SYMPTOMATOLOGY
The data recorded in the preceding chapter suffice to show that the
activity of the sexual life begins in childhood, for the secondary
sexual characters and the other sexual peculiarities which manifest
themselves thus early in life are dependent upon sex. We shall now
proceed to the systematic description of the direct manifestations of
the sexual life, and we can most usefully begin with the genital organs.
Erections occur during childhood; they have been observed even in
infancy. They sometimes result from external stimuli, especially of a
pathological nature, such as a strictured prepuce, or inflammatory
states of the penis. Occasionally in the child, as normally in the adult
male, distension of the bladder with urine leads to erection of the
penis. Although in these cases the erection is not induced by sexual
processes, it is nevertheless not devoid of significance in relation to
the sexual life. The sensations in the genital organs to which the
pathological stimuli give rise are further increased by the erection,
and the child's attention is therefore increasingly drawn to his sexual
organs. His attention may, of course, be directed to his genital organs
by such stimuli as those we have described, even though these latter do
not lead to the occurrence of erection. By such sensations, the child is
very readily induced to manipulate his genital organs. Just as the
little child soon learns to scratch other itching regions of the skin,
so also he learns to scratch his genital organs when these are the seat
of an itching eruption, or when in any other way irritating sensations
arise in this region. Pflüger and Preyer[24] have made investigations
regarding the itching-reflex (_Kitzelreflexe_), and although in many
respects their results are divergent, yet one point is clearly
established by both, namely, that within a few months after birth a
distinct itching-reflex is in operation, inasmuch as the child
endeavours to scratch itching areas. Thus, by itching of the genital
organs, a child is readily led to practise masturbation; and this is not
necessarily effected by the hands, but sometimes by the feet, or by
rubbing the thighs against one another, this last being generally done
when the child is in the sitting posture. When erections occur in the
child, we cannot always trace them to external stimuli, for in many
cases they are due to stimuli of other kinds. Erection may, in fact,
result from internal stimuli, connected with the development of the
genital organs, and more especially that of the testicles. Moreover,
such developmental stimuli may induce the child to manipulate the
genital organs, and thus give rise to masturbation, without in the first
instance causing erection. It appears that such stimuli leading to the
practice of masturbation occur, during the first years of childhood,
chiefly, if not exclusively, in children with morbid hereditary
predisposition.
Such processes as these, viz., inflammatory stimuli originating in the
external genital organs, or developmental stimuli proceeding from the
testicles, may lead to the practice of masturbation without having
directly affected the child's consciousness. Just as in the pithed frog,
if we stimulate one foot with acetic acid, the other foot scratches the
irritated area, so a child may, with his hands or in some other way,
scratch itching regions of the body, and, above all, of the external
genital organs, without its being necessary for us to assume that he is
fully conscious of what he is doing. Further, as we have already pointed
out, such masturbation may or may not be preceded by a reflex erection.
And just as the boy soon learns that itching is relieved by scratching,
so also he learns that by means of artificial stimulation he may induce
sensations of a voluptuous character. It is the same with the little
girl, in whom sensations occur in the genital organs, due in some cases
to developmental, and in others to pathological stimuli (skin eruptions
are an instance of the latter kind), and these lead to manipulations of
the genital organs.
In contradistinction to the cases just described, in which the child
has learned spontaneously to practise artificial stimulation of his
genital organs, are the cases in which seduction by others is the cause
of masturbation. Nurses sometimes touch, stroke, and stimulate the
external genital organs of the children entrusted to their care--boys
and girls alike--either to keep them quiet, or for the gratification of
their own lustful feelings. In this way the child, who in the case of
all agreeable sensations has a natural desire for their repetition, is
gradually led to imitate the manipulations which have given rise to the
voluptuous sensations, and is thus seduced to the practice of
masturbation.
In the preceding passages I have spoken of all kinds of mechanical
stimulation of the genital organs, and also of erections[25] occurring
in small children. I now pass on to consider ejaculation. Whereas during
normal intercourse in the sexually mature man and woman a fluid
secretion is expelled, nothing of the kind is possible in children, at
least such is the general opinion. Frequently, indeed, as regards the
male sex, the end of childhood, properly speaking, is supposed to be
indicated by the first ejaculation of semen. Matters are, however, by no
means so simple as this. We have seen that the testicular secretion, the
most important constituent of the semen, consists, as Fürbringer[26] has
pointed out, almost entirely of spermatozoa. But how is it in the case
of children? The spermatozoa may be first formed at very varying ages.
According to the investigations of Mantegazza,[27] they rarely make
their appearance earlier than the eighteenth year of life. Fürbringer
does not unconditionally accept this view; but he has himself, as he has
personally informed me, examined boys at ages of fifteen to sixteen in
whom the ejaculation was entirely devoid of spermatozoa. But, on the
other hand, he has found spermatozoa in the semen of a boy aged only
twelve or thirteen years. I have myself examined the emissions of boys
in a considerable number of cases, and have repeatedly found that, even
in the case of boys of sixteen, the ejaculated secretions contained no
spermatozoa. The reports of other investigators also show that as
regards this point very wide individual variations occur. Hofmann[28]
has contributed some data to this discussion. A case published by Klose,
in which pregnancy is alleged to have resulted from intercourse with a
boy aged nine years, is, indeed, regarded by Hofmann as probably
apocryphal. But he had personal knowledge of a case in which a woman was
impregnated by a boy fourteen years of age. He assumes that when a boy's
general development is advanced (masculine habit of body, large penis,
&c.), his reproductive capacity will also make its appearance at an
earlier age. But he has met with exceptions to this generalisation.
Thus, in the post-mortem examination of the body of a boy aged fourteen,
whose physique was still quite infantile, he found well-developed
spermatozoa both in the testicles and in the seminal vesicles. In the
case of two boys aged fifteen years, in whom the genital organs were
powerfully developed, he found in one abundant spermatozoa, but in the
other none at all. In two other boys, also fifteen years of age, in whom
the pubic hair had not yet appeared, spermatozoa were present. They were
absent, again, in a young man of eighteen years. Similar variations were
found by Haberda. Thus, for example, in two boys aged fifteen and
seventeen years, respectively, he found no spermatozoa, notwithstanding
the fact that in both the pubic hair had grown. On the other hand, in a
boy aged 13-3/4 years, with an abundance of pubic hair, numerous
well-developed spermatozoa were present. Haberda is of opinion that,
speaking generally, the first formation of the spermatozoa is associated
with the appearance of the other indications of puberty. The earliest
authenticated age at which spermotozoa have been known to appear is
13-1/2 years; they have been found at this age by two separate
investigators, one in Paris, the other in Berlin. Notwithstanding the
fact that, as we have seen, such extensive variations occur, we are
justified in making the general statement that in the case of children
in our own country no spermatozoa are developed; if exceptions ever
occur, they can relate only to the last year or year and a half of the
second period of childhood.
We must now proceed to ask whether it is possible for ejaculation to
occur in children at a time of life when the formation of spermatozoa in
the testicles has not yet begun; this question must be answered with an
unconditional affirmative. We have seen that the secretions of several
other glands intermingle with the secretion of the testicles. These
glands are the following: the prostate gland, the glands of the vesiculæ
seminales and the vasa deferentia, the glands of Cowper, and the glands
of Littré. It is certain that these glands begin to secrete at different
times, and, above all, that some of them begin to secrete before
spermatozoa have appeared in the testicles. Hence it is rightly believed
that the capacity for coitus (_potentia coeundi_) develops much earlier
than the capacity for procreation (_potentia generandi_)--a fact which
was well known to Zacchias.[29] _Quae enim hanc juventutem vel præcedunt
ætates, vel sequuntur aut plane semen non effundunt aut certe
infoecundum aut male foecundum effundunt._ Strassmann[30] considers
that in our climate the capacity for procreation begins at the earliest
at the end of the fifteenth year, and the capacity for coitus at the end
of the thirteenth year. In a number of cases in which in children I
found stains on the underclothing, or in some other way obtained
specimens of the ejaculated fluid, the results of the examination for
spermatozoa were entirely negative. In a case which came under my notice
a long time ago, that of a child seven years of age, I had assumed that
the fluid with which the underclothing was stained was produced by
inflammatory irritation of the urethra consequent upon masturbation.
Subsequent experience, however, in conjunction with the observations of
other investigators, has led me to the firm conviction that even in our
climate we do not need to invoke the idea of such inflammatory
irritation of the urethra in order to account for the ejaculation of
fluid by children--at any rate when these are approaching the end of the
second period of childhood. In the case of twelve-year-old boys, I
believe that such ejaculations of fluid occur in quite a large number of
cases. One instance, which did not come under my own observation, but
was communicated to me by one of our best-known educationalists, relates
to a boy only ten years of age. This boy, endeavouring to climb over a
fence, repeatedly slipped back; while thus engaged, he experienced his
first seminal emission. In this way he then masturbated several
times.[31]
Let us now consider whence the ejaculated fluid can be derived prior to
the age at which it comes to contain spermatozoa. In the first place, it
is possible that the testicles themselves, before they begin to form the
spermatozoa, may yet furnish an indifferent secretion, although in the
adult the secretion of the testicles consists chiefly of the
spermatozoa. We have also to consider the glands previously enumerated,
whose secretions normally form constituents of the semen. We possess,
however, hardly any trustworthy information regarding the time at which
the glands of the vasa deferentia begin to secrete. The glands of
Cowper, as Henle[32] showed many years ago, begin to secrete within a
few weeks after birth. He believed that these glands secreted
continuously, but that the secretion was retained for a time in the
ducts, and was discharged intermittently with the urine. For this reason
he believed that the glands of Cowper did not form a part of the
reproductive system. Subsequent investigations, however, have led us to
believe that the secretion of Cowper's glands is one of the constituents
of the semen. Another constituent is the secretion of the glands of
Littré, and these glands also perhaps begin to secrete at a much earlier
age than the testicles. We may regard it as certain that the seminal
vesicles may contain secretion before any spermatozoa are formed in the
testicles. As regards the prostate gland, it is supposed that this
first begins to secrete at the commencement of the age of puberal
development or even later. According to the data collected by Frisch,
the prostate gland, comparatively small in childhood, first begins to
grow quickly at the epoch of the puberal development. During childhood,
the gland tissue is comparatively scanty, although it already contains
concretions. Only during the puberal development does the prostate gland
attain its full size; according to the researches of Englisch, who
observed 1282 instances, this does not occur until after the full
development of the testicles. Beyond question we are justified, from the
information at our disposal, in concluding that the prostate gland
begins to secrete comparatively late. But, on the other hand, it is
equally clear that certain glands whose secretion in the adult forms
part of the semen, begin to secrete long before any spermatozoa have
been formed in the testicles, and may in this way give rise to the
formation of a semen incapable of fertilising the ovum.
In respect of the extrusion of the fluid, we have to recognise two
different ways in which this is effected: first, ejaculation, due to a
rhythmical expulsive movement; and secondly, the _urethrorrhoea ex
libidine_ met with in adults, of which an account was given in the
second chapter (p. 22). In my own investigations on the subject, I have
been able to learn nothing regarding the occurrence in children of any
_urethrorrhoea ex libidine_; and my information relates only to the
true ejaculation of a fluid, I have seen a few cases in which such
ejaculation occurred in boys at the early age of twelve years, although
this is quite exceptional, and, as already mentioned, in such cases the
ejaculated fluid contains no spermatozoa.
In the case of women, what has been said of the glands of Cowper applies
equally to the glands of Bartholin, the homologues of the former both as
regards significance and development. The glands of Bartholin also begin
to secrete in sexually immature girls, and even in children. It must be
added that when ejaculation occurs in sexually immature girls, the
products of other glands are probably intermingled with the secretion of
the glands of Bartholin (mucous glands of the uterus, of the cervix
uteri, the vagina, the vulva, and perhaps also of the urethra).
I have distinguished the simple outflow of secretion from its forcible
expulsion--from true ejaculation. This latter demands the rhythmical
activity of certain muscles, such as takes place during coitus. The
question arises, whether such muscular activity can occur before any
fluid has been formed capable of being ejaculated. When I compare what
is published in the literature of the subject with what I have myself
observed in this connexion, I regard the following points as definitely
established. There are certain cases, and these in young persons of both
sexes, in which typical rhythmical muscular contractions take place in
the child, although no ejaculated fluid is discoverable. It remains
doubtful, however, whether a small quantity of secretion, overlooked by
the observer, and perhaps not even recognisable, may not, after all, be
ejaculated. I consider it probable that this is so. Moreover, we must
not forget that the rhythmical muscular contractions, which in the adult
effect ejaculation, are able to expel the fluid from the urethra only
when this fluid is present in sufficient quantity. When the quantity is
minimal the fluid is retained for a time in that passage, owing to the
frictional resistance of the urethra, and is perhaps not expelled until
the next act of micturition. Some may, of course, object to denote such
a process by the word ejaculation; but I myself see no reason why the
term should not be extended to include the rhythmical muscular
contraction both in the child and the adult, even in cases in which
there is not sufficient fluid secretion in the urethra for this to be
visibly extruded by these contractions.
What have we to say regarding the voluptuous sensation in children? It
is extremely difficult to form clear ideas about this matter, for the
sources of fallacy previously described (p. 5 _et seq._) are here
markedly in operation; above all, in the case of little children, the
voluptuous sensation, purely subjective in character, is extraordinarily
difficult to recognise objectively. This much, however, may be said. It
appears to me to be beyond question that in childhood, and even in very
early childhood, a sensation may sometimes be excited of the same kind
as the voluptuous sensation of adult life. None the less, we must be
careful not to assume too readily, in any particular case, that such a
sensation has actually been experienced. Certain oscillatory movements
on the part of infants and other small children have frequently been
regarded as an indication of the practice of masturbation, and of the
occurrence of voluptuous sensations; but in my opinion that view is to a
large extent erroneous. Such movements may be no more than the
expression of a general sense of well-being, without having anything
whatever to do with the sexual life or with the specific voluptuous
sensation. Doubtless the voluptuous sensation may be experienced by very
small children, and even by infants. When we see a child lying with
moist, widely-opened eyes, and exhibiting all the other signs of sexual
excitement, such as we are accustomed to observe in adults, we are
justified in assuming that the child is experiencing a voluptuous
sensation. But what is usually wanting in such cases, at any rate in
young children, is the voluptuous acme which in adults occurs in
association with the act of ejaculation. Cases have also been
occasionally reported to me in which, even in infancy, a voluptuous acme
has occurred; and still more frequently I have been told this in respect
of somewhat older children, for example, at ages of seven or eight
years. I believe, however, that this voluptuous acme is, at any rate in
children, much less common than the equable voluptuous sensation which
can be aroused by all kinds of manipulations and stimulations of the
peripheral genital organs, and more especially of the glans, the penis,
the clitoris, and the labia minora. The older the child, the more
frequently is the voluptuous acme attained; in our own climate, during
the last years of the second period of childhood, this occurs
comparatively often; the voluptuous acme does not last so long as in
sexually mature individuals, but is in other respects described in
identical terms. It is experienced simultaneously with the occurrence of
the rhythmical muscular contractions which have previously been
described. It is possible, as I suggested before, that in such cases the
ejaculation of a certain quantity of glandular secretion always occurs,
although, as I have also explained, this secretion may sometimes be too
small in quantity to be actually expelled from the urethra by the
muscular extractions. This point is, however, still obscure. But it may
be regarded as definitely established that the equable voluptuous
sensation, and more particularly the voluptuous acme, may occur at an
age at which, at any rate, secretion does not yet exist in sufficient
quantity to be expelled from the urethra, and the existence of such
secretion is therefore not unequivocally manifested. In exceptional, and
doubtless pathological instances, and above all in cases in which, owing
to the practice of masturbation, there has been excessive stimulation,
instead of the voluptuous acme, a painful sensation may be experienced.
In general, however, in children, just as in adults, the voluptuous acme
is associated with a sense of satisfaction, and with the subsidence of
the previously existing sexual excitement. _This much is beyond
question, that the voluptuous acme and the sense of satisfaction
associated therewith make their appearance subsequent to the development
of erection and the equable voluptuous sensation in the genital organs._
Mutatis mutandis, _this is equally true of both sexes_.
In other respects, however, the voluptuous sensation and the voluptuous
acme exhibit in the child an important difference from the same
phenomena in the adult, to which we shall have to return later. To sum
up, we may regard it as certain that erections often appear many years
before the end of the second period of childhood; not infrequently,
indeed, in the beginning of the second period of childhood, and even
earlier. These erections may very early in life be associated with an
equable voluptuous sensation, allied to the sensations of itching or
tickling.[33] The voluptuous acme and ejaculation do not make their
appearance until later. These statements apply, in the first place, to
boys. The conditions in girls appear, however, to be analogous. But here
we must be most cautious in drawing conclusions, for the reason that the
sexual life of the girl is still much more obscure to us than that of
the boy; this difference in our knowledge of the sexes is no less marked
in the case of children than it is in respect of the adult man and
woman.
Hitherto we have occupied ourselves with the description of the
peripheral sexual organs, and of the processes of detumescence. We must
now pass on to the second group of sexual phenomena, the processes of
contrectation. Even in childhood, these processes play an important
part; indeed, they generally manifest themselves at an earlier age than
the processes of detumescence. But first, let me briefly summarise Max
Dessoir's account of the stages of the sexual impulse--stages in which
the contrectation impulse is alone concerned. In its development, three
stages may be distinguished. One of these is the neutral stage, in
earliest childhood, in which, speaking generally, the processes of
contrectation are not yet to be observed, and during which the child
does not feel attracted towards anyone in such a manner as to make it
necessary for us to assume the occurrence of any psychosexual process.
This stage is succeeded by the extremely important undifferentiated
stage, to which Max Dessoir[34] has drawn attention. Its principal
characteristic is indicated in its name: the direction of the impulse is
not yet completely differentiated. It oscillates to and fro, and depends
upon the external objects which happen to be in the vicinity. This
undifferentiated stage is of profound importance; and owing to the fact
that its existence has been ignored in the study of sexual perversions,
great confusion has arisen. During the undifferentiated period, it may
happen that quite normal children exhibit homosexual excitement, whose
importance is apt to be greatly over-estimated by their relatives and
others. During the undifferentiated stage a boy may love one of his
teachers or one of his friends, and yet in later life be perfectly
normal; many a woman, again, who loves her husband ardently has earlier,
during the undifferentiated period, passionately loved a school-fellow
or a governess. On the other hand, during the undifferentiated stage a
boy may exhibit an inclination towards someone of the opposite sex, the
governess or the girl-friend of his sister, for instance; conversely,
the girl may be attracted by a boy or a young man. This inclination,
whether homosexual or heterosexual, often leads to bodily acts, to
contact with the beloved person, embraces, and kisses, without the
necessary occurrence of any manifestations on the part of the external
genital organs, although such manifestations may at times ensue. The
undifferentiated stage is followed by the third stage, in which the
contrectation impulse becomes differentiated, so that in normal
individuals the sexual impulse becomes unmistakably heterosexual.
Normally, this differentiated stage endures until the time of the final
extinction of the sexual impulse.
I do not believe that an undifferentiated stage occurs in every one
without exception. On the other hand, I have absolutely no doubt that it
occurs very frequently indeed--far more frequently than is commonly
believed--and that it occurs in persons whose subsequent sexual
development is perfectly normal. Moreover, during the undifferentiated
stage, in addition to heterosexual and homosexual inclinations, perverse
sentiments may make their appearance. Masochistic, sadistic, fetichistic
excitations of all kinds are met with, and sexual inclination towards
animals is by no means rare. As regards the last named, the inclination
is directed especially towards the animals with which the child is most
intimately associated, as, for instance, a dog, a cat, a bird, a horse,
and the like. Again, during the period of undifferentiated sexual
impulse all kinds of disordered ideas may become associated with that
impulse; for instance, an impulse may arise to touch the saliva, or some
other excretory product, of the beloved being, human or animal, as the
case may be, and even to take such a product into the mouth. Many
persons completely forget all these manifestations of the
undifferentiated sexual impulse which have formed part of their own
early experiences. The causes of such oblivion have been discussed in
the first chapter (p. 5).
Yet another reason may be mentioned for regarding a knowledge of the
undifferentiated stage of the sexual impulse as of great importance. In
works on the pathology of the sexual impulse we are frequently assured
that in this or that specific instance the perversion was inborn,
because perverse sensations have existed since the days of childhood.
But the existence of the undifferentiated stage teaches us that we are
not justified in inferring, from the mere fact of the primary occurrence
of a "perverse" mode of sexual sensibility, that this perversion is
congenital; for the primary direction of the contrectation impulse
during the undifferentiated stage often depends to a considerably
greater extent upon chance than upon an inherited predisposition.
The undifferentiated stage begins at very various ages. I have known
instances in which it could be traced back to the fifth, year of life. I
regard it as probable, however, that it may begin even earlier than
this. But more commonly it begins somewhat later; not infrequently at
the age of seven or eight, and very often at the age of nine or ten
years. As previously mentioned, I do not maintain that an
undifferentiated stage is of universal occurrence. When such a stage is
absent, the symptoms of the differentiated sexual impulse often make
their appearance at the age at which in other cases the undifferentiated
stage of the impulse usually begins. In the case of a large number of
men, inquiry will show that at the age of nine or ten they began to
experience an inclination towards persons of the female sex; in a good
many this occurs even at the age of eight, and in a few yet earlier; as
regards women, _mutatis mutandis_, the same conditions obtain. In cases
in which an undifferentiated stage is well marked, its duration is
likewise very variable. In isolated instances it lasts until the age of
twenty, or even a few years longer. Ordinarily, however, the
differentiation of the impulse becomes manifest at an earlier
age--between the ages of fifteen and seventeen years. Beyond question,
in the great majority of cases, the "perverse" sentiments of childhood
subsequently disappear spontaneously. But when I come to discuss sexual
perversions in detail, I shall point out that this disappearance, in
certain circumstances, fails to occur.
I take this opportunity of referring to a beautiful example of the
undifferentiated sexual impulse which is found in _Wilhelm Meisters
Wanderjahren_. In the twelfth chapter of the second book, Wilhelm
describes "one of the earliest incidents of his youth":--"The elder of
these boys, a year or two my own senior, the son of the fisherman,
seemed to take no pleasure in this sport with flowers. This boy, by whom
at his first appearance I had been greatly attracted, invited me to go
with him to the river, a fairly wide stream which flowed past at a
little distance. We sat side by side in a shady spot with our
fishing-rods.... As we sat there quietly, leaning towards one another,
he seemed to grow rather weary of our inaction, and he drew my attention
to a flat stretch of gravel which extended from our feet beneath the
surface of the water. This would be a fine place to bathe. At last,
jumping to his feet, he cried out that the chance was too good to be
missed, and almost before I realised his intention, he had stripped, and
was in the water. Being a good swimmer, he soon left the shallows, swam
across the stream, and then back again into the deep water near the bank
on which I was sitting. My own mood was a strange one. Grasshoppers
danced round about me, ants crawled to and fro, many-coloured beetles
hung from the twigs, and brilliant dragon flies hovered in the air; my
companion caught sight of a great crayfish, flashing merrily out from
its hole beneath the roots overhanging the water, and cleverly eluding
an attempt to seize it by darting back into its lair. The air was so
warm and moist; in the sunshine one longed for the shade, and even in
the coolness of the shade one longed for the still greater coolness of
the water. Thus it was easy for him to entice me into the stream; his
invitation, once or twice repeated, proved irresistible, notwithstanding
my fear of a scolding from my parents, mingled with some dread of the
unknown element. Soon I undressed upon the gravelly bank, and ventured
gently into the water, not too far down the gradually shelving bank;
here he let me wait awhile, swimming out himself across the stream; then
he returned to my side, and as he left the water, standing upright, to
dry himself in the bright sunshine, it seemed to me that my eyes must be
dazzled by the power of the sun, so blindingly beautiful was the human
form--far more beautiful than I had ever before imagined. He seemed to
look at me with equal attention. Dressing quickly, we stood beside each
other with all barriers broken down, our spirits were drawn closely
together, and with ardent kisses we swore eternal friendship."
Groos rightly sees in this passage a delicate intimation of sexual
sensibility. A little later we read how Wilhelm, having made an
appointment with this boy to meet him one evening in the forest,
encounters a young girl, a little younger than himself. "Spring flowers
of all kinds were growing in the beautifully adorned fields, among the
grass, and along the hedges. My companion was beautiful, blond, gentle;
we walked trustingly side by side, each holding the other by the hand,
and seeming to wish for nothing better in the world.... When, after the
lapse of so many years, I look back upon my former state, it seems to me
to have been a truly enviable one. Unexpectedly, in the same instant, I
experienced the sentiments of friendship and of love; for as I
unwillingly took leave of the beautiful child, I was consoled by the
thought of explaining these ideas to my young boy-friend, by the
prospect of confiding in him, and of rejoicing in his participation in
these newly discovered sentiments."
The following description of the period of the undifferentiated sexual
impulse has been placed at my disposal:--
CASE 1.--X. is now thirty-four years of age, happily married, with
several healthy children. He is himself a thoroughly healthy man, with
normal impulses, and free from all bodily and mental abnormality. His
description of the period of the undifferentiated sexual impulse may
best be given in his own words. "At the age of nine, when I was still
living in the country, and was being educated by a private tutor, a
passionate affection for him took possession of me. Generally speaking,
he was good-natured and indulgent, but was at times strict, I used my
utmost endeavours to be near him as much as possible. I was happy when
he touched me. Gradually this inclination increased; everything that he
had touched, everything that he had warmed with his body, I also wished
to touch. If he had drunk from a glass, I secretly drank from it myself,
so that my lips might touch the very spot where his had rested. At the
age of ten I began to attend the public school in the town, I sat beside
a fellow-pupil who, like myself, came from the country. Soon I conceived
a fondness for him. He was not only my playmate, I wished always that we
should do our work together; whenever he had any other companion than
myself, I was profoundly unhappy. Was this jealousy? I believe it was.
When he left the school--it must have been about a year after I had
entered--I was at first very unhappy, but my fondness for him was soon
replaced by a passion for his sister, a girl about twelve years of age.
I had made her acquaintance through so often working with her brother,
and through visiting his parents' house. She was a pretty girl. At
first, after my friend had departed, I went to the house occasionally,
in order to hear some news of him, and of his doings in the school
abroad to which he had been sent. In the house that had been his home I
had also an indefinite feeling that I was near him once again. But
gradually my liking for his sister grew, and I was glad that her parents
gave me renewed invitations to the house, especially for the Sundays. To
be with this girl, to play with her, were to me an enduring source of
delight; and I remember that at this time I even developed a taste for
girlish amusements, which had hitherto been very disagreeable to me, and
for which later also my antipathy returned. Simultaneously with this
fondness for the girl, when I myself was about twelve years old I was
attracted by one of the schoolmasters, a man who ruled his classes very
strictly. My sentiments for this master were of exactly the same
character as those with which my tutor had formerly inspired me, but the
conditions of our intercourse were different, for I could see him only
in school, and on very rare occasions out of school hours, whereas in
the case of my tutor, who lived with us when I was at home, I could be
with him as much as I desired. This fondness for my schoolmaster
persisted simultaneously with the passion for the girl. When her brother
came home for the holidays, I saw him for a few days only, for I also
returned home for the holidays. Although I was by no means indifferent
to him, my former passionate affection for him had entirely disappeared.
My passion for his sister and for the schoolmaster lasted for a long
time. I also fell in love with a somewhat elderly female cousin who
chanced to visit our house. Growing older, I at length attained the age
of puberty, and experienced definite erections; these occurred
especially when I thought of my friend's sister; or when she touched me,
as occasionally happened, without, I believe, any sexual feeling on her
part. At this time also when erections had already begun, I still felt
definitely attracted by my schoolmaster, and under the influence of this
attraction erections occasionally occurred. Somewhat later came the time
when I began to masturbate. I can no longer remember with certainty
whether I was seduced to this practice by any of my school-fellows. We
sometimes talked to one another about the matter. I continued at times
to be influenced by the inclinations previously mentioned, viz., that
for my schoolmaster, and that for my friend's sister. I experienced also
transient passion for one of my school-fellows, who was remarkable for
his pleasing and delicately girlish exterior. It was not until several
years had elapsed, and the occurrence of seminal emissions had shown
that I had attained some degree of sexual maturity, that all inclination
towards the male sex disappeared, and the inclination towards the female
sex persisted in isolation. When I left the town, in order to attend a
different school, my fondness for my friend's sister passed away. I was
then sixteen years of age; from this time onwards my sexual passion was
exhibited exclusively towards members of the female sex."
CASE 2.--This case provides us with another description of the
undifferentiated sexual impulse. X. is thirty years of age. No morbid
condition is demonstrable in him. He remembers that the first sentiments
which he regards as sexual were experienced by him in the country. His
home was in a town, but during the holidays he was sent to board in the
country, in the house of a clergyman. He played much in the open air,
and he still recalls quite distinctly the passion with which, first of
all, he approached animals. "As if by an irresistible impulse I was
attracted, now by a goat, now by a dog, sometimes even by a horse. No
excitement of the genital organs was noticeable at this time, but I have
no doubt whatever now that these inclinations were sexual in their
nature. Not only did I touch the animals, but I embraced them and kissed
them. The warmth and the odour proceeding from such an animal, which is
now as a rule distasteful to me, was then a source of pleasure. When I
left the country, I took these memories away with me, but gradually they
faded and became faint. Next a fondness for one of my school-fellows
became most marked, and this lasted for a long time. I know not how to
describe the feeling I had for him otherwise than as an immeasurable,
passionate love. I was unhappy when I sat above him in the class.
Occasionally we sat side by side, but not always, since our places were
determined by our performances in class. If I was sitting next above
him, it was a joy to me to fail deliberately to answer a question,
simply in order to enable him to take my place, and thus to give him
pleasure. This relationship continued undisturbed for several years; we
rose together from class to class and remained friends. Not until the
beginning of the true puberal development did this fondness begin to
wane. I began to learn dancing rather early, and in the dancing-class
was a girl by whom I was now greatly attracted. She was of the same age
as myself--fourteen years. As far as I can remember, my inclinations
were now confined for a time to my boy companion and to this girl. At
first my affection for the boy was the greater, but gradually my
affection for the girl, who was healthy and vivacious in appearance,
became stronger. Still, this passion was a fire of straw, for though, in
the course of the next few years, my fondness for the boy gradually
declined, whilst my affection for the girl grew stronger, yet later this
girl was expelled from my circle of interests by others, my inclinations
changing rapidly from one girl to another. Homosexual sentiments hardly
existed any more. Very occasionally, indeed, even up to my twentieth
year, a certain interest was aroused in me by any youth with a truly
girlish, milk-white countenance. But subsequently this homosexual
inclination disappeared entirely, and my heterosexual development was
completed, so that I am now, I believe, in every respect a healthy
male."
CASE 3.--Next we have the case of a woman, now married and twenty-six
years of age, in whom also the undifferentiated sexual impulse was
clearly manifested. From the age of eight to the age of fifteen years
she attended a day-school for girls, and subsequently, after receiving
private tuition for a time, went to a boarding-school. "In my earlier
years I can recall no feelings for my school-fellows beyond those of
simple friendship. We kissed one another, but no more intimate contact
took place. In these kisses, I was not aware of any sentiment exceeding
pure friendship; and to-day when I thoroughly understand the nature of
the kiss of erotic love, I do not believe that there was any erotic
element intermingled with these first kisses. Such simple friendliness
towards my fellow-schoolgirls persisted unaltered even after in my tenth
year I first experienced a sentiment of enthusiastic devotion. This
latter was inspired by an actress, a remarkably beautiful woman visiting
our town--I lived then in a town of medium size--whose pictures were
displayed in all the shop windows. Although I realised later that her
talents were by no means of a high order, and notwithstanding the fact
that I never saw her on the stage, I conceived for her an enthusiastic
admiration. I tried from time to time, when I could do so without being
observed, to catch a glimpse of her in the street; almost the only
possible opportunity was when she was on her way to rehearsals. When the
actress went away, her place in my heart was occupied by a schoolmaster
of typically masculine appearance, with a full, fair beard. He gave us
lessons in history, literature, and German. Nearly all the class were
fascinated by him, and I by no means less than the others. This
admiration lasted almost the whole of the remaining time during which I
attended the school. When I went to the boarding-school, being now
somewhat older, and regarded as almost a young woman, I was allowed to
witness a representation of Faust. The part of Gretchen was played by an
actress who is still of note to-day, and she made a most enduring
impression on me. To my great delight I was unexpectedly presented to
her, and she wrote a line or two in my album. Unfortunately, the
headmistress would not allow us to go often to the theatre, a
prohibition doubtless in part dependent on the high prices of the seats.
But I still remember quite distinctly how I trembled with joy whenever I
was allowed to go. I remember, too, that on one occasion, in which it
had been arranged that I was to go to see a play in which this actress
did not appear, I shammed illness in order to save up the price of the
seat, go that I might use it on another occasion, on which I should be
able to see her. This particular enthusiasm lasted as long as I
remained at the boarding-school. When later I grew old enough to marry,
and when with the approval of my parents a gentleman who appeared to
love me (though, in fact, I think he was influenced rather by prudential
motives) began to pay me his addresses, my fondness for the actress soon
began to fade away. Even at the present day, however, I esteem this
artiste very highly indeed, and the impression which she made on my
imagination will never be entirely expunged from my memory. If I were to
see her to-day, I should willingly kiss her hands, in thankfulness for
the happy hours she has given me; but I do not believe that any erotic
element now remains in my feeling for her. I may add that I do not love
my husband passionately, although I love him well enough. Physical
contact with the actress of whom I have spoken would not be positively
repulsive to me, but such contact would, as far as I am concerned, be
entirely devoid of sexual feeling, and the idea of sexual contact with a
person of my own sex is very unpleasant to me; whereas in sexual
intercourse with my husband I am perfectly normal." This patient does
not belong to the class of sexually anæsthetic women; she feels the
impulse towards sexual intercourse, and in intercourse she experiences
normal enjoyment.
I shall now discuss some of the general phenomena of the contrectation
impulse in the child. Sanford Bell has published cases in which as early
as the age of two years psychosexual phenomena have been observed. But
in many of Bell's cases a sexual basis for the feelings of attraction
does not appear to have been adequately proved to exist. Unquestionably,
however, sexual phenomena are more frequently observed in proportion as
the child's age increases. Although in the case of children it is very
difficult for others to arrive at certainty regarding the sexual or
non-sexual character of certain manifestations, still, in the eighth
year of life, the phenomena of the contrectation impulse become so
frequent--I am referring here to personal observations--that at this
time of life these phenomena must be regarded, not merely as not
pathological, but further, as not even abnormal. The older the child
becomes, the more are the phenomena of the contrectation impulse
complicated by those of detumescence. The processes of contrectation,
however, may continue to manifest themselves during the first years of
the period of youth in complete isolation from any apparent changes in
the genital organs. The manifestations of what is known as "calf-love"
commonly occur quite independently of any thought of sexual contact.
Very various are the objects of this early attraction. Often a boy is
attracted by a girl of about his own age; often, again, by a girl
considerably older than himself. On the other hand, as has been
previously shown, when the sexual attraction felt by the boy is
exhibited towards one of his own sex, it may sometimes happen that the
object of attraction is a boy of his own age, sometimes a man
considerably older than himself. By no means rare are sexual
inclinations on the part of boys towards their masters--in some cases a
private tutor; in others, a schoolmaster. With girls similar variations
are observed. A girl may love another girl of her own age, and this is
extremely common in the case of girls at boarding-schools. But a boy, a
friend of her brother's, may be the object of a girl's affection.
Frequently, again, a girl may become attached to some one considerably
older than herself, commonly a master or a governess. Persons playing
some conspicuous part in life very readily inspire love: an artist, for
instance; or an actress, about whom all the papers are writing, and of
whom everyone is talking. In many cases, the personal appearance plays a
considerable part in originating the attraction. At times, indeed,
affection is inspired by individuals devoid of all personal charm. But,
speaking generally, we shall find that to the child, no less than to the
adult, in sexual relationships beauty is by no means indifferent. A
pretty girl is more attractive to a boy than an ugly one. A handsome
master will charm a girl much more than one who is ill-favoured or
deformed. Other qualities besides beauty affect the issue. Effeminate
boys or tomboyish girls are apt to be repulsive to other children; they
are exposed to mockery and teasing of all kinds, and are very unlikely
to give rise to erotic sentiments in their companions. It is by no means
rare for the inclinations of children to be directed towards their own
parents. In the case of many children who are fond of "getting into
mother's bed," sexual sentiments lie at the root of the desire.
Moreover, it is occasionally asserted that sexual differentiation
manifests itself in this connexion in very early childhood, the little
boy preferring to cuddle his mother; the little girl, on the other hand,
to be caressed by her father. In the chapter on diagnosis, I shall
consider the distinction of such sexual inclinations from other
sympathetic feelings manifested in childhood. It is a remarkable fact
that the first sexual inclinations are very rarely directed towards a
child's own brother or sister. I have, indeed, been able to observe a
considerable number of such exceptional instances, both homosexual and
heterosexual in character. But, I repeat, such cases are comparatively
rare. We must not, of course, confuse with genuine sexual inclinations
and acts, cases in which from curiosity alone brothers and sisters
indulge together in obscene conversation and even improper practices.
Unquestionably, the lack of sexual sympathy between brothers and sisters
depends upon a deeply rooted psychological causation. Above all, in this
connexion, we have to bear in mind the slight degree of influence each
exercises on the senses of the other, precisely in consequence of the
long-continued, comparatively unrestrained intercourse between them.
Further, the conventional factors implanted in mankind from earliest
childhood play their part. Many, perhaps, will see an additional cause
in teleological considerations, aiming at the avoidance of in-and-in
breeding.
Many lovers incline to the romantic transfiguration of the object of
their affection, a process in which the imagination plays an important
part; but for this to be possible, it is, of course, necessary that an
age should have been attained at which the imagination is sufficiently
active. The age at which the child has learned to delight in fairy-tales
is here of importance; from the contents of such fairy-tales all kinds
of ideas are transferred to the sexual sphere. Romantic embellishment
plays a great part not merely in childhood, but also later in life; but
in childhood, this tendency often exists to an extraordinary degree. The
person whom a boy loves must be very highly placed; for example, during
the period of the undifferentiated sexual impulse, he prefers a boy of
the highest possible birth. Similarly, a young girl who loves a boy will
invest him in imagination with every possible attribute of distinction
and high rank. Often the love is directed towards a person of no
concrete existence, or towards one who is unattainable.[35] We may
sometimes be in doubt whether we have to do with sexual love, or whether
some other sentiment may not be in operation. For example, the devotion
to some saint of either sex may overpower all other feelings. Where a
child is enamoured of some definite individual, self-deception occurs
just as it does in adults similarly situated. The faults of the beloved
one are imaginatively transmuted into virtues, or any possible excuse is
found for them. Is a boy attracted by a girl known to be habitually
untruthful? Especially when himself unaware that his interest is sexual,
he looks out for every merit she may possibly possess, in order that his
fondness may be justified. Her untruthfulness is transfigured as caution
and cleverness; her vanity becomes neatness; idleness is excused on the
ground that she has to attend to more important duties; and the boy
regards his interest in the girl as exclusively friendly in character,
and as justified by her superlative excellences. Sometimes, in children
no less than in adults, a sexual inclination masquerades as an
educational interest. Thus, under the influence of sexual attraction, a
girl becomes intimate with a boy endowed with various bad qualities and
impulses, and endeavours to utilise this intimacy for the boy's
advantage, in order that he may free himself of his faults as he grows
to manhood. Such a girl may succeed in persuading herself that this
motive is the exclusive cause of her interest in the boy. A similar
combination of educational and sexual motives is, moreover, often
encountered in the case of homosexual sentiments.
The child's sexual inclination may manifest itself in many different
ways. It seeks every opportunity of seeing, of being in close proximity
to, of touching, and of kissing the beloved person. Thus, many a boy
takes part in the common sports, solely because the girl whom he loves
is one of the players. Sanford Bell mentions numerous games in which
children find pleasure chiefly for the reason that kissing plays a
principal part in them. For kissing is one of the leading manifestations
of sexual desire; and another is the wish for close proximity to and for
embracing the beloved person. A mother who kept a close watch on her
eight-year-old daughter told me that when in play a boy of ten pressed
close up against the girl; they kissed one another somewhat
passionately, and the boy broke out in the naïve utterance, "You don't
know how fond I am of you; I do love you so." Not infrequently, indeed,
children are really troublesome to adults in their desire for close
physical contact. I have known instances in which young women or girls
have been intolerably annoyed by boys eight or nine years of age, who
have continually followed them about and pressed up against them; this
has gone on for a long time without those concerned recognising the
sexual foundation of such conduct. Love on the part of children almost
invariably gives rise to the desire for physical contact of some kind.
Of course, other manifestations also occur. Besides the contemplation of
the beloved person, contemplation of his or her picture plays a notable
part. A sexual motive occasionally underlies the wrestling so common
among boys--in such cases it is the manifestation of a desire for
intimate physical contact with the beloved boy. According to Sanford
Bell, a boy and a girl may also wrestle with one another with the same
end in view of attaining intimate contact; and he states that children
lift one another with the same object. Moreover, children are induced to
wrestle by sexual motives of a somewhat different character; the wish is
operative to be overcome by, or, it may be, to overcome, the beloved
boy. Herein we see displayed very clearly those sexual feelings known to
us in adults under the names of masochism and sadism; the same feelings
are occasionally observed also in childhood; in some cases as
manifestations of the undifferentiated sexual impulse, in others as
manifestations of developing sexual perversions.
The more intensely passionate the love of the child, the more
fantastical is its conduct. The child sometimes endeavours to imitate
the beloved person in every detail, often with the most ridiculous
results. A boy's mode of dress, even, may be influenced by his love for
a girl, and still more by his love for another boy. The child tries also
to imitate the movements of the beloved person, and in walking to tread
in the same footsteps. The youthful knight seeks in every possible way
to become pleasing to the girl of his choice, and to exhibit to her
every attention in his power. He does all this, not merely in imitation
of the conduct of grown-up persons, but for the gratification of his own
impulses. Sometimes we are able to observe the changes of mood that
occur in the child when the loved one is present or absent. The boy
bubbles over with joy when the girl he loves draws near; sorrow and
depression overwhelm him when the hour of parting is at hand. All kinds
of fetichistic sentiments are also met with even in childhood. Every
object belonging to the loved one is covered with passionate kisses; and
everything which has been touched by the beloved, has been endowed for
the child-lover with a quite exceptional value. "Those lovely girls whom
kindly or cruel Nature has predestined to awaken desire and to call
forth sighs at every footstep they take, are often unaware that among
the crowd of their admirers are numbered boys also, who have hardly
outgrown the age of childhood, who kiss in secret every flower which
their beloved has let fall, who are happy if they have been able to
steal like thieves into the room in which the fair one has slept, who
kiss the carpet where her foot has pressed, to whom she is the most
wonderful creature in the universe. And when a young woman allows a boy
to sit on the ground beside her, resting his head on her knee, when her
fingers play lightly among his curls, how rarely does she know that his
heart is beating furiously under her caressing touch; when he throws
back his curly head, and she sees that his face is reddened, she does
not know that this is not simply on account of the heat of the fire, but
that he is glowing from the effect of an internal fire whose nature is a
mystery even to himself--the fire of Love."[36]
Children have also ample experience of jealousy. A boy is tortured by
its pangs when he sees his much-loved friend conversing with another. A
girl of ten may suffer from sleepless nights when the governess she
loves has spoken affectionately to another girl. A child may wait for
hours before the door or in the neighbourhood of the beloved person,
simply to snatch a glance in passing. Speaking generally, it appears to
me that children are jealous of adults to a less extent than they are
jealous of children of their own age.
Very frequently even in childhood sexuality gives rise to enduring
imaginative sexual activity. There results that which Hufeland in his
_Makrobiotik_ terms psychical onanism, viz., the imaginative
contemplation of a train of lascivious and voluptuous ideas. In many
instances there even results a poetical treatment of the sexual topic.
Among children, love-letters also play their part. Sometimes, indeed,
their contents is so harmless that the sexual motive remains
unsuspected; but in other cases, the child's sentiments are clearly
displayed, even when the whole character of the letter is extremely
naïve. Sometimes the letter appears out of harmony with the child's
conduct in other respects. For example, I have seen cases in which,
though in conversation children spoke to one another in an impassioned
manner as "darling" and "my dear love," no such expressions were used
by them in their letters. Verses are also composed by comparatively
youthful lovers. As we should expect, such verses are commonly deficient
in the matter of artistic technique. A lady who, when twelve years of
age, had been enamoured of her governess, copied for me from her album
the following verses:--
"Es gibt nichts schöneres auf der Welt,
Als wenn einem ein Wesen besonders gefällt;
Und fühlt man sich gezogen hin
Zu einer süssen Lehrerin,
Das ist ein Glück.
Und liebt man sie so inniglich,
Dann fürchtet wohl gar sehr man sich
Vorm Abschiedtag..."
"Of all things sweet beneath the sun,
The sweetest is to love but one;
And when the object of one's fondness
Is one's darling governess,
Supreme the joy.
And if one love her so intensely,
Then, of course, one dreads immensely
The day of parting...."
In this style the poem continues for some time, and occasionally we come
to verses showing that jealousy was felt:--
"O! Du Pauline sei kein Dieb,
Raub' mir nicht Fräulein ----'s Lieb'.
Die Eifersucht, die quält mich sehr
Und noch mit jedem Tage mehr.
Sie sucht mich heim selbst in der Nacht.
O Liebe, Du hast dies vollbracht."
"Pauline, you my anger move,
Stealing my Miss ----'s love.
From jealousy I've no release;
Day by day my pangs increase;
I've jealous thoughts too in the night.
Love, I suffer from thy might."
Many of the accompaniments of love may make their appearance the very
first time the passion awakens, such as the desire to please and to
astonish the object of affection, whether by mental or by bodily
excellence, A schoolmaster, of whom a child is enamoured, will
frequently find that this child is more obedient and more diligent than
all the others, the child endeavouring in every possible way to inspire
a reciprocal admiration. I remember a girl who during her first years at
school was extremely idle. Although by no means lacking in intelligence,
all the efforts spent on her failed to bring about a proper advance. All
at once she became most industrious; no task was too hard for her, and
everyone wondered at the sudden change, until after a time the enigma
was explained. The child, having conceived a great fondness for her
schoolmistress, wished to please the latter by attention to her lessons.
In addition, she was jealous; afraid lest the mistress should prefer
some other girl. In many instances, where a child's behaviour is
puzzling, such a solution of the riddle will become apparent when it is
looked for. Boys, again, endeavour by feats of strength to make the
greatest possible impression upon the girls of their choice, in
gymnastic exercises, for example, in athletic sports, and games.
Coquetry also occasionally manifests itself very early in life. Girls
try to please boys by their dress, and in similar ways. In boys also
similar phenomena may often be observed.
Vanity, too, plays an important part, and this all the more because a
child often wishes to appear older than his years, and despises childish
ways. If a boy loves a girl several years older than himself, his
sensitive pride will suffer if, as usually happens in such cases, the
girl treats him as a child. Goethe, who at the age of ten was inspired
by such a passion, describes it in _Wahrheit und Dichtung_. "Young
Derones introduced me to his sister, who was a few years older than
myself, a very agreeable girl, well-grown, regularly formed, a brunette,
with black hair and eyes. Her whole expression was quiet, and even sad.
I tried to please her in every possible way, but could not succeed in
attracting her attention. Young girls are apt to regard themselves as
greatly in advance of boys a little younger than themselves, and whilst
they look up to young men, they assume the manners of an aunt towards
any boy who makes them the object of his first love."
The sense of shame makes its appearance in childhood. Havelock Ellis
and others indeed deny this, pointing out how readily shyness is
mistaken for the sense of shame. The error is common enough, but it
certainly does not apply to all cases, for even in childhood we often
enough encounter distinct manifestations of the sexual sense of shame. I
shall not here discuss the question to what extent this sense is innate
and to what extent acquired, since the matter will come up for
consideration in later part of this book. Unquestionably, during
childhood, the sense of shame in respect of certain processes may be
awakened by means of imitation and education. Thus we may observe that
many children, boys as well as girls, are greatly distressed, at any
rate during the second period of childhood, at having to undress in the
presence of others, and especially in the presence of persons of the
opposite sex. It is interesting to learn that many homosexuals declare
that even during childhood they felt ashamed when they were compelled to
undress before someone of their own sex, whereas in the presence of a
person of the opposite sex they were comparatively unashamed.
Sanford Bell is of opinion that girl-children, although in them as in
boys the sense of shame awakens comparatively early, are yet more
aggressive than boys. I have not myself been able to observe any such
difference. In the earlier years of childhood I have been unable to
detect any notable difference in this respect between the sexes; but
during the latter part of the second period of childhood, boys are
unquestionably more active. In general, the girl-child, when in love,
displays far less coyness and reserve than the young woman. In this
respect the difference between children and adults is most marked. A
girl of eleven, for example, will not make any difficulties about the
exchange of love-letters with the boy she loves, or about appointments
for secret meetings; whereas the young woman, at any rate when
well-behaved and well brought up, is cautious in such matters. But none
the less, I cannot admit that girls are more free in their behaviour in
these respects than boys. We must not forget that many typical sexual
differences do not develop until later in life; for this reason, if we
observe in respect of the sense of shame that girls seem somewhat
defective, we must contrast their condition with that which will
subsequently develop as age advances, and not expect to find prematurely
in the girl a keener sense of shame than is exhibited by the boy.
Sanford Bell believes that at a certain period during childhood, namely,
between eight and twelve years of age, manifestations of love are less
noticeable than either earlier or later. He alleges as the reason of
this that at this particular age the child tends to conceal its fondness
from others, and perhaps even from the person beloved; hence it is
difficult during these years to observe the phenomena. According to this
view, the difference is apparent merely, and depends only upon greater
secretiveness. It may, indeed, be regarded as proved that in the course
of development, especially in the case of boys, there are certain years
during which children are less inclined to seek the company of those of
the opposite sex than either before or afterwards. This occurs
especially during the period of hobbledehoyhood, during which boys take
pleasure above all in rough sports. It has, indeed, been suggested that
this phenomenon has a teleological significance, that nature is here
pursuing a quite definite aim, to minimise by means of sexual antipathy
the danger attendant on the awakening of the sexual impulse. We must
not, however, over-value this self-help of the part of nature [if it
exists], since, if boys and girls avoid one another, the perverse
activities of the undifferentiated sexual impulse may very readily
appear in place of the suppressed heterosexual manifestations.
In the child, the moods of the amatory sentiment are exceedingly
variable. To-day, the love may be romantic in character; to-morrow, on
the other hand, rather sensual. To-day, a girl is enamoured of some
friend of her father's; to-morrow, she is in love with some little
friend of her brother's, or with one of her schoolmasters. A little
later, a member of her own sex becomes the object of passion, a
girl-friend of her own, or some actress of note. In general, especially,
too, when the stage of the undifferentiated impulse has not been
well-marked, we notice that as the years pass the inclination gradually
comes to relate to older persons. Since the period of childhood embraces
a comparatively small number of years, it is naturally not easy to
establish this point with mathematical precision; but I have been led to
form such an opinion by questioning a large number of persons of either
sex. In this respect we sometimes observe that which, in the _Satyricon_
of Petronius, Quartilla said long ago, when young Giton is united to the
seven-year-old Pannychis. In free phraseology, Quartilla assures us that
she has no remembrance of ever having been a virgin. "When I was a
child, I made use of children for this purpose; as I became older,
bigger boys served my turn; and thus, from stage to stage, I attained my
present age."
Thus we can explain how it sometimes happens that a fondness conceived
in childhood may endure on into adult life, and may even culminate in
marriage. In large towns, indeed, such an occurrence is comparatively
rare, but in small towns and in the country, quite a number of instances
have been brought to my notice. As children, the two have grown up
together. Their reciprocal fondness originated long prior to the
formation of any conscious sexual sentiments; subsequently, when such
sentiments have arisen, and the sexual impulse has awakened, it is
natural that sexual relations should often ensue. Since in the country
(in contrast with large towns, in which prostitution is commonly
rampant) premarital sexual intercourse is comparatively frequent, we can
readily understand that such a relationship as has been described will
often culminate in marriage, for in the country marriage is far less
often prevented by the occurrence of pre-marital intercourse than it is
in large towns.
On the whole, however, the amatory manifestations of childhood are of
brief duration. Separation at first gives rise to spiritual pain, but
this is as a rule soon forgotten; similarly when the beloved one is
snatched away by death, the child's grief is not enduring. Commonly such
painful emotions speedily pass away; and whether the parting is due to
death or to other causes, a new passion is apt shortly to replace the
old. In exceptional cases, however, the death of the beloved one, or
separation otherwise effected, may, even in the child lead to suicide or
to severe nervous disturbances.
Hitherto I have spoken of the processes of detumescence and
contrectation as isolated manifestations. As regards the relationships
between these respective processes, there are various possibilities. In
the first place, one may exist when the other is absent, that is to say,
the phenomena of detumescence or the phenomena of contrectation may
appear in isolation. Secondly, the two processes may be in complete
association each with the other. A boy of thirteen years feels the
impulse to draw near to a girl, and to kiss her; when this close contact
takes place, erection ensues. Of all the cases known to me, the earliest
age at which such a phenomenon occurred is given in a case published by
Féré.[37]
Two cousins, boy and girl, were playmates from the time they were both
about three years old. They played at being man and wife; and when they
were not actually together, the boy's imagination was occupied with the
subject. He thought continually about it, and when he was in bed at
night erection occurred, accompanied by an agreeable sensation. He went
to sleep, and dreamed that other persons got into bed with him and
touched him. Among these persons was the little girl, his cousin. Such
dreams recurred very frequently; the girl, moreover, was constantly in
his waking thoughts. As he grew older, his fondness persisted; but when
at the age of seventeen he made up his mind to tell his cousin of his
love for her, she became engaged to someone else. Consequently he
suffered from severe nervous shock.