It is a curious pathological fact, that during the progress of
Spermatorrhoea, difficulty of breathing, cough, and tightness of the
chest, arising in many constitutions from the seminal disorder, have
sometimes been actually mistaken for pulmonary consumption. The cough
is often distressing, occasionally attended by an expectoration of an
offensive kind. There is no doubt that many have been maltreated for
consumption when Spermatorrhoea was the real malady. That the latter
leads to the former is certain enough, but the stages and connections of
the respective diseases have been grossly misunderstood by practitioners
who have not had sufficient personal acquaintance with the indications
of Spermatorrhoea.
Remember that these continued seminal discharges of an involuntary
character disorder every function of the animal economy, and it may
be added that while Spermatorrhoea produces so many ruinous effects
peculiar to itself, it aggravates and excites any other disease which
may co-exist with it.
The +features+ become +pale, emaciated and haggard+. The +eyes are dead,
sunken+ and lustreless, and in many cases hold in their depths +a look
of wild, unsettled fear that denotes rapidly approaching insanity+. The
+bowels+ become +sluggish+, the +appetite capricious+, the +muscles
weak+, the +urine pale+ and with +a heavy sediment of semen+ that
drains away in it almost constantly. +Emissions+ at night becoming more
frequent and copious--sometimes bloody--although the fluid secreted
by the wasted testicles is +scarcely stronger than water+. +Sexual
incapacity shows itself.+ +Ejaculation+ is either +too quick+ or else
very +long delayed+. The +skin+ becomes dry and sallow, the +liver
congested and sluggish+. +The heart beats irregularly+, and any sudden
sound, movement or fright sets it to beating violently. +Shortness of
breath+ is complained of. +The brain becomes weaker and more sluggish
day by day.+
{Illustration: Fig. 6.
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TESTICLES, DUCTS, &c.
Showing where the vital fluid is made and stored and how, and by
what means it passes from the +Testes+ (where it is made) to the
+Vesicles+ (where it is stored). The heavy black marks on either
side of the urine channel, show the relative position of the
ejaculatory muscles.}
He generally loses flesh, and feels uneasiness in his stomach which
suffers from many of the symptoms accompanying dyspepsia. He is easily
startled; the slamming of a door, the firing of a cracker, the falling
of a book, a sudden touch, or even speaking to him unexpectedly, will
cause him to start. Cowardice is a sure consequence of Self-Abuse and
involuntary emissions. The appetite is irregular, often poor, sometimes
voracious; the bowels are also variable in their action. The prostatic
portion of the urethra is frequently irritable and sometimes is very
much +inflamed+; oftentimes there is a +thickening, a sponginess or
puffiness+ of the parts immediately involving the ejaculatory ducts.
The mucous membrane of the vesiculæ seminales becomes inflamed and
thickened. The +testicles+ and the +spermatic cord+ are oftentimes
very tender and the seminal fluid is much thinner than natural. Such a
Patient has generally +dark spots under his eyes+, +a sharp nose+, and
often +flushes of hectic color+ in his cheeks, particularly when in the
presence of company, and there is more or less palpitation of the heart.
In the second stage, as in the first, the pollutions are diurnal and
nocturnal; the latter are copious and recur frequently. So insensible
is the passage of semen that the patient is usually astonished and
horrified on waking to find himself and +bedclothes saturated+ with this
fluid, which is easily absorbed by the clothes, and rapidly dries up,
because it has become thin, watery and effete. In addition to this
loss he is subject to one equally great on almost every occasion
of +urinating+ and +defecating+. This also takes place without any
consciousness on his part, and his only knowledge of the fact is from
the alarming weakness he experiences after passing water or going to
stool. Distraction or absence of mind renders the judgment unfit for any
extensive enterprise.
The sexual powers are greatly weakened; the overtaxed organs refuse to
fulfill their legitimate task; their susceptibility and irritability are
so great that the power of retention is lost, and the seminal fluid is
discharged prematurely.
The generative organs are wasted and inactive, or so weakened as to
secrete but a ropy, thin and glairy fluid, having few or none of the
characteristics of Vital Fluid. Should the individual suffering this
way--and either careless or unfortunate enough to go uncured--have
offspring, they will assuredly be puny in body and weakly in mind, and
will lead a miserable existence through the neglect and indiscretion of
their parent.