concerning the sexual life of children which I have received from healthy individuals, both men and women. I take this opportunity of tendering my most heartfelt thanks to all those who have assisted me in this manner. ALBERT MOLL. CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION v PREFACE xi CONTENTS xiii CHAP. I. INTRODUCTORY AND HISTORICAL 1 Subdivisions of the Period of Childhood--The Notion of Puberty--Methods of Investigation. Rousseau and Tissot--The Philanthropes--Medical Literature--The Older Psychology--History of Civilisation--Studies of Prostitution--Works on Zoology--Biographies--Belletristic Literature--Erotic Literature--Studies of Sexual Perversions--Recent Special Researches--Diaries. II. THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS--THE SEXUAL IMPULSE 17 The Male Reproductive Organs--Erection--Ejaculation--The Voluptuous Sensation--Female Reproductive Organs--Menstruation and Ovulation--Peripheral Processes, Erection, Ejaculation, and Voluptuous Sensation, in the Female--The Reproductive Organs in Children. Components of the Sexual Impulse--Excitement of the Sexual Impulse--The Sexual Impulse and the Voluptuous Sensation. III. SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION IN CHILDHOOD 33 Secondary Sexual Characters--First Period of Childhood--Second Period of Childhood--Psychical Differences in Children--The Teachings of Experimental Psychology--The Teachings of Empirical Psychology (_Erfahrungspsychologie_)--Inborn Character of Sexual Differences--Pathological Experiences--Criminological Experiences. IV. SYMPTOMATOLOGY 50 Erections in the Child--Ejaculation--Origin of Ejaculation--Voluptuous Sensation. The Undifferentiated Sexual Impulse--Examples--Phenomena of Contrectation in the Child--The Object of Desire--Romanticism--Manifestations of Love--Jealousy--Love-Letters and Love-Poems--Vanity--Shame--Differences between Boys and Girls--Changes in the Object of Desire. Interdependence of the Processes of Contrectation and Detumescence--Temporal Relationship between these respective Processes. Masturbation--The Voluptuous Sensation--Modes of Masturbation--Erogenic Zones--Comparison between Boys and Girls. Ejaculation as a Consequence of Feelings of Anxiety--Pollutions--Madame Roland's Description--Individual Differences--Sexual Phenomena in the Youth of the Lower Animals. The Teachings of Castration--Significance of the Reproductive Glands--Theories. The Years of Ripening--Retardation of Sexual Development. V. PATHOLOGY 114