, but had the impulse to commit this crime, and could not overcome it.
In 1879, when in the army, he was once out on leave, and had run around exhibiting himself to children: imprisonment for a year. The same crime in 1881. He chased the crying children, and “stared” at them: imprisonment of one year and three months. Two days after his discharge, he said to two little girls: “If you want to see my tail, come with me to this (market) booth.” He denied these words, and claimed drunkenness: imprisonment for three months.
In 1883, renewed exhibition; during the act he said nothing. At his examination he stated that, since a severe illness, eight years previously, he had suffered with such excitations: imprisonment for one month.
In 1884, exhibition before girls in a church-yard; again in 1885. He declared: “I understand my crime, but it is like a disease. When it comes over me, I cannot keep from such acts. It sometimes happens that, for quite a long time, I am free from these inclinations.” Imprisonment for six months.
Discharged on August 12, 1885, he had a relapse on August 15. The same excuse was given. This time he underwent medical examination. The examination revealed no mental disturbance. Sentenced to three years. After discharge, a series of new exhibitions. On this occasion, examination revealed the following:—
His father suffered with chronic alcoholism, and is said to have been guilty of the same crime. Mother and sister nervously ill, and the whole family of excitable temperament.
From his seventh to his eighteenth year X. suffered with epileptic convulsions. First cohabitation at sixteen; later, gonorrhœa and, it is stated, syphilis. After that, normal sexual intercourse until his twenty-first year. At that time he often had to pass a play-ground, and he occasionally had to urinate there; and it happened that the children looked at him, out of curiosity.