Count X., 25 years old; a very energetic mother. His gait and movements are exceedingly feminine, he is careless and has been mixed up already in a number of unpleasant affairs from which the writer successfully helped him extricate himself. Two of his three brothers are also homosexual, and of his family circle in the wider sense, two uncles.

Karl W., 28 years of age, bank clerk. For the past six years has maintained relations with his older colleagues. He is very strikingly feminine and anxiety appears to lend zest to life in his case. He is continually living in dread lest some one in his family should find out about his peculiar inclination, although he is a stranger here and has no relative living nearby. But if he has no reason to fear anything on this score he finds some other reason to keep his mind in torment. For instance, he fears he will be run over by an automobile, even when he strolls along the safe side of a side walk, etc. As he is otherwise mentally normal I conclude that he has a strong masochistic tendency which he satisfies thus by conjuring up absurd fears. There is no expression of the masochistic tendency in any overt acts. On the other hand K. has relations only with persons belonging to the lowest social stratum (plasterers, drivers, etc.) and it is probable that the greater danger in that connection serves as a stimulant for him.

His mother is normal, but a very energetic woman, always taking care of her own affairs and when a couple of thieves once broke in at her home she grappled with them, threw them to the ground and held them. She has married a second time, has a slight downy beard growth, and in her house often puts on male clothing.

We need not be surprised that the expert emphasizes the fact that in many instances homosexuality occurs in groups in the same family. The same conditions bring about similar effects. Even the fact that 65% of homosexuals have a very energetic mother need not be in itself of any particular significance as typical of the psychogenesis of homosexuality. The expert really means that these are mannish women so that they naturally bring into the world womanly boys.

INDEX

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Hans Blüher: Studien ueber den perversen Charakter. Ztrbl. f. Psychoanalyse, Oct., 1913.

[2] Neue Studien auf dem Gebiete der Homosexualitaet. Jahrb. f. Sexuelle Zwischenstuffen, vol. III, Leipzig.

[3] This view of Krafft-Ebing is by no means “antiquated.” It is still maintained by Stier (Zur Aetiologie des kontraeren Sexualgefuehls. Monatschrf. f. Psych, u. Neurol., vol. XXXII, 1914) and very energetically criticised (ibid.) by Hirschfeld and Burchard. “It is inconceivable,” state the above named authors, “how Stier can ascribe an etiologic significance to onanism in connection with homosexuality. Its distribution, ubiquitous—in the opinion of most specialists, would permit one to hold masturbation responsible for any other sexual development as well.” According to Stier, early and long-continued onanism (especially mutual) is harmful because “it does away with the feeling of shame in connection with one’s sexual organs and makes for readier handling even by the uncorrupted adult.” Fleischmann also finds 33 excessive onanists among 60 inverts and concludes (Beitr. zur Lehre der kontraeren Sexualempfindung, Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Neur. u. Psychol., vol. VII, 1911) that “like alcoholism, masturbation must influence the development of the perversion.” Many of his patients mentioned the habit in a casual relation. We know well that the sense of guilt is attached to the habit of masturbation. But Fleischmann sees in that a proof. “Onanism plays a role in the development of the sexual perversion,” he argues, “because it rouses an increased sexual excitability while the will power is weakened by it at the same time and there follows a progressive wandering of the sexual instinct away from the normal sexual aim and object.”