Dr. Cesare Lombroso, of the University of Milan, the world's greatest
criminologist, in discussing this woman, said:
"In general the moral physiognomy of the born female
criminal approximates strongly to that of the male. The
female criminal is exceedingly weak in maternal feeling,
inclined to dissipation, astute and audacious, and
dominates weaker beings sometimes by suggestion, and at
other times by muscular force; while her love of violent
exercise, her vices and even her dress, increase her
resemblance to the stronger sex.
"Added to these virile characteristics are often the
worst qualities of women; namely, an excessive desire for
revenge, cunning cruelty, love of dress and untruthfulness,
forming a combination of evil tendencies which often
results in a type of extraordinary wickedness. Needless
to say these different characteristics are not found in
the same proportion in everybody. One criminal will be
deficient in intelligence, but possessed of great strength,
while another, who is weak physically, triumphs over this
obstacle by the ability with which she lays her plans.
"But when, by an unfortunate chance, muscular strength and
intellectual force meet in the same individual, we have a
female delinquent of a terrible type, indeed.
"In short, we may assume that if female-born criminals are
fewer in number than the males; they are usually much more
ferocious.
"What is the explanation? We observe that the normal
woman is naturally less sensitive to pain than a man, and
compassion is the offspring of sensitiveness. If the one be
wanting, so will the other be.
"We also find that women have many traits in common with
children; that their moral sense is deficient; that they
are revengeful, jealous, inclined to vengeances of a
refined cruelty.
"In ordinary cases these defects are neutralized by piety,
maternity, want of passion, by weakness and an undeveloped
intelligence. But when a morbid activity of the psychical
centres intensifies the bad qualities of women, and
induces them to seek relief in evil deeds; when piety and
maternal sentiments are wanting, and in their place are
strong passions, much muscular strength and a superior
intelligence for the conception and execution of evil, it
is clear that the innocuous semi-criminal present in the
normal woman must be transformed into the born criminal
more terrible than any man.
"What terrific criminals would children be if they
had strong passions, muscular strength and sufficient
intelligence; and if, moreover, their evil tendencies were
exasperated by a morbid intellectual activity! And women
are big children; their evil tendencies are much more
numerous and more varied than men's, but generally remain
latent. When they are awakened and excited they produce
results proportionately greater."