A Problem in Modern Ethics: Being an Inquiry into the Phenomenon of Sexual Inversion, Addressed Especially to Medical Psychologists and JuristsSymonds, John Addington
Philosophy
A Problem in Modern Ethics: Being an Inquiry into the Phenomenon of Sexual Inversion, Addressed Especially to Medical Psychologists and Jurists
Symonds, John Addington
Homosexuality
[31] This is a hit at Westphal, Krafft-Ebing's predecessor, who laid
down the doctrine that Urnings are conscious of their own morbidity. Of
course, both authorities are equally right. Approach an Urning with
terrors of social opinion and law; and he will confess his dreadful
apprehensions. Approach him from the point of view of science; and he
will declare that, within four closed walls, he has no thought of guilt.
[32] Pp. 97-106.
[33] The physical repugnance of true Urnings for women may be
illustrated by passages from three of Krafft-Ebing's cases (pp. 117,
123, 163), which I will translate. (1) "I had observed that a girl was
madly in love with me, and longed intensely to yield herself up to me. I
gave her an assignation in my house, hoping that I should succeed better
with a girl who sought me out of love than I had with public women.
After her first fiery caresses, I did indeed feel a little less frigid;
but when it came to thinking about copulation, all was over--the same
stark frost set in, and my part was played out. I sent her away, deeply
excited, with some moral remarks; and I have never tried the like
experiments again. On all these occasions _the specific odour of the
female added to my horror_." (2) "The proximity of wenches aroused in me
qualms and nausea; _in particular I could not bear to smell them_." (3)
"It seems to me absurd to set up the female form as the prototype of
human beauty. I regard a woman's person as displeasing, the formation of
her hips as ugly and unæsthetic. Dancing is therefore an abomination to
me. _I loathe the odour which the so-called fair sex exhales when heated
by the dance._" The disgust inspired in these three Urnings by the smell
of the female is highly significant; since we know that the sense of
smell acts powerfully upon the sexual appetite of normal individuals. It
may be remarked that in all the instances of pronounced Urnings, sexual
congress with women seems to have been followed with disgust, nervous
exhaustion, and the sense of an unnatural act performed without
pleasure. This is true even of those who have brought themselves to
marriage.
[34] A sign, by the way, which may be observed in the most masculine of
athletes. This is very noticeable in the nude photographs of Sandow.
[35] Englishmen know the type as Mariannes, and had occasion to study
their habits in the Boulton and Park trial. For the type in Paris,
consult Carlier, _op. cit._, pp. 323-326, 339-351, 463.
[36] I have used the German version of Lombroso's work, because of the
translator's preface and occasional annotations.
[37] See Dufour, "Histoire de la Prostitution," vol. iii. (France, ch.
i.) p. 193.
[38] See Dufour, "Histoire de la Prostitution," (France, chs. 6 and 7).
[39] See above, p. 35, for an ingenious definition by Dr. Huggard, which
covers both classes as born criminals and moral madmen.
[40] His German translator calls attention to this omission; p. 153
footnote.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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