J. T. Kent

“ As I shall labor to show that neurosis is the condition throughout our list of sexual diseases, and that all the foregoing changes, excesses and defects, depending upon the sexual, are more or less influential in predisposing human beings to brain and spinal cord disease. No person, so well as the physician, will comprehend, after once meditating upon this theme, the necessity for thorough study and a more rational understanding of the sexual. ”

“ There is no reason why the young men of this Christian land should not be just as virtuous as its young women; and if the loss of your society and love be the price they are forced to pay for vice, they will not pay it. I admit, with sadness, that not all our young women are capable of this high standard for themselves or others, but I believe there are enough earnest, thoughtful girls in the society of our country to work wonders if faithfully aroused. ”

“ Inability to perform the sexual act while suffering from any mental derangement, or misunderstanding one’s own mental elaborations, is not impotence; but there must be impairment of the integrity of the nerve-substance that evolves the force that sustains the sexual organ in its erect attitude, and also supplies the so-called physiological irritation. If we attempt to name this peculiar disease from other stand-points, we shall become confused; as it would only demonstrate a function-disease, which is an impossibility and leads to confusion. ”

“ Our schools are conducted upon a foundation entirely sexual; educating each of the sexes in the role they are to pursue, with reference to exclusiveness in conduct. The girl is taught to pursue only such vocations, practices and manners as are becoming to her sex; the boy, on the other hand, is instructed not to enact girlish capers, but to pursue masculine vocations, from the childish toys to settled, adult labors. This all means nothing but distinctive development of the sexes.
The sexual enters our every-day lives, from childhood up; it governs our development ”

“ In all this we can but observe the worship of the sexual; though obscure, yet every manifestation of human existence points to it. The good people of the earth profit by the grand and noble sexual unity in the marital existence, and by the pure, social relations, and chaste affections of the unmarried; [8] but these are but a small part of human society. The masses express their worship for the sexual by debauch, dissipation, vice and crime. ”

“ The line of social demarkation is drawn, and there is no palliation or chance of redemption by reform—only secret forgiveness, secret repentance, or a nunnery. There are some who follow this life by choice, from the pleasure therein. Such are predisposed: they naturally follow this course: they learn it on the streets, in mere childhood: their ancestors, or some one of them at least, were of this type—mal-constructed—and circumstances are meagre that, as is said, lead them astray. They are not led astray: it is more natural to them than to pursue the path of rectitude and virtue. ”

“ I might enumerate scores of similar cases, in which it is impossible to see any cause but abuse of the sexual function, in which spermatorrhœa and impotence blend in a very obscure manner, but combined with other phenomena prove, beyond a doubt, the existence of a sexual neurosis, peculiar to itself, which needs study as to pathological anatomy; when it will be discovered that more than mere cause for general neurosis is found in the sexual abuse so lightly spoken of by authors in treatises on diseases of the nervous system. ”

“ With all this supposed nervous weakness, I do not incline to the opinion that more injury is done to the sexual organs by this practice, in and of itself, than is accomplished through the impressions wrought upon the brain from reading spermatorrhœa literature of advertising, “private-disease” specialists. I am satisfied that I have seen bad cases recover by putting their minds at ease. The carefully worded little books, that are sent broadcast to drive in those who have been indiscreet, are money-making dodges, and are of great injury to the confiding and simple. ”

“ I venture to say that the disease is rare in subjects who never practiced the vice till after maturity or adult age; but it is nearly as rare to find an adult male who has not, at some period of his adolescence, practiced the vice of masturbation.
In addition to the vice of boyhood, the debauch of sexual congress in the natural way, indulged in to enormous excess, produces a state of weakness and loss of general health, with actual impairment of the grey matter of brain and spinal cord, which are reflected upon the genitals in the form of involuntary seminal losses. ”

“ Depending upon organic disorganization of the nerve-substance, we have all grades of loss of sexual power, from the simple chronic premature ejaculation to advanced and perfect paralysis of the organ. Any male who, from exhaustion of nervous force, cannot perform the act of copulation in a normal manner, may be said to be in a degree impotent. If he be able to effect intromission and then unable to complete the act, from premature ejaculation—providing this is a common occurrence—he may be said to be impotent. The continent may undergo premature ejaculation and not be impotent. ”

“ Masturbation, after the age of maturity is no more injurious, aside from the degradation it leads to, than the same number of contacts in the natural manner; but in the youth the undeveloped organs suffer, as well as the nerve-centers which supply these organs with nervous energy. The youth is inclined to indulge the habit after once initiated, greatly to the detriment of the spinal cord, and through this to the general nervous system. He is inclined to practice the deplorable vice oftener than he could find opportunity to gratify his passion in the natural way. ”

“ Copulation—Physiology and Social Attributes.—With the male, the condition essential to coition is erection of the penis; which is physiologically accomplished by fostering amative thoughts, and by attitudes favorable to the stimulation of the erotic desire; as in close proximity with one of the opposite sex. A voluptuous female figure may excite the erotic instinct of an amative male in vigorous health, even though he be chaste in his intentions and habits. Individuals are isolated whose amative passions are entirely under the will, when in perfect health, of either sex. ”

“ Whenever sexual orgasm occurs in the male, after puberty, without ejaculation, the condition known as aspermatism may be said to exist, and may be considered as a symptom of disease. This may be partial or complete. I have known a number of individuals who failed to ejaculate semen at the time of sexual orgasm, and the semen would pass away in jets some time after the penis had become flaccid. These cases exist where there is no sign of organic stricture of the urethra, or any other organic trouble within the prostate gland or ejaculatory ducts. ”

“ Boys of a vigorous habit of body are not inclined to play with their genitals; on the contrary, are often markedly disgusted at an attempt of a schoolboy to instruct them in the vice. They are therefore not easily made victims of, and commonly grow up free from, this vice; but they are the most willing participants in prostitutional debauch, in a more natural way. With the irritated and excited condition of the tissues of the genitals at puberty, then passing the first sexual crisis, what an opportunity [85] for local and general injury must necessarily be present! ”

“ When the foregoing conditions cannot be secured, no benefit will result to the patient. In no disease has mental influence so much to do with recovery, as in impotence; and I do not hesitate to say, where I can control my patient’s mind, that I can always effect a very satisfactory relief. Employment is indispensable, and must be persisted in. The patient should have no time to play, or brood over his disease, but must be engaged so constantly that he will be even fatigued after he has finished his day’s toil, and will sleep long and soundly from his [135] exhaustion. ”

“ The exciting cause of impotence must combine a constant and long-continued sexual debauch with the depraved chain of thought that must necessarily accompany such degradation; and the practice of self-pollution must be the most fruitful of all causes.
Treatment.—In the management of impotence, the patient’s persuasive influence must not in any way change the intentions of the physician, or the fast hold of his mind, which is so indispensable to a cure, will be lost. The patient is always in great haste, and constantly urging the physician to make rapid progress. ”

“ Listen to the heart-rending stories of girls in the houses of prostitution. Each has her story of circumstantial events to relate. Circumstances of varied gravity have caused the multitudes of “fallen women” to occupy their degraded sphere of shame and debauch. Many of these have never been predisposed to a sexual livelihood by an erotic disposition, and they only stay by compulsion and fear of reproach that must follow if they return to society. ”

“ Then, we can but accept the situation of the human race, as it is, since we have no historical data of its origin, that are beyond controversy and that would be accepted as evidence in a physiological point of view. But we need no ponderous evidence to show the truth of the premise, that animal life is not perpetuated except through sexual congress. Not life only, but good and evil of every degree; vice, folly, crime ”

“ Man is too likely to forget his duty to his wife and look first to his own gratification. Any sexual embrace not attended with sexual orgasm, is very detrimental and causes disease. With the brutal man and phlegmatic woman this condition is quite likely to occur, and more especially if the man has been a masturbator. Where the latter condition has caused a partial impotency, the sexual orgasm very commonly occurs before or immediately after the intromission of the penis, in which condition beatitude is impossible, and the physician is most likely to be consulted by one of the parties. ”

“ Sexually the two beings become united, constituting plurality in unity.
The sequel of such coalescence of the sexes, or marriage legitimately considered, is copulation and reproduction of the species. The summit, or peripheral center of venereal sensibility, is found at the genitalia, and in the male a concentration of nerve-force conducts, as it were, to and unites at the glans penis; and division of the terminal nerves at this point will render erection impossible. In both man and beast, the only mechanical irritation capable of exciting venereal sensibility must be at this point. ”

“ It is pre-supposed that all sexual excesses and vices are under control; otherwise, all treatment will be useless.
Numerous are the contrivances to control or prevent seminal emissions. They have all failed, and nothing is lost; as only the effect is looked upon in their construction, and not the true nature of the disease; therefore, to prevent spermal losses is not the first object to accomplish, but to relieve the nerve-centers, which preside over the manufacture of semen, of these abnormal structural changes; and the loss of semen will abate. ”

“ He looks much older than he is, and his beard is tardy, isolated and of a dirty color. The general aspect of hunger is marked upon his entire figure: he is often lean and wan. He trembles with slight exertion, and complains of fatigue: his muscles feel doughy, and an unpleasant odor is emitted from his body, strong, like a goat or a pig, and his voice is feeble. ”

“ As a rule, to the indiscretions of youth is confined the permanent injury to the nervous system. It is at an early age, when so much injury is done, that the very common practice [19] occurs at schools, when boys club together in squads and go behind embankments of stone-wall, or creek-banks; or a boy isolates himself, as it were, to “shell out a grist by hand.” With such ample opportunities, and with the habit fully established, the acts are repeated with such frequency that exhaustion of the nervous power must often attend this wonderful deviation from nature’s designs. ”

“ Incidents—Observation—Historical Data, and Sexual Hygiene.—Nature furnishes us a vast field for speculation and inquiry, when even confined within the domain of certainties; and there is an occult line beyond which everything is speculative and imaginary; but there are facts enough in common view to enlighten the seeker after knowledge by simply collecting commonplace occurrences and gleaning therefrom their rich lessons. Observation, by association and comparison, and correct judgment will teach us many things not in the least hypothetical—facts. ”

“ Continence, while in itself not an abuse, in any manner, of the sexual organs, yet is a fruitful source [23] of disease. The erotic male may contract troublesome disease, both local and general, by too close proximity with a voluptuous female; and why not as much a cause of disease in the female? It is the condition so commonly caused by the affectionate and chaste embraces of parties “engaged to be married.” When this condition exists the marriage ceremony had better be consummated as soon as possible, or injury may come to both parties. ”

“ It must not be supposed that Onan used his hand to facilitate an emission, but that he simply withdrew his penis and allowed the semen to be lost on the ground, to prevent conception. Onanism is practised more at the present day by married males than may at first be imagined. It is the commonest of all means used as a preventive of conception. The majority of so-called society women are wives of men who practice Onanism. The word has come to signify masturbation, or any intentional process of wasting the seminal fluid. ”

“ On the other hand, it seems that a male human being is constructed for endurance of his sexual organs. A notorious polygamist in practice, once living in the city of Elmira, New York, was known to lavish his smiles on his “kept women,” whom he numbered by scores, and still he was potent till he died in advanced life. We must have a most excellent example in the famous President Young whose wives, we are inclined to believe, must have kept him on the qui vive, as his children bear evidence, as well as the fascination and attractiveness of his young wives. ”