A Treatise on the Diseases Produced By Onanism, Masturbation, Self-Pollution, and Other Excesses.Deslandes, L. (Léopold)
Science
A Treatise on the Diseases Produced By Onanism, Masturbation, Self-Pollution, and Other Excesses.
Deslandes, L. (Léopold)
Masturbation
A case published by Dr. Chauffard, of Avignon, deserves to be stated
here. This physician accompanied the prefect in 1823, in his tour to
the departments, to examine those young men who wished to be discharged
from military service. A stout farmer, with coarse beard and hair, and
disagreeable odor, was undressed, being, as it was said, affected with
a disease which he dared not name. It was at the close of December; the
season was cold, and the room very chilly. No sooner was he undressed,
than the penis began to swell. He was confused--he blushed--he turned
his back to the assistants. He could not avoid the priapism; nor,
finally, an emission of semen, which took place without a sensible
diminution in the size of this organ. This man was ignorant and stupid,
but he answered questions correctly. He said he was always tormented
by continual erections, often followed by seminal emissions. He even
admitted that he was accustomed to solicit them. His neck was short;
broad, and thick; the posterior portion of the occipital bone presented
a very marked slope: finally, the cerebellar portion of the cranium
was very prominent, and much developed. This man was reformed. (_Jour.
univ. des Sc. Med._, December, 1828.) We have also observed a very
remarkable development of the posterior part of the skull, in a boy
eight years old, who was addicted to masturbation for several years,
and whose penis was almost constantly in a state of erection. This
prominence so elongated the antero posterior diameter of the cranium,
that the mother found it difficult to fit caps to his head.
One of Gall’s most distinguished pupils, Dr. Voisin, has tested
phrenology, in a visit recently made to the convict galley, at Toulon.
Renaud, the Director, informed of the scientific purpose of the
visit of this physician, allowed him to examine the cerebral organs
of 350 thieves, forgers, or homicides; among whom he had designedly
distributed 22 other convicts, condemned for rape, requesting M. Voisin
to discover them from this number, by examining the posterior part of
the head. This gentleman picked out 22, 13 of whom only were condemned
for violence. Thus, then, he had selected nine who were not guilty of
this crime; and, on the contrary, had allowed to escape him nine who
had been committed. Now, the nine wrongly selected were libertines,
whom the Director admitted required to be constantly watched; and
the nine, on the contrary, whom he had not detected, were guilty
by accident, or when intoxicated: with them, libertinism was only
accidental, and not organic.
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