Page:Psychopathia Sexualis (tr. Chaddock, 1892).djvu/402

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384
PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS.

Case 168. Z., aged 78; seaman. He had repeatedly exhibited his genitals on children's play-grounds, and in the neighborhood of girls' schools. This was the only way in which he was active sexually. He was married, and the father of ten children. Twelve years before, he had suffered a severe head-injury, since which he had had a deep scar, which indented the bone. Pressure on this scar caused pain; at the same time his face would flush, his expression become fixed, and he would grow somnolent, with convulsive movements in the right upper extremity (apparently epileptoid state in connection with cortical disease). Besides, there was senile dementia and advanced senium. It is not reported whether the exhibition coincided with epileptoid attacks or not. Senile dementia proved; pardoned. (Dr. Schuchardt, op. cit.)

Pelanda (op. cit.) has reported a number of cases of this kind:—

1. Paralytic, aged 60. At the age of fifty-eight he began to exhibit himself to women and children. In the asylum at Verona, for a long time thereafter, he was lascivious and also attempted fellatio.

2. A drinker, aged 66, suffering with folie circulaire. His exhibition was first noticed in church during divine service. His brother was likewise an exhibitionist.

3. A drinker, predisposed, aged 49. He was always very excitable sexually; in an asylum on account of chronic alcoholism. He exhibited himself whenever he saw a woman.

4. A man, aged 64; married; father of fourteen children. Great predisposition. Rachitic, microcephalic head. For years he had been an exhibitionist, in spite of repeated punishment.

Case 169. X., merchant, born in 1833; single. He had repeatedly exhibited himself to children, or even urinated at the same time; once, under these circumstances, he had kissed a little girl, driving her away. Twenty years previously X. had had a severe attack of mental disease, lasting two years, in which he is said to have had an apoplectic attack. Later, after loss of his fortune, he gave himself to drink, and of late years had often appeared absent-minded. His condition was that of alcoholism, senium præcox, and mental weakness. Penis small; phimosis; testicles atrophic. Proof of mental disease; pardoned. (Dr. Schuchardt, op. cit.)

Such cases recall the lasciviousness of youthful, sexually-excited persons that are still more or less boyish; but also that of many mature cynics of low morality, who find pleasure in defiling the walls of public closets, etc., with drawings of male and female genitals,—a kind of ideal exhibition which, however, is still widely separated from actual exhibition.