The Sexual Life Of The Child Part 4

In most cases, the complete a.s.sociation of the processes of detumescence and contrectation, such as occurs in the impulse towards coitus, first takes place at a somewhat later age. This is so even when the sensory element, which const.i.tutes a part also of the contrectation impulse, has been already clearly manifested. The contrectation impulse does not consist solely in this, that the boy experiences a purely spiritual love for the girl; it may rather happen that certain definite s.e.xual bodily peculiarities in a woman attract him. When such a boy one day unexpectedly sees a girl's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, this may exercise on him a powerful stimulus. Similarly, I have known instances in which, in the absence of any evidence of definite seduction, a woman's genital organs have excited a very young boy, without arousing any idea in his mind of contact between _his own_ genitals and those of the woman. Conversely, on many girls, masculine attributes, and especially the male genital organs, sometimes exert a stimulating influence. But in these cases also, the complete fusion of the processes of detumescence and contrectation occurs very gradually. Sometimes the boy himself is greatly astonished to discover that close contact with a person whom he loves leads to erection and even e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n. At the outset the impulse is much less definite than it is in adults. It is by gradual stages only that the sense of indefinite longing develops into the impulse towards s.e.xual union in coitus; at first the imagination contemplates pictures of a quite indefinite character.

Although, as we have seen, the processes both of detumescence and of contrectation may manifest themselves primarily in childhood as a.s.sociated conscious sensations, by far the most common event is for the processes of contrectation to appear separately, before those of detumescence. From an inquiry relating to eighty-six heteros.e.xual men, who to the best of my belief were s.e.xually normal, I ascertained that in more than 75 per cent., the feelings of contrectation appeared first, and not until after this had happened was the boy's consciousness attracted by sensations in the genital organs. This appears rather remarkable, inasmuch as we must a.s.sume that in the phylogeny of our species the processes of detumescence appeared earlier. Originally, in the earlier ancestral types, reproduction was effected by fission or gemmation (simple division or budding), without any necessity for conjugation with another individual of the species; and reproduction by gemmation corresponds to the processes of detumescence, to the e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n of the spermatozoa by the male. But although in most individuals the processes of detumescence make their appearance in consciousness only in a secondary manner, it does not follow that in the actual course of development they are also secondary. They do not, indeed, enter so early the sphere of conscious impulses, but there is a considerable amount of evidence to show that important processes are going on in the external genital organs long before consciousness is directly affected by these processes--consider, for example, the consequences of early castration.

CASE 5.--This is a typical example of the primary awakening of the contrectation impulse, and the secondary superposition of the phenomena of detumescence. The patient is a man thirty-two years of age, somewhat neurasthenic, but, as far as I could ascertain, free from any other morbid manifestations. "At the age of seven I went to school; at first to a private school, in which little boys and girls were co-educated. In our playtime also the s.e.xes were not separated; the girls came as friends to my house, and I visited them at theirs. Soon I became especially intimate with one of the girls; we did our lessons together.

Thus it went on until I was nine years old, when I went to a school for boys only. My friends.h.i.+p with the girl at the other school persisted, however; we met from time to time, and all the more readily because a friends.h.i.+p had sprung up between our respective parents; they used to make holiday journeys together, and we children went with them. From the time when we were first at school together, this girl had always been more dear to me than the others, I do not know what it was in her by which I was particularly charmed. Was it that her general appearance seemed sympathetic to me; was it her abundant fair hair, her clear blue eyes, or her frank and natural manner? I do not know. But I remember quite distinctly that this same girl was a favourite with the other boys also, that they preferred to play with her, to have her as their companion. But it was to me that the girl, and perhaps her parents also, gave the preference. There was never any impropriety in our mutual relations; indeed, it is probable that I loved her too much for anything of the kind to be possible. Every night, before I went to sleep, I prayed to G.o.d to watch over this girl. As I have said before, my fondness was reciprocated; we often spoke to one another about our love, and of our dreams of the happy days to come, when we should be grown up, and should become man and wife. This was quite a settled matter; we had arranged every detail, how the wedding should be conducted, and whom we should invite to the ceremony. With this girl I shared all my possessions, although before I knew her I had been considered close-fisted. I was often angry when in games with the other girls she failed to win. In a word I can truthfully declare that I have hardly ever since loved so fondly and so sincerely as I did then. When I went to the boys' school, it was no longer possible for us to be together as much as before. Thus it came to pa.s.s, that the less we saw of one another, the less were my thoughts occupied with this girl. But I cannot remember that my fondness for her was ever replaced by a similar pa.s.sion for a boy; nor, speaking generally, can I recall having ever at any time had any kind of s.e.xual inclination towards one of my own s.e.x. I would not venture absolutely to deny that this ever occurred; but, bearing in mind what I have learned from you on several occasions, I have carefully taxed my memory, and can only repeat what I told you at first, that I remember nothing of the kind. Somewhat later, in my dreams, boys occasionally played a part, but I cannot recall that these dreams about boys had any s.e.xual complexion. They were vague images of boys sympathetic to me, but these dreams were not accompanied by any excitement of the genital organs, or by any other s.e.xual manifestation.

When I was thirteen years of age, my parents and those of my girl-friend had taken us to spend the summer at a seaside resort. The girl and I played together on the seash.o.r.e, and occasionally, though we were now somewhat old for such an amus.e.m.e.nt, we dug sand-castles. As small children we had from time to time embraced one another, but a kiss had been the most intimate contact we had experienced. One day we were playing on the sh.o.r.e--I remember it very distinctly--and were rolling about together in the sand; thus occupied we came into close physical contact, and thereupon I had an erection. I remember too that the sensation of this was very agreeable. I cannot describe this agreeable feeling with precision, but there was no sense of s.e.xual gratification, nor definite voluptuous sensation. From this time forward I always had the desire for close bodily contact with the girl. Moreover she was continually in my thoughts, and this to a much greater extent than formerly. It was my desire to gain a harmless pleasure by being always with her; it was impossible for me to imagine that we should ever be separated. I had naturally heard a great deal about marriage. With these and with similar thoughts I was occupied, but I cannot recall my thoughts in a more detailed manner. But to this day I remember very clearly my desire that the girl and I should never be separated from one another. We returned home, and in the ensuing winter, as in previous winters, we met at intervals. Naturally, physical contact was now much more difficult. One night I had a dream with seminal emission. Then, as for a long time before, I had been thinking a great deal about the girl; I dreamed of one of the scenes on the seash.o.r.e which I have just described; it was in this dream that I had my first seminal emission. My fondness for the girl persisted. Only when she left the day-school in the town, and was sent away to a boarding-school, did my pa.s.sion gradually abate. At first when she went away, I felt very unhappy and very lonely. My parents forced me to go out for walks with other boys and to play with them; I did so only with the greatest reluctance.

Later, the girl did not disappear completely from my circle of acquaintances, but I lost all interest in her. From school I went to the university, having just before begun to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e. From the time I went to the university until the present day I have occasionally had intercourse with women, and my s.e.xual development has been perfectly normal."

In so far as in what has gone before I have described the individual processes, there appear to be no important differences between the boy and the girl, over and above those dependent upon the different structure of the genital organs in the respective s.e.xes. But one notable difference must now be indicated. Just as in adult life in the female s.e.x s.e.xual anaesthesia is very frequently observed, so that in coitus the specific voluptuous sensation is wanting, and indeed often enough the impulse to coitus itself is actually in abeyance (whereas in men the s.e.xual impulse and s.e.xual pleasure are very rarely absent), so also in the case of children a similar difference between the s.e.xes is conspicuous. In female children the peripheral processes of the s.e.xual impulse are, comparatively speaking, far less active than in the case of males. Thus it happens that, although in the girl the phenomena of the contrectation impulses are hardly, if at all, less conspicuous than they are in the boy, and appear at as early an age in the former as they do in the latter, yet in respect of detumescence there is an important distinction between girls and boys. A girl who has fallen in love with a boy will be greatly interested in all his doings, and will gladly embrace and even kiss him; but she will be far less disposed to proceed to actions in which the genital organs play a part than would a boy with a like affection for a girl. The same rule holds good when, in the undifferentiated stage of the s.e.xual impulse, h.o.m.os.e.xual sentiments and practices ensue. In such cases, when girls are concerned, caresses of all kinds will follow, but the genital organs will in all probability not be involved; whereas in the case of an a.n.a.logous fondness between two boys, manipulation of the genital organs is very likely to occur.

h.o.m.os.e.xual intimacies between girls are far more often platonic than similar intimacies between boys.

I have had occasion several times to allude to the practice of masturbation[38] by children, and will now proceed to give a more detailed description. I have previously alluded to masturbation as a manifestation of the detumescence impulse. Much more frequently, however, it occurs in those in whom the phenomena of the contrectation impulse have also been previously manifested. Sometimes it is a purely organic act, the individual masturbating in the entire absence of any imaginative s.e.xual ideas; but at other times the imagination plays a notable part in the process, alike in children and in adults. When an imaginative idea is concerned in the process of masturbation, it is the idea of the object of the contrectation impulse; that is to say, the boy when masturbating thinks now of a girl, now, again (and this especially during the undifferentiated stage of the s.e.xual impulse), of a boy, or in many cases of an adult; in the cases of girls who m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e similar relations.h.i.+ps obtain, Just as during youth masturbation is more commonly practised in a.s.sociation with than without imaginative s.e.xual ideas, so also is it in the case of children; and even though imaginative activity may often be in abeyance when the masturbatory act is begun, during the progress of the act the imagination usually comes into operation. None the less, masturbation of a purely mechanical kind, in which the imagination plays no part, is comparatively more common during childhood than it is during youth. The peripheral processes of the detumescence impulse and the central processes of the contrectation impulse are not at this early age so intimately a.s.sociated as they are later in life.

Even when the contrectation impulse is already awakened, as usually happens before the detumescence impulse becomes active, when the detumescence impulse finally manifests itself, its gratification by means of masturbation without any imaginative activity is comparatively common in children. In such cases artificial stimulation of the genital organs is effected quite independently of the longing for intimate physical contact with and the embraces of another individual.

In an earlier chapter (pp. 31, 32) I have explained that in the adult the voluptuous sensation is closely a.s.sociated with the psychos.e.xual perceptions, a.s.sociated, that is to say, with the mode of the contrectation impulse; I stated that as a rule the voluptuous sensation was experienced to the full in those cases only in which the s.e.xual act was one adequate to the contrectation impulse of the person concerned.

But when the a.s.sociation between the processes of detumescence and those of contrectation has not yet occurred, the voluptuous sensation is independent of the contrectation impulse. This explains the fact that in the child both the peripheral voluptuous sensation, and also the voluptuous acme and the sense of satisfaction, are more frequently independent of the processes of contrectation than is the case in the adult Gradually the two groups of processes become a.s.sociated with one another; and, as we have learned, this a.s.sociation frequently occurs even in childhood. In the latter case, the voluptuous acme and the subjective sense of satisfaction ensue only when the s.e.xual act or the s.e.xual idea is adequate. But we must always remember that in the child more often than in the adult the voluptuous acme and the sense of satisfaction occur independently of the processes of contrectation.

An e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n of fluid secretions does not invariably occur when masturbation is practised. Whereas in the adult masturbation ordinarily culminates in e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, in the child this is not usually the case; at any rate, as regards many children the occurrence of e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n is not demonstrable. I refer in this connexion to what I have already stated on page 54 _et seq._ It is self-evident from what has been previously said that during the second period of childhood masturbation is more likely than during the first period to culminate in e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n.

The methods by which the artificial stimulation of the genital organs is effected are extremely variable. The commonest way to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e is with the hands, but this is by no means the invariable practice. All kinds of little artifices are employed, partly to render it possible to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e un.o.bserved in the presence of others, and partly in order to increase the intensity of the stimulus. Boys sometimes manipulate their genital organs through their trouser pockets; some even make a hole in the pocket to enable them to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e more effectually. In other cases, children, especially girls, lean against some article of furniture--a chair or a table--apparently in a harmless manner, but really in such a way that pressure is exercised upon the genital organs, which are stimulated by pressure or friction. In some, strong mechanical stimulation is required; in others, weaker stimuli suffice, because the way has previously been sufficiently prepared by psychical processes. In female children frequently, but less often in males, masturbation is effected by rubbing the crossed thighs one against the other. We learn from many girls that they tie a knot in the nightgown or chemise, and m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e by rubbing this against the genital organs. I must allude also to horseback riding, working the treadle of a sewing machine, cycling, the vibration of a carriage or railway train in motion; we must, however, be careful not to attach undue importance to these factors of masturbation, for in such cases much depends upon the individuality, and much also upon the external mechanical conditions--- as, for instance, on the construction of the saddle used in cycling and the like. In the case of the male genital organs, the glans p.e.n.i.s is the most sensitive portion, and mechanical stimulation of this structure in especial is likely to induce the practice of masturbation; in the case of the female genital organs, on the other hand, it is the c.l.i.toris which is most sensitive, and of which, therefore, we have especially to think in this connexion. But there is a tendency to overestimate the proportion of cases in which stimulation of the glans p.e.n.i.s, in the male, or the c.l.i.toris, in the female, is the exciting cause of masturbation. In a very large number of cases of masturbation, it is not the glans, but some other portion of the p.e.n.i.s, which is the focus of stimulation. In girls, also, in numerous instances, masturbation is effected by stimulation of the l.a.b.i.a minora, and I am inclined to believe that the importance of the l.a.b.i.a minora is in this respect not inferior to that of the c.l.i.toris. In solitude, and above all in bed, masturbation can naturally be effected much more readily. Some little girls grasp a pillow between their legs in such a way as to give rise to a masturbatory stimulus. Others introduce cylindrical objects into the v.a.g.i.n.a, a practice much commoner among fully-grown girls than among children. Still, physicians are sometimes called on to remove such articles from the v.a.g.i.n.ae of quite little girls. But it is an error to suppose that the hymen is frequently ruptured by practices of this kind; the rupture of the hymen is far too painful for it to be likely to be effected during masturbation.

Erogenic zones, that is to say, areas of the surface of the body whose stimulation gives rise, directly or indirectly, to voluptuous sensations, are met with often in early childhood. First of all we have those parts of the genital organs mentioned in the last paragraph; secondly, other regions of the body. Thus, in some individuals, stimulation of the a.n.a.l and gluteal regions gives rise to voluptuous sensations. Freud[39] maintains that voluntary retention of the faeces is utilised for this purpose, but this appears to me very doubtful. In many children, however, gentle scratching of the a.n.a.l region or the b.u.t.tocks, and also more powerful stimulation of the gluteal region, such as occurs in flagellation, are a.s.sociated with s.e.xual excitement. Some children, with this end in view, stimulate the a.n.a.l region with the finger or with some instrument. Other erogenic zones are also at times found in children, but not often; whereas in adults such erogenic zones are numerous, but differ greatly in different individuals. In this connexion, I need merely allude to the production of voluptuous sensations by tickling the nape of the neck.

Attempts have often been made to determine the comparative frequency of masturbation in the two s.e.xes. On one point at least all writers are agreed, viz., that of boys an overwhelming majority m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e occasionally. The only point in dispute is whether there are any exceptions. For my own part, I am confident that exceptions exist. I have received direct information on the point from leading men of science, and from others whose absolute veracity I have never had any reason to doubt. Healthy men, endowed with a normal s.e.xual impulse, are occasionally to be found who have never m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed at all. I go further, and believe that such persons are by no means so rare as many authorities maintain. Nevertheless, as regards the male s.e.x, differences of opinion are, after all, not very extensive, since it is only in relation to a minority that these differences exist. But when we pa.s.s to the question of the extent of masturbation among girls, the differences become more acute. On this point also I have endeavoured to obtain exact information by means of numerous inquiries, with the following results. Among girls, masturbation is less general than it is among boys. Among those who have never m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed during girlhood, we find women who as adults have powerful s.e.xual impulse. On the other hand, many girls who m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e do so very often. I believe, indeed, that cases in which masturbation is performed twice or thrice in brief succession are _relatively_ commoner among girls than they are among boys. As regards this point my own experience harmonises with that of Guttceit.[40] On the other hand, Guttceit's a.s.sumption that almost all girls who attain the age of eighteen or twenty years without any opportunity for s.e.xual intercourse practise masturbation conflicts with my own experience. I am acquainted with a number of women of a fairly ardent temperament who do not m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e, although they have no opportunity for s.e.xual intercourse. Moreover, this view is confirmed by the common experience regarding the relative s.e.xual anaesthesia of women; it is an admitted fact that complete s.e.xuality is in women far less readily awakened than it is in men.

I must take this opportunity of referring at some length to a matter which, though somewhat obscure, is none the less profoundly interesting.

In many instances s.e.xual excitement occurs in children as the result of a feeling of anxiety; in boys such anxiety may lead to e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, with or without erection, and with more or less voluptuous sensation. A schoolboy informed me that he had had a seminal emission with a slight sense of voluptuous pleasure when in cla.s.s he was in difficulties with a pa.s.sage of unseen translation, and he was afraid he would be unable to finish the pa.s.sage before the end of the lesson. Another reported to me a precisely similar experience; he was overcome with anxiety during a written examination, and had a seminal emission. A third had an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n when, being detected in some offence against school discipline, he was sent for by the headmaster, and was afraid he would be expelled. Quite a number of similar cases have been reported to me of s.e.xual excitement occurring in childhood as a sequel to anxiety. I have recorded the facts, and do not propose to discuss exhaustively the theoretical aspect of the matter. Perhaps the phenomenon is allied to masochism, since anxiety is to a certain extent painful. We may also, in this connexion, think of the seminal emissions sometimes observed in cases of suicidal hanging. Freud's theory may also be mentioned, that the anxiety-neurosis is referable to certain s.e.xual processes; but we must not forget that Freud makes a similar a.s.sumption in the case of other neuroses as well. Stekel,[41] one of Freud's pupils, in an elaborate monograph, also lays stress on the s.e.xual factor of the anxiety-neurosis. In my own view, however, Freud's generalisation is too comprehensive; inasmuch as he symbolises all things in accordance with his own peculiar preconceptions, the concept s.e.xual receives, in his hands, an undue extension. But I do not deny the occasional a.s.sociation of s.e.xual excitement with a sense of anxiety. Certain boys would appear to have a peculiar predisposition to the occurrence of such processes; at any rate, several persons have told me that during childhood they had frequently had e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns as a result of feelings of anxiety. As a rule, however, each of these persons has had such an experience either once only, or but very few times. Two identical instances have been reported to me as occurring in girls--e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n with an indefinite voluptuous sensation as a sequel of anxiety. These girls were from thirteen to fourteen years of age. In one of the two, the phenomenon recurred several times; and even at the present day, when she is a fully-grown woman, she occasionally experiences e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n in connexion with a feeling of anxiety.

CASE 6.--A student, twenty years of age, described his experiences to me in the following terms:--As regards his s.e.xual development, he remembers that he was sixteen years of age when he first experienced s.e.xual sensations. Before this time he had been told by other boys about s.e.xual intercourse, masturbation, and many other things. He had, however, never m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed, though he had once or twice attempted to do so. One day, when he was in the Upper Second Cla.s.s, a mathematical problem was given out, and as he found a difficulty in solving it, he became anxious, all the more because his chances of promotion to a higher cla.s.s were largely dependent on his success. When he had barely finished half the necessary calculations, the master announced that there were only ten minutes left, at the end of which time the exercise books would be collected. Thereupon his anxiety became extreme, and simultaneously he experienced his first seminal emission. He is unable to give a more detailed description of what occurred, and does not remember having had an erection; but, as he expresses it, the sensation was extremely pleasant. Subsequently, when in the First Cla.s.s, the same experience recurred several times, that is to say, he had a seminal emission as a result of a similar feeling of anxiety. In other respects his s.e.xual development was normal. Seminal dreams were accompanied by the idea of contact with a woman. On one occasion, however, he had a seminal emission during the night in a.s.sociation with a feeling of anxiety. He dreamed that he was being pursued by a mad dog, when suddenly he became, as it were, paralysed and unable to run a single step further. The consequent acute anxiety culminated in emission.

During sleep, s.e.xually mature men and many s.e.xually mature women have from time to time involuntary s.e.xual o.r.g.a.s.ms;[42] these occur chiefly in persons without opportunities for s.e.xual intercourse, who do not practise masturbation. In such involuntary o.r.g.a.s.ms the male e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.es s.e.m.e.n, the female indifferent glandular secretions. As a rule, the e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n is accompanied not merely by a voluptuous sensation, but also by a psychical process corresponding with the mode of s.e.xual sensibility of the person concerned. A normal man during the o.r.g.a.s.m dreams that he is embracing a woman; a normal woman that she is embracing a man; a h.o.m.os.e.xual man dreams of the embraces of another man.

The dream-e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n is distinguished from the waking act of intercourse to this extent, that in the former the e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n usually takes place during the preparatory stages to the act of intercourse--during kissing, physical contact, or the embrace--so that the dream stops short of complete s.e.xual intercourse. But in other respects the dream ordinarily corresponds to the psychical processes of the waking state. The same correspondence exists as regards s.e.xual dreams that do not culminate in e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n. Children also experience s.e.xual dreams either with or without o.r.g.a.s.m. In those who have never m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed in the waking state, a s.e.xual dream is commonly the cause of the first experience of e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n; and this occurs more often than is generally believed. More especially in the female s.e.x I have come across many cases in which the o.r.g.a.s.m made a primary appearance during sleep.

In both s.e.xes alike it is usual for psychos.e.xual phenomena to manifest themselves before the erotic dream makes its appearance; a boy, for instance, will during his waking life have felt an attraction towards members of the other s.e.x before he has begun to dream of embracing a girl. We must not, however, forget that, apart from those cases in which a dream beyond question first unveils to consciousness the psychos.e.xual life, dreams are forgotten very rapidly indeed, especially when the memory is not stimulated by so vivid an occurrence as the s.e.xual o.r.g.a.s.m.

Hence, even though it is true that the psychos.e.xual life commonly appears to begin during the waking state, we must admit that it is quite likely that psychos.e.xual dreams may have previously occurred and have been forgotten. Thus, in many individuals, s.e.xual perversions make their first appearance in dreams. It has even been suggested that dreams may exercise a similar influence to that of post-hypnotic suggestion; that is to say, that a dream may be the actual originating cause of s.e.xual perversion. This is a matter which I cannot discuss further, more especially in view of the fact that the whole idea is too hypothetical.

The earlier the age at which the child begins to ripen s.e.xually, the earlier do s.e.xual dreams and nocturnal e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns make their appearance. I have known of numerous instances in which children ten or eleven years of age have had s.e.xual dreams; occasionally, even, I have been informed of the occurrence of such dreams in children of seven or eight years of age. In children, as in adults, the object which is s.e.xually exciting in the waking state plays a leading part in the s.e.xual dream. But in the s.e.xual dreams of children the imagination is even more active than it is in the s.e.xual dreams of adults. All kinds of perverse dreams may, in children, accompany the emission, even when the corresponding ideas have no erotic a.s.sociation in the waking state.

Things of which the child has learned from fairy tales, stories of robbers, of imprisoned or enchanted princesses, princes, fettered slaves--all may play a part in the psychos.e.xual processes of the dream-life. Anyone unaware of the fact that in the great majority of children this tendency disappears spontaneously in the course of the further development of the s.e.xual life might too readily infer the existence of some morbid perversion. In such instances we must, indeed, bear in mind the possibility of s.e.xual perversion, especially in view of the fact that s.e.xually perverse adults are often able to trace back into childhood the memory of s.e.xual dreams characteristic of their peculiar type of perversion. Occasionally the feelings of anxiety of which we have spoken above may, even in dreams, lead to the occurrence of involuntary e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns. Thus we are told of dreams of pursuit by robbers or by wild animals, or of dreams of missing a train the dreamer has been running to catch, in which e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns occur. In isolated cases the dreams of children which are a.s.sociated with e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns may be quite indistinct; in such cases, just as sometimes in the s.e.xual dreams of adults, it is impossible to recognise any definite relations.h.i.+p to the psychos.e.xual feelings of the waking state. In this connexion no difference between the s.e.xes can be shown to exist, except this, that, at any rate as far as my own experience goes, nocturnal e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns are much more often absent in girls than in boys.

Occasionally, manual or other artificial stimulation of the genital organs is effected during sleep; I have myself known several instances of this, both in boys and in girls. In several cases, at least, there were satisfactory grounds for believing that we were not concerned with masturbation practised at night in the waking state, but all the indications pointed to the fact that the processes wore carried on unconsciously during sleep. In isolated cases I have had children watched throughout the night, in order to clear up this point, and my conclusion was thus confirmed that children do at times play with the genital organs during sleep.

A cla.s.sical description of her first nocturnal o.r.g.a.s.m is given by Madame Roland in her _Memoires Particuliers_,[43] written during the last months of her life in prison in Paris at the time of the Terror. She menstruated for the first time, she informs us, soon after she had been partially enlightened regarding s.e.xual matters by her grandmother. Even before menstruation began, she had experienced s.e.xual excitement in dreams. "I had sometimes been awakened from a deep sleep in a most remarkable manner. My imagination played no part in what occurred; it was occupied with far more serious matters, and my tender conscience was far too strictly on guard against the deliberate pursuit of pleasure for me to make any attempt to dwell in imagination on what I regarded as a forbidden province of thought. But an extraordinary outbreak awakened my senses from their quiet slumber, and, my const.i.tution being a very vigorous one, a process whose nature and cause were equally unknown to me made its appearance spontaneously. The first result of this experience was the onset of great mental anguish; I had learned from my 'Philothea'[44] that it was forbidden to enjoy any bodily pleasure, except in lawful wedlock; this teaching recurred to my mind; the sensations I had experienced could certainly be described as pleasurable; I had, therefore, committed a sin, and, indeed, a sin of the most shameful and grievous character, because it was the sin most of all displeasing to the Lamb without blemish and without spot. Great disturbance of mind, prayers and penances; how could I avoid a repet.i.tion of the offence? for I had not foreseen it in any way, but in the moment of the experience I had taken no trouble to prevent it. My watchfulness became extreme; I noticed that when lying in certain positions I was more exposed to the danger, and I avoided these positions with anxious conscientiousness. My uneasiness became so great that ultimately I came to wake up before the catastrophe. When unable to prevent it, I would jump out of bed, and, notwithstanding the cold of winter, stand bare-footed on the polished floor, crossing my arms, and praying earnestly to G.o.d to guard me from the snares of Satan." She goes on to describe her subsequent attempts to mortify the flesh by means of fasting.

I have hitherto described the individual s.e.xual processes which are observed during childhood, I have already explained that in some, one process, in some, another process, is alone present, or, at any rate, preponderates. For instance, a girl may be s.e.xually attracted towards a boy without the genital organs playing any conscious part in the attraction. But the converse may also occur. Moreover, the strength of the s.e.xual feeling is subject to extensive individual variations. In some children the s.e.xual impulse is so powerful that scandalous misconduct can hardly be avoided; on the other hand, we see cases in which the s.e.xual impulse manifests itself at the normal age, but is so weak that it can scarcely be said to play any important part in the consciousness of the child. This is true of both components of the s.e.xual impulse, of the phenomena of contrectation, no less than of those of detumescence. Formerly it was very generally believed that in s.e.xually perverse persons the s.e.xual sensations awakened unusually early in life. There is no foundation for this view. Normal s.e.xual sensations can be detected very early in childhood. The existence of these was ignored, simply because the study of the normal was neglected for the study of the perverse. Moreover, the strength of the s.e.xual sensations has no necessary a.s.sociation with the existence of perversions; these latter sometimes occur without being particularly strong. On the other hand, qualitatively normal s.e.xual sensations may be a.s.sociated with s.e.xual hyperaesthesia, and they may attain a notable strength even during childhood.

In the third chapter I showed that in childhood the s.e.xes are differentiated both physically and mentally, altogether apart from the genital organs and the s.e.xual impulse; and I pointed out that games in particular afforded indications of mental s.e.xual differentiation. Many games, indeed, may even be regarded as direct manifestations of the s.e.xual impulse, and I must therefore now return to the consideration of this topic; but I shall confine myself to certain phenomena observable in the animal world, since the games of animals are, in this connexion, so much simpler than those of children. Play const.i.tutes a major part of the activities of young animals; think, for instance, of a kitten playing with a hanging ta.s.sel or with a ball, of puppies chasing one another, and of young birds playing with fluttering wings. The games of young animals often exhibit the character of love-games, and are in that case s.e.xually differentiated. Various authors, and especially Brehm, have recorded numerous examples of this; I give here a few instances, quoted from Groos.[45] The young male, even before its t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es have developed, woos the female by movements, song, or other characteristic sounds. The female, also s.e.xually immature, responds coquettishly to these advances of the male. Song, which Brehm regards as a sign of the awakening of love, makes its appearance at an age when the animal is still unfitted for the reproductive act.

"Young magpies (_Corvus pica_) address one another in September, and often in August and in October, in consecutive clucking notes, and in this way make exactly the same kind of noise that they are always heard making in early spring just before the pairing season. The young male green woodp.e.c.k.e.r (_Picus viridica.n.u.s_) sings in September as beautifully as in April, as I have myself heard more than once; the young great spotted woodp.e.c.k.e.r (_Picus major_) may even be heard at times in autumn, just as in spring, making his characteristic tapping sound as he explores hard branches in search of insects. Both varieties of creeper begin to sing before they have changed their youthful plumage; their song closely resembles that of the adult birds in spring, but the note is somewhat shorter and weaker. Similarly, both the German varieties of crossbill commonly begin to sing before losing the plumage characteristic of youth. Young house-sparrows and hedge-sparrows not only chatter and swear at one another like the full-grown birds at pairing time, but also like the latter the young birds distend their throats, let their wings droop, peck at one another, and in fact behave as exactly as they will next spring when fully grown. Young linnets also begin to sing before losing their youthful plumage, learn to sing well during the moulting season, and often continue to warble right on into the winter; in a mild winter young linnets will sing just as well as old ones. The young woodlark begins to sing as soon as its first moulting is nearly over, and not only does this when perching, but flies aloft like the adult bird in the spring-time, and soars for a long time, singing continually. t.i.tmice all sing when still quite young, but more especially the large crested t.i.tmouse and the marsh t.i.tmouse; the notes of the young marsh t.i.tmouse are precisely similar to those with which in spring the adult bird sings to his mate; and as regards the crested t.i.tmouse, in October 1821, I observed a young male bird making advances of a most marked character to a young hen, whilst the hen drooped its wings and spread out its tail--in short, these two young birds were behaving exactly as do the full-grown birds before pairing in the spring. The young c.o.c.k starling conducts itself precisely as if it wished to pair. At the beginning of September, as soon as moulting is completed, this bird returns to its birthplace, apparently in order to take possession of the nest. It perches on the tree-top, just like the full-grown bird in March, and sings almost for the whole morning. While still perching, it flaps its wings, quarrels with and chases other young starlings; sometimes it even creeps into the hollow tree or other hiding-place containing the nest in which it was hatched. The yellow wagtail sings while still in its youthful plumage, and the young birds chase one another about while in this condition; during and immediately after the first moulting, these birds produce peculiar trilling notes, identical with those with which in April the c.o.c.k bird salutes his mate, and they may also be seen in the remarkable fluttering flight characteristic of many birds in the pairing season. The grey wood wren begins to sing before the first moulting, but sings more powerfully during and after moulting, right on into the month of October, singing like a full-grown bird. At the same time this bird twists the body from side to side, and moves the tail to and fro; it quarrels also with birds of its own species, and quarrels, too, with other birds, sometimes with birds as much as four times its own size. In August and September young mountain fowl and heath fowl utter love calls to each other, not, indeed, so loudly as those of the adult birds, nor in a.s.sociation with the characteristic movements of the body made by these latter in the spring-time, but still unmistakable love calls.... According to Hudson, many kinds of American woodp.e.c.k.e.r carry on a kind of duet, and they practise this artistic performance from the very earliest youth. On meeting, the male and female, standing close together, and facing each other, utter their clear ringing concert, one emitting loud single measured notes, while the notes of its fellow are rapid, rhythmical triplets; their voices have a joyous character, and seem to accord, thus producing a kind of harmony. This manner of singing is perhaps most perfect in the oven-bird (_Furnarius_), and it is very curious that the _young birds, when only partially fledged_, are constantly heard in the nest or oven apparently practising these duets in the intervals when the parents are absent; single measured notes, triplets, and long concluding trills are all repeated with wonderful fidelity, and in character these notes are utterly unlike the hunger cry, which is like that of other fledglings."

In such cases as those just enumerated, actual copulation is not effected; but animals still s.e.xually immature may perform coitus-like acts, and Groos's work contains observations of these made by Seitz and others. Seitz saw an antelope six weeks old making copulatory movements.

In young dogs such movements may often be observed, also in young stallions and young bulls.

The view that in such cases the movements are imitative merely is untenable, for young animals which have never had any opportunity of watching the physical manifestations of love in older ones, will nevertheless themselves exhibit such manifestations. At most it remains open to dispute whether in these cases it is still permissible to speak of love-games, as do Groos and others, or whether we should not rather speak simply of manifestations of the activity of the s.e.xual impulse.

But the dispute does not involve differences of opinion regarding matters of fact; it is purely terminological. For, in the first place, Groos himself, who regards the games of childhood as a form of training, suitable to the nature of the individual, for its subsequent activities, recognises that games are s.e.xually differentiated. He believes that we have to do, not, as some think, with imitative processes, but with preliminary practice, subserving the purposes of self-development; and he considers that girls naturally turn to games adapted to train them for their subsequent profession of motherhood, whilst boys incline to games corresponding to their predestined activity as men. Even if we accept this theory of Groos, we are compelled to recognise a s.e.xual element in the games of youthful animals. In addition, however, we must note the fact that Groos gives a wider extension to the concept of play than other writers, and that he regards as love-games processes which others might perhaps describe as s.e.xual manifestations. According to Groos, caressing contact is to be regarded as playful when, in the serious intercourse between the s.e.xes, such contact appears to be merely a preliminary activity rather than an end in itself. Here two cases are possible: in one the carrying out of the instinctive activity to its real end is prevented by incapacity or by ignorance; in the other, it is prevented by a deliberate exercise of will. The former occurs in children; the latter, often enough in adults. Whatever view we hold regarding this matter, the s.e.xually differentiated love-games of young animals must be regarded as a manifestation of the s.e.xual life. None the less, in s.e.xually immature animals, just as in the case of children, s.e.xual differentiation is not always so marked as it is in adults; and it may happen that the s.e.xes may exchange their roles. Cases observed by Seitz have been published by Groos and also by myself.[46] I have myself watched a young cow which repeatedly attempted to mount another young cow; I have also on several occasions seen young b.i.t.c.hes attempt to cover dogs. To this part of our subject belongs the observation of Exner, that when dogs are playing wildly with one another one hardly ever sees a b.i.t.c.h among them. But if an exception should occur, the b.i.t.c.h is usually a young one. In animals, s.e.xual differentiation is not complete until s.e.xual maturity is attained, and the same is true of the human species, although, as I have shown above, children already manifest s.e.xual differentiation in their games, their inclinations, and their general conduct.

I have thought it desirable to refer to the play of animals in this place, as well as to treat of the subject in its direct relations.h.i.+p to the s.e.xual impulse. What is true of play is true also of the other interests and inclinations of the child, many of which are also a.s.sociated with the s.e.xual life; these have been described earlier, so that here I need merely allude to the matter in pa.s.sing.

Hitherto I have described the s.e.xual life of the child in so far as it is the subject of direct observation or can be recalled to memory. But it was explained at the outset that there is still another way of gaining clear knowledge of the subject, namely, by experiment; and it was shown that castration may be regarded as such an experiment.

Although the reproductive capacity of the male is not developed prior to the formation of spermatozoa in the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es, nevertheless we learn from the effects of castration that the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es exhibit important functional activity much earlier in life. This fact was long overlooked, and its importance is even to-day largely underestimated, because we have been accustomed to regard the provision of an external secretion as the only function of the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e. But it is now firmly established that these glands exercise influence in other ways. We know that bodily and mental development are affected by the removal of the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es; and that the influence is greater the earlier in life the castration takes place. A number of secondary s.e.xual characters remain undeveloped. The beard does not grow; in many instances a thick _panniculus adiposus_ is formed; there are changes in the growth of the bones; the voice remains a soprano; and the other reproductive organs are imperfectly developed, the p.e.n.i.s and the prostate remaining comparatively small An early castration does not, of course, result in the obliteration of all differences between the male and the female; we must rather say that a part only of the typical differential characters of s.e.x remain undeveloped. The earlier a.s.sumption, that the secretion of s.e.m.e.n competent to effect fertilisation influenced the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters, has of late been more and more generally abandoned. Many considerations tell against such a theory, more especially a comparison of the three following facts. First, if castration is not effected until after the formation of spermatozoa has already begun, the familiar results of this operation are either entirely wanting, or else appear to a small extent only, and are limited to a small number of the secondary s.e.xual characters. Secondly, the results of castration are most marked when the operation is performed in early childhood. Thirdly, when castration is effected in the later years of childhood, but before the secretion of fertilising s.e.m.e.n has taken place, the results are intermediate in degree, being much less marked than in the second cla.s.s of cases, but more extensive than in the first.

If the secretion of a fertilising s.e.m.e.n were the princ.i.p.al factor in the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters, we should expect the results of castration to be the same whether the operation were performed early in childhood or late so long as it was done before any spermatozoa had been formed.

The secondary s.e.xual characters are, therefore, independent of the formation of spermatozoa, and the appearance of these characters must depend upon other processes, occurring much earlier in life. Thus, in persons who were castrated in the eighth or ninth year of life, we note the presence of definite secondary s.e.xual characters, which are, indeed, less strongly developed than in normal persons, but which do not appear at all when the castration has been effected at a still earlier age. The varying views of different authors regarding the influence of castration in early life upon the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters may readily be explained with reference to the individual differences that may be observed in the functional activity of the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es in different males before the power of reproduction has been acquired. Just as in boys the capacity for reproduction, and in girls the function of menstruation, does not appear at a fixed and definite age, so also in the case of the other processes that come into being under the influence of the activity of the reproductive glands, we have to reckon with such individual differences. For this reason, in persons who have been castrated at the same age, the subsequent course of development may vary to some degree, notwithstanding the apparent ident.i.ty of the determining factor in each case. In some, the pelvis, the beard, the voice, and the mental qualities, develop in normal fas.h.i.+on; in others, there is interference with the development of one or all of these characters. In certain cases, the bodily structure is influenced by castration at an age when the mental development is no longer affected. This explains the fact that many oriental eunuchs, in whom castration is commonly effected shortly before the seventh or eighth year of life, while they exhibit the bodily configuration characteristic of the eunuch, are nevertheless capable of experiencing heteros.e.xual feelings, and even pa.s.sionate love.

In Western countries we rarely have an opportunity of studying the full consequences of castration, for with us the operation is hardly ever performed so early in life as it is in the East; and the reports that are available concerning oriental and other foreign eunuchs are to a large extent untrustworthy. None the less, from such reports, and from accounts that have come down to us from earlier days in the West (more especially in the case of the boys who were formerly castrated in Italy for the preservation of the soprano voice), we obtain evidence amply sufficient to justify the statements made above. Even more convincing are observations made on the lower animals. For example, in horses which have been castrated at a very early age the s.e.xual impulse remains undeveloped; but we have to contrast with this the fact that a certain number of geldings possess a well-marked s.e.xual impulse, because in these animals, though they were gelded while still immature, the operation was performed too late. All these observations combine to justify the inference that long before spermatozoa capable of effecting fertilisation are formed in the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es, changes occur in these glands which are of great importance in relation to the s.e.xual life, both in the human species and in the lower animals.

We cannot speak so positively as to the truth of this in the case of the reproductive glands in women, the ovaries, because alike in the human female and in the females of the lower animals ooph.o.r.ectomy is less commonly performed than is castration in the male. The literature of our subject contains few references to this matter. What little information we do possess, derived in part from travellers who have had opportunities for observation in extra-European countries, and in part from students of animal life, leads to the same conclusion as in the case of males, namely, that long before the age commonly regarded as the commencement of s.e.xual maturity, important changes are going on in the reproductive glands.

No detailed discussion can be attempted here of the other observations there may be on record to show the existence of such s.e.xual processes during childhood. We may merely refer, for example, to the results of the removal of one t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e before the commencement of p.u.b.erty; this is followed by a compensatory hypertrophy of the other t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e--whereas removal of one t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e after the attainment of s.e.xual maturity does not lead to any such hypertrophy of the remaining t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e, or if so, only in comparatively slight degree.

Although from the facts just stated it appears that, alike in human beings and in the lower animals, before the formation of the specific germ-cells and sperm-cells has begun in the reproductive glands of the respective s.e.xes important processes take place in these glands, it still remains obscure what is the nature of these processes, and in what manner they influence the organism. One question complicating this problem, and one which is to-day frequently discussed, is the extent of the influence exercised by the reproductive glands on the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters. I can here do little more than state the difficulty. Whereas it was formerly a.s.sumed that the reproductive glands exercised a direct determining influence in this direction, more recently another view has been put forward, among others by Halban.[47]

According to this theory, the stimulus proceeding from the glands is protective merely, not formative, nor directly stimulating the growth of organs. In the fertilised ovum, it is supposed, the rudiment of s.e.x already exists, likewise the rudiment of the reproductive gland, and the rudiments of the appropriate s.e.xual characters. That is to say, the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters is not determined by the presence of the reproductive gland; but the s.e.x of the reproductive gland and the a.s.sociated s.e.xual characters are already determined by some common cause at the moment of fertilisation. But this theoretical controversy has no very important bearing on the problem with which we are especially concerned; and the influence of the reproductive gland upon the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters is admitted as fully by Halban as it is by other writers, the only difference between the two views lying in the dispute whether the influence of the glands is of a formative or a protective nature. The influence exercised by the reproductive glands on the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters can be adequately discussed, even though the precise way in which that influence is exerted remains in dispute.

As to the general nature of the influence, two chief theories have to be considered, viz., the nervous theory and the chemical theory. According to the former, we must a.s.sume that a stimulus originates in the reproductive glands, the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es in the male, and the ovaries in the female, and that these glands excite a kind of reflex action--that is, that the stimulus pa.s.ses to the central nervous system, and thence is "reflected" to the periphery, where it promotes, either the growth of particular parts of the body, _e.g._ the beard, or the development of definite properties in certain organs, _e.g._ the characteristics of the male larynx or of the female mamma. It is possible that the reflected impulse stimulates trophic nerves. But it may be that in cases of early castration the state of affairs is similar to that which obtains when from earliest infancy one of the sense organs is wanting, as a result of which the corresponding portions of the central nervous system are found to undergo atrophy.[48] On this a.s.sumption, the manifest arrest of the development of certain organs which results from castration is to be regarded as the sequel of a partial atrophy of certain portions of the brain. Of late, however, the chemical theory, that the results of castration are dependent on the lack of the internal secretion of the excised glands, has gained ground at the expense of the nervous theory.

The reason for this change of view is that much which was unsuspected in former years has recently been learned about the chemical activities of other glands. It suffices to allude to the function of the thyroid body.

According to this chemical theory, chemical substances are prepared in the reproductive glands, and these substances exert a specific influence in promoting the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters. The same theory has been invoked to account for the alleged ill effects of s.e.xual abstinence, it being suggested that the reabsorption of glandular products properly destined for excretion may give rise to toxic effects.[49] If it be a.s.sumed that the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es can secrete substances upon the influence of which the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters depends, it is obvious that these substances have nothing to do with the spermatozoa, inasmuch as the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es exert the influence under consideration at an age at which the formation of spermatozoa has not yet begun. The substances that act in this way must be of a different kind. As was pointed out earlier in this book (p. 19), recent researches have shown that the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es possess a twofold activity; and some French physicians even go so far as to say that the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e is not a single gland, but two glands. They distinguish between the gland that prepares the spermatozoa and the interst.i.tial gland.[50] Whilst the formation of spermatozoa subserves the generative act, the function of the interst.i.tial gland is to prepare substances which pa.s.s into the lymph or blood-stream, and give rise to the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters. Thus, the effects of castration are due, on this theory, not to the absence of the formation of spermatozoa, but to the absence of the products of the interst.i.tial glands. French investigators consider that the a.s.sumption that such an interst.i.tial gland exists is justified by the results of experimental work.

Whichever theory we accept, the chemical or the nervous, both theories harmonise equally with the fact that in boys, before the formation of spermatozoa begins, processes occur in the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es which powerfully influence the organism. Thus, we learn also from a study of the results of castration how active is the s.e.xual life even in childhood, since thus early in life influences proceed from the reproductive glands whereby the development of the secondary s.e.xual characters is markedly affected.

The princ.i.p.al s.e.xual processes occurring in childhood have now been described. Although we have been forced to admit the fact that in the child s.e.xual processes are much more extensive than has commonly been believed, we must, on the other hand, guard ourselves against the exaggerations of those who interpret everything in s.e.xual terms. In the chapter on diagnosis it will be necessary to refer to these exaggerations once again.

As a rule, of course, the manifestations of the s.e.xual life of the child increase from year to year, although not always by continuous gradations. Thus, in consequence of misdirection, s.e.xual manifestations may arise in the child, and then, if these evil communications are cut off, such manifestations may cease. But, altogether apart from deliberate seduction, we may observe periods of more rapid and periods of less rapid s.e.xual development, the causes of which may remain obscure. Individual cases vary to such an extent, that it is impossible to lay down a rule to which there are no exceptions. This applies equally to both components of the s.e.xual impulse, to the phenomena of detumescence as well as to those of contrectation.

But although as we have seen, the development of the s.e.xual life is not always by regular progression, yet on the whole the increasing intensity of s.e.xual manifestations from the years of childhood to the termination of the period of the p.u.b.eral development cannot be denied. Especially extensive are the changes occurring at the end of the second period of childhood. At this period we note more particularly the development of the outward signs of s.e.xual maturity. In the boy, we observe the growth of the beard and the pubic hair, and a more rapid enlargement of the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es and the other organs of reproduction. In the girl, the b.r.e.a.s.t.s and the pelvis a.s.sume the adult female type, and ovulation and menstruation begin. During this period, also, the mental changes are extremely marked, even though in many cases these changes may have begun considerably earlier. The internal organic changes make themselves felt also in the sphere of action. The years of adolescence in the male are characterised by an impulse to travel, to adventures, but in addition to all kinds of ideal efforts and to religious activity. The loftiest ethical ideas alternate with a self-conscious b.u.mptiousness. A change of disposition manifests itself which is sharply contrasted with the behaviour at an earlier and a subsequent age. This is no less true of the girl. That which formerly was no more than a vague indication, now becomes a manifest quality. More and more does the feminine mode of feeling display itself. The "tom-boyishness" so often seen in girls during the second period of childhood disappears. The former tomboy has become one[51]--

"In whose orbs a shadow lies Like the dusk in evening skies,"

and we see her--

"Standing, with reluctant feet, Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

"Gazing, with a timid glance, On the brooklet's swift advance, On the river's broad expanse!"

The considerations put forward in this chapter show us how necessary it was to explain the conception of p.u.b.erty at the very outset of this work. If the period of the p.u.b.eral development be understood to correspond to the development and ripening of the s.e.xual life, we see that this development begins much earlier than is commonly a.s.sumed in books on the subject. Writers have been too ready to identify with this developmental period the appearance of certain _external_ manifestations, more especially the growth of the pubic hair in both s.e.xes, the development of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s in the female, and the breaking of the voice in the male; and the appearance of certain definite outward signs--in the girl, the first menstruation, and in the boy, the first e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n--has usually been regarded as marking a turning-point in this development. But neither in the boy is the occurrence of the first e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n a proof of capacity for reproduction, or a proof that the period of the p.u.b.eral development is completed; nor in the girl is the occurrence of the first menstruation, which may long precede the establishment of the far more important function of ovulation, characteristic in either of these respects. Observations made on children, accounts given by children and memories of childhood, and the results of castration (and ooph.o.r.ectomy),[52] all combine to prove the occurrence of s.e.xual processes during childhood, at least as early as the beginning of the second period of childhood. At this time of life, the psychos.e.xual in especial often plays a great part. If, notwithstanding all these facts, anyone desires to a.s.sociate the beginning or the end of the p.u.b.eral development, as was formerly done, with the appearance of "the external signs of p.u.b.erty," no one can prevent this usage. But the scientific investigator, the physician, the schoolmaster, and the parents, should all alike fully understand that such external processes comprise but a small part of all that const.i.tutes p.u.b.escence. A straining of terminology may at times be permissible; but on no account must we allow currency to so disastrous an error as the belief that the s.e.xual life of the child either begins or is completed with the appearance of these external signs. The s.e.xual life of the child begins long before, and the p.u.b.eral development is not completed till many years after, the appearance of these external signs, which by most people are erroneously regarded as typical of p.u.b.escence.

Although I have detailed a number of phenomena characteristic of the s.e.xual life of the child, it must not be a.s.sumed that these phenomena are common to all cases, or that every individual symptom is invariably observed. As I have previously explained, numerous exceptions occur. In some instances, only one symptom is discernible; in others, another only. The commonest early manifestation