Psychopathia sexualis: With especial reference to contrary sexual instinct / A medico-legal study

by R. von Krafft-Ebing

Another question concerns the mental condition of the urning. If this be such as to remove the possibility of moral responsibility, then the pederast is not a criminal, but an irresponsible insane person. This condition in congenital urnings is apparently less frequent than another. As a rule, these cases present elementary psychical disturbances, which do not remove responsibility. But this does not settle the question of the responsibility of the urning. The sexual instinct is one of the most powerful organic needs. There is no law that looks upon its satisfaction outside of marriage as punishable in itself; if the urning feels perversely, it is not his fault, but the fault of a condition natural to him. His sexual instinct may be æsthetically very repugnant, but, from his stand-point, it is natural. And, too, in the majority of these unfortunates, the perverse sexual instinct is abnormally intense, and their consciousness recognizes it as nothing unnatural. Thus they fail to have moral and æsthetic ideas to assist them in resisting the instinct. Innumerable normally constituted men are in a position to overcome the desire for satisfaction of their libido without suffering from it in health. Many neuropathic individuals,—and urnings are almost always neuropathic,—on the contrary, become nervously ill when they do not satisfy the sexual desire, either as Nature prompts or in a way that is for them perverse.

The majority of urnings are in a painful situation. On the one hand, there is an impulse toward persons of their own sex that is abnormally intense, the satisfaction of which has a good effect, and is natural to them; on the other, is public sentiment which stigmatizes their acts, and the law which threatens them with punishment. Before them lies mental despair,—even insanity and suicide,—at the very least, nervous disease; behind them, shame, loss of position, etc. It cannot be doubted that, under these circumstances, states of necessity and compulsion may be created by the unfortunate natural disposition and constitution. Society and the law should understand these facts. The former must pity, and not despise, such unfortunates; the latter must cease to punish them,—at least, while they remain within the limits which are set for the activity of their sexual instinct.

As a confirmation of these opinions and demands concerning these step-children of Nature, it is permissible to reproduce here the memorial of an urning to the author. The writer of the following lines is a man of high position in London:—

“You have no idea what a constant struggle we all—particularly those of us that have the most mind and finest feelings—have to endure, and how we suffer under the prevailing false ideas about us and our so-called immorality.

“Your opinion that the phenomenon under consideration is primarily due to a congenital ‘pathological’ disposition will, perhaps, make it possible to overcome existing prejudices, and awaken pity for poor, ‘abnormal’ men, instead of the present repugnance and contempt. Much as I believe that the opinion expressed by you is exceedingly beneficial to us, I am still compelled, in the interest of science, to repudiate the word ‘pathological’; and you will permit me to express a few thoughts with respect of it.

“Under all circumstances the phenomenon is anomalous; but the word ‘pathological’ conveys another meaning, which I cannot think suits this phenomenon; at least, as I have had occasion to observe it in very many cases. I will allow, a priori, that, among urnings, a far higher proportion of cases of insanity, of nervous exhaustion, etc., may be observed than in other normal men. Does this increased nervousness necessarily depend upon the character of urningism, or is it not, in the majority of cases, to be ascribed to the effect of the laws and the prejudices of society, which prohibit the indulgence of their sexual desires, depending on a congenital peculiarity, while others are not thus restrained?

“The youthful urning, when he feels the first sexual promptings and näively expresses them to his comrades, soon finds that he is not understood; he shrinks into himself. If he tell his parents or teacher what moves him, that which is as natural to him as swimming is to a fish is described as wrong and sinful, and he is told it must be fought and overcome at any price. Then an inner conflict begins, a powerful repression of sexual inclinations; and the more the natural satisfaction of desire is repressed, the more lively the fancy becomes, and paints the very pictures that the wish is to banish. The more energetic the character that carries on this inner conflict, the more the whole nervous system must suffer. Such a powerful repression of an instinct so deeply implanted in us, in my opinion, develops the abnormal symptoms which are observed in many urnings; but this does not necessarily follow from the urning’s disposition.

“Some continue the conflict for a longer or shorter time, and thus injure themselves; others at last come to the knowledge that the powerful instinct born in them cannot possibly be sinful, and, therefore, they cease to try to do the impossible,—the repression of the instinct. Then, however, begin constant suffering and excitement. When a normal man seeks satisfaction of sexual inclination, he knows how to find it easily; it is not so with the urning. He sees men that attract him, but he dares not say—nay, not even betray by a look—what his feelings are. He thinks that he alone of all the world has such abnormal feelings. Naturally he seeks the society of young men; but he does not venture to confide in them. Thus he comes to provide himself with a satisfaction that he cannot otherwise obtain. Onanism is practiced inordinately, and followed by all the evil results of that vice. When, after a time, the nervous system has been injured, the abnormality is again not the result of urningism, but it is produced by the onanism to which the urning resorts, as a result of the public sentiment that denies him opportunity to satisfy the sexual instinct that is natural to him.

“Or, let us suppose the urning has had the rare fortune to soon find a person like himself; or, that he has been introduced by an experienced friend to the events of the world of urnings. Then he is spared much of the inner conflict; but, at the same time, fearful cares and anxieties follow his footsteps. Now he knows that he is not the only one in the world that has such abnormal feelings; he opens his eyes and wonders that he meets so many of his kind in all social circles and in all callings; he also learns that, in the world of urnings, as in the other, there is prostitution, and that men as well as women can be bought. Thus there is no longer any want of opportunity for sexual satisfaction. But here how differently the experience is gained from that obtained in the normal manner of sexual indulgence!

“Let us consider the happiest case. After longing all one’s life, the friend of like feeling is found. But he cannot be approached openly, as a lover approaches the girl he loves. In constant fear, both must conceal their relations; nay, even intimacy that might easily excite suspicion—especially should they not be of like age, or should they belong to different classes—must be kept from the world. Thus, even in this relation, is forged a chain of anxiety and fear that the secret will be betrayed or discovered, which leaves them no joy in the indulgence. The slightest thing that would not affect others makes them tremble with fear that suspicion might be excited and the secret discovered, and destroy social position and business. Could this constant anxiety and care be endured without leaving a trace, without exerting an influence on the entire nervous system?