August trout sexual question. August Forel - a great scientist, "the apostle of anti-alcoholism

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August Trout

Sex question

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"August Trout. Sexual issue”: Book publishing house “EOS”; ; 1909

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Second, revised and enlarged edition. St. Petersburg, 1909. Book publishing house "EOS". Naturally scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological research for the educated. As a scientist, Forel made a name for himself not only with his work on psychiatry and nervous diseases, but also with amazingly subtle observations on the social life of ants and bees. As a doctor, Forel is known for his remarkably humane treatment of the most "perverted" patients and his rare ability to treat them through hypnosis and psychic suggestion. As a public figure, Forel stands out as a fanatical fighter against alcoholism and, in The Sexual Question, establishes a connection between alcoholism and sexual abnormalities. Forel defends civil or state marriage, while his book is full of facts proving that there is nothing more irreconcilable than love and coercion. The constancy of love, the inseparability of the concluded union seems to be the ideal of human happiness, but it can be reached only through complete freedom without any obligation to the state or church. The study touches on many issues of family and marriage: jealousy, "sexual hypocrisy", the use of contraceptives in terms of improving the human race. Some pages of the book will undoubtedly "shock" readers: Forel does not have a drop of hypocrisy, he says everything to the end.

August Trout

Sex question

1. Erotic and pornographic, in order to systematically irritate the natural desire to take money from others. The consequence of such monetary greed is the sale of girls, pandering, prostitution and pornographic literature.

2. The purpose of expressing one's own eroticism, which in this way finds its satisfaction.

Both of these motives are more or less connected with the following kinds of consideration of the subject:

3. Genus religiously metaphysical, in ecstasy erotic or ascetic manifestation of mysticism.

4. A kind of political and social, historically demonstrating the manifestation in all its shamelessness, under the influence of greed and eroticism, the right of the strong, that is, the right of a man in relation to a woman. Fortunately, however, they are beginning to consistently recognize the equality of women.

5. Genus specifically legal, manifested in the form of paragraphs of the law, designed to regulate the rights of both sexes and their offspring in relation to sexual intercourse and its results. Everywhere these laws shine through as the right of the strong, as well as mystical and barbaric customs.

6. The medical interpretation of the sexual question is divided, on the one hand, into the scientific study of sexual physiology and pathology, and on the other hand, into the treatment of sexual malnutrition and diseases and the hygiene of sexual life. The first reflects the insufficient psychological education of doctors, while treatment is often too harmful for an excess of respect for lawyers, theologians and traditions. In order for the medical attitude to the case not to go astray, it is necessary to consider the sexual question from the psychological, physiological, anatomical and pathological sides. To this must be added a study of the development (embryology) and evolution (phylogeny) of the sexual impulse and the reproductive organs.

7. The ethnographic and historical genus is extremely instructive not only as a description of actual sexual relations in world history, but also as a description of repeated human errors. This kind, however, also often suffers from a lack of objectivity and superficiality, being often under the direct subjective influence of the two above-mentioned facts. But he has already made great strides.

8. The arts often pay attention to the sexual issue, because the role of sexual feelings and passion in all areas of art is dominant. The same can be said about fiction. Art and fiction are thoroughly permeated and inspired by the sexual question, but often, unfortunately, they are also perverted by it, and mainly when greed and eroticism come to the fore. Art and literature, of course, react to any perception of the sexual question by people in good and in bad.

9. The ethical or moral nature of the relationship to the sexual question should also be given here. It, unfortunately, is often characterized by degeneration into moralizing phraseology, or mystical asceticism, bordering on hypocrisy, or into a reaction that is opposite to ethics. Here we are dealing with an extremely essential side of the issue, which must be combined with its socially hygienic side. Too lofty aspirations on the basis of ethics, without going beyond the limits of exceptional severity, often do not reach the goal. But this serious area is the main one.

10. The role of the sexual question in pedagogy is also very important, but it is often misunderstood here.

In all the above forms of research on the sexual question, in most cases, the personal erotic feeling of the author is very important, which can hardly get rid of it, but in the interests of scientific self-criticism, it is necessary, of course, to make every effort to remain fair, neutral and objective.

How important is the question of sex to mankind, whose happiness and right development in the future depend to a large extent on its best solution! In making an attempt to understand this sensitive issue, I will try, as far as possible, to avoid callousness and eroticism, and also not to resort to compilability and heaviness of presentation, characteristic of scientific works. I base my views on various studies in various fields, as well as on an extensive personal experience in the study of pathological cases and the normal sexual life of healthy people. But in the field of ethnography, which is completely alien to me, I followed the capital work of Westermarck, summarizing his provisions. In my exposition of sexual psychopathology, I have followed mainly Krafft Ebing.

The extraordinary complexity of the sexual question makes it impossible to find for it the same simple solution as the question of alcohol. The solution of the latter comes down to a short formula: "Down with alcohol as a drink!" just like the question of the abolition of serfdom - to the formula "Down with slavery!" Alcohol, slavery, torture are only artificial outgrowths that oppress humanity and are subject to simple removal. This will be associated with benefits for humanity, because they do not belong to human nature. Meanwhile, the sexual question directly concerns the roots of life, in many of its points it coincides with the general human one and deserves a completely different attitude towards itself. But at present it stands on false, dangerous and harmful paths, from which it must be driven at all costs and directed to a more adapted fairway, with the help of dams and appropriate sewers. The main proposition of the sexual question boils down to the following: Every sexual function and sexual love in man, as well as in every living being, has as its most important goal the procreation. Therefore, it should be considered from the points of view of the natural scientific, psychophysiological and sociological. These attempts have already been made, but mainly in scholarly works or one-sidedly. Mankind, in the interests of its happiness, must therefore wish that its reproduction be accompanied by a progressive increase in all its physical and mental (spiritual) qualities, both in terms of strength and physical health, and in terms of character, reason, will, creative imagination, love of work, cheerfulness and social sense of solidarity. Depending on this, all attempts to solve the sexual question should be aimed at the prospects and happiness of our offspring.

In the interests of the best development of the sexual question, it is necessary to completely abandon individual considerations. But due to the inherent weakness and short-sightedness of mankind, which manifest themselves most intensively in this area, it is necessary to keep in mind the above general position, taking into account both immediate happiness and benefit, due to human individual weaknesses, because otherwise one can fall into utopianism. Such a combination aggravates the difficulty of solving the problem, due to which it is necessary to completely renounce prejudices and false shame. We will try to do it.

Sexual issue with highest point vision is as aesthetic as it is ethical; as beautiful as it is good. And only filth and meanness, due to gross egoistic desires, stupidity and ignorance, combined with erotic curiosity, mystical superstition and abnormal brain activity, are shameful and insulting.

We will divide our topic into 19 chapters.

Chapters I to VII discuss the natural history, history and psychology of sexual life: chapter VIII its pathology, and chapters IX to XVII its sociological side, in the sense of relation to various spheres of social human activity.

Chapter I

reproduction of living beings. Embryo history

Division; virgin birth; conjunction; mnema; development; gender differences; castration; hermaphroditism; heredity; blastophthoria.

A law common to the entire organic world is a kind of cycle performed by each living being, which bears the name of a separate or individual life and ends in death, i.e., the destruction of a significant part of the corresponding individual living being, which then again disintegrates into lifeless matter. Only small particles of it, in the form of germ cells, continue to live under certain conditions.

The microscopically small cell has been known to us since the time of Schwann as the simplest elementary form capable of detecting life, and in the lowest organisms known to us it constitutes the whole individual being. Without a doubt, the cell is something highly organized. It consists of infinitely small diverse and multi-colored elements that make up the so-called protoplasm, or cell substance. However, these infinitesimal elements are still completely unknown. In them one must look for that transitional step from lifeless matter to life itself, which was supposed to be found in protoplasm itself, when its complex structure was not yet known. This unresolved question will not concern us here. For each given life, the cell is poured into a permanent elemental form. It consists of cellular protoplasm and the nucleus embedded in it, the substance of which is called the nucleoplasm. The nucleus is the most important part of the cell, controlling, so to speak, its life.

The reproduction of lower unicellular beings is accomplished by division, as is the reproduction of individual cells of higher multicellular living beings. Each cell comes from another cell. Together with its nucleus, the cell in the middle is constricted and in this way breaks up into two cells, which increase again due to the absorption of nutrient juices from the environment. The death or destruction of a single cell, of course, marks the death of the entire individual, which, for the most part, however, has already managed to multiply. But here, too, we are already confronted with a peculiar manifestation of conjunction, or conjugation, i.e., such a phenomenon when one cell is introduced into another, and such a merger causes the emergence of stronger and more capable of multiplying cells. This phenomenon, which we observe in all living beings, as well as in humans, gives us reason to conclude that the continuation of life is possible only when two various element, under different influences, merge with each other from time to time. If this is prevented or if certain living beings are given continuous reproduction only by division or budding (see below), degeneration and weakening will inevitably follow, ending as a result of the extinction of the entire generation.

We need to explain here the latest scientific research on the intimate processes of cell division, insofar as they have already been studied, since the close affinity between the processes of division and the processes of fertilization is quite obvious. The nucleus of an ordinary cell has the appearance of a more or less round bubble inside it. Thanks to carefully crafted recent times staining methods, it was found that the nucleus contains numerous sound bodies, and the shell or skin of the nucleus is connected to an extremely thin mesh passing through the entire contents of the nucleus. The succulent substance of the nucleus is concentrated in the plexuses of this tissue, which is capable of absorbing coloring substances especially vigorously and is therefore called chromatin. The process of division of this kind of higher cells containing the nucleus was called mitosis. It starts from the core. In the protoplasm, close to the nucleus, a body is formed, called the centrosome (central body). During the process of division that has begun in the cell, the chromatin plexuses are first of all contracted, and the centrosome is divided into two halves. At the next moment, parts of chromatin are assembled into winding threads (chromosomes), the number of which varies in different living beings, but is constant for the same total plant or animal species. Simultaneously, the centrosomes diverge on both sides of the nucleus. This is followed by shortening and thickening of the chromosis, with the complete dissolution of the cell nucleus, the disappearance of its skin and the mixing of the contents with the protoplasm of the cell. The chromosomes then line up, like Prussian soldiers, across the largest cell diameter, leaving centrosomes one on each side. But now each chromosome is divided into two parallel halves, almost equal in size. As can be directly seen, both centrosomes are circled with radiant lines. Of these, some elongate towards the chromosomes, attach to them and attract each half of the already bifurcated chromosome to their centrosome. In this way, as many chromosomes are concentrated around each chromosome as the mother cell originally created them. At the same time, the cell increases in width, and its protoplasm acquires along a curved scar at both ends of the central line of chromosis that we have already observed. The nuclear fluid is again collected around each of the chromosomal groups; the rays surrounding the centrosomes disappear, and cell division occurs between both groups of chromosomes, which corresponds to the formation of a pier in the protoplasm that separates the cells. Chromosomes after this again bloom into the original chromatin network of the nucleus, and each now completely detached half again has a nucleus and a centrosome, just like the mother cell.

Cell reproduction in the form described above is observed throughout the animal and plant world. In the simplest creatures known to us (single-celled) division is the only form of reproduction (although in some cells, like bacteria, the internal processes are still poorly elucidated). Cell division of complex organisms of higher plants and animals occurs in the same way, and during the period of embryonic, and often later growth, separate organs of the body are formed. This quite clearly states the inner affinity between all living beings. In this process, the most surprising thing, so to speak, is the mathematical division of chromosis into two equal parts. Here it is obviously pursued uniform distribution chromosomal substance throughout the body. We'll talk more about this.

The higher the representatives of these living beings on the ladder of the plant and animal world, the more complex, as you know, individual creatures become, for they no longer come from one cell, but from a sufficient number of cells that have united into one whole and, depending on the goal, for which they are adapted, given all sorts of forms and chemical properties. Thus, plants form leaves, flowers, buds, branches, stems, bark, etc., while animals form skin, intestines, glands, blood, muscles, nerves, brain, sense organs, etc. But, regardless of The high complexity of various organisms, we often find in some of them the ability to reproduce by division, and even more often by budding. In known animals and plants, groups of cells grow into the so-called kidney, which subsequently separates from the body and forms a new living creature (polyps, onions). From the cuttings, thus, you can grow a tree. Unfertilized ants and bees, for example, are known to lay eggs, from which, by so-called virgin generation (parthenogenesis), live and normally built offspring develop. But such offspring is doomed to degeneration and death if asexual reproduction by budding or by virgin generation takes place over a significant number of generations. Reproduction without conjunction does not occur at all in higher animals, as in vertebrates and in humans, and, consequently, there can be no place for parthenogenesis here either. However, at the same time, scientific research confirms to us that long life is determined by sexual reproduction or conjunction. What is the essence of this conjunction?

First of all, it must be noted that, regardless of the complexity of the sexually reproducing individual, there is always an organ or tissue whose cells of the same type are predetermined for the reproduction of the species, or, more precisely, for the conjunction. Such an organ is called the gonad, and its cells, isolated from the body under certain conditions of conjunction (and in some cases temporarily even without it), have the property of multiplying in such a way that in almost the same form (generic type) they again reproduce the individual to whom they are obliged its origin Therefore, according to Weismann, one can assume, from the point of view of philosophy, that these cells continue the life of their predecessors, and, thanks to death, in fact, only that part of the individual that was adapted for its special functions was destroyed, and in this same meaning is used. Each individual continues to live in his offspring.

The sex or germ cell, before becoming a multicellular individual, is divided into many so-called embryonic cells, the further differentiation of which gives rise to all kinds of organs of the body. The transition of the embryos of a cell into a complete individual is called the embryonic period. The individual during this period undergoes very surprising changes in form. In certain cases, moreover, a certain seemingly complete living being is organized, possessing a form of its own, a peculiar life, and after a few years transforming itself into the final sexual form. Thus, a caterpillar develops from a butterfly egg first, then a chrysalis, and then a butterfly. The first two transformations also belong to the embryonic period. Every animal in the embryonic period, to a certain extent, undergoes transformations of forms that approximate to a greater or lesser extent those of its ancestors; thus, the caterpillar resembles a worm, the ancestor of insects, etc. (Haeckel's basic biogenetic law). This is not the place for zoological research, and I content myself with these indications.

Let's move on to conjunction. In multicellular animals, either in the same individual body, or sometimes in different individuals, both groups of germ cells, male and female, are formed in different germinal glands. Leaving for now everything related to plants, in order not to complicate the topic, we will deal exclusively with animals. When both kinds of germinal glands are formed in the same body, the animal is called a hermaphrodite. When these glands are formed in two different individuals, the animals are called dioecious. Snails, for example, are hermaphrodites. There are, however, the simplest multicellular animals, which usually reproduce by budding and only in exceptional cases enter into conjunction. But these animals, due to their remoteness from humans, we will leave aside. Male germ cells in all higher animals (as well as in hermaphrodites) are distinguished by their mobility. Their protoplasm is capable of contracting, while the forms, depending on the species, are very diverse. In humans and mammals, they resemble infinitely small tadpoles with the same movable tail as the tadpoles in ponds. As for the female germ cells, they, on the contrary, being much larger than the male ones, are usually immobile. The conjunction consists in the fact that by one or another mechanical way - and these ways in nature give an infinite variety - the male germ cell, the so-called spermatozoon, or seed thread, due to its mobility, reaches the female germ cell - the egg, into the protoplasm of which and is being implemented. At this point, the surface of the egg coagulates, making it impossible for newly arriving spermatozoa to penetrate there.

The egg, as the female germ cell, and the spermatozoon, as the male germ cell, are both composed of protoplasm and a nucleus. But if the seed cell has a very small nucleus and a small amount of protoplasm, the egg, on the contrary, has a large nucleus and an infinitely large amount of protoplasm. This protoplasm in some individuals grows extremely, causing the only food supply during the period of a long embryonic life, as, for example, in the eggs of birds. Van Beneden and O. Hertwig were the first to explain the processes of conjunction.

We have seen that the process of conjunction, or conjugation, already begins in unicellular beings. There it does not coincide with reproduction at the same time. The process is only the strengthening of individual individuals, in different cases occurring differently.

A one-celled animal can simply touch another. Following this, each of the two nuclei is divided into two halves. At the point of contact, the protoplasm of both cells merges, and one of the halves of the nucleus of one cell on the opposite side passes into the second cell, while half of the nucleus of the second cell passes into the first. A new separation of cells occurs, and each of the exchanged halves of the nuclei merges with the remaining half of the nucleus of the cell into which it has passed. A new cell reproduction begins by dividing in the same way as indicated above.

Otherwise, the cells merge after approaching, and their nuclei are adjacent to each other. Further division of the resulting from two, newly formed one cell occurs in such a way that half of the nucleus of both initial cells is distributed between both nearest daughter cells. In this way, the same end result is obtained.

In higher animals, the germ cells of which are divided into male and female, the process of conjunction occurs somewhat differently. Only in rare cases is it possible for these animals to reproduce female cells or eggs without conjunction, through parthenogenesis, in order to reproduce a new creature. Containing a very small amount of chromatin, or even completely devoid of a centrosome, they die if there is no conjunction. The male seed cell, characterized by mobility, small size and poor protoplasm, thanks to the movements of its tail, swims up to the female egg cell. At the moment it touches and penetrates the female cell, coagulation occurs, as already mentioned. Due to coagulation, the so-called yolk skin is formed, which prevents the penetration of the next seed cell. The tail, containing the protoplasm, will soon disappear, as having fulfilled its functions, and in front of its head, the centrosome appears, which, together with a small supply of protoplasm, was introduced by him into the protoplasm of the egg; around the centrosome, as in cell division, rays appear. Around the chromatin of the sperm at this time, the liquid of the nucleus, penetrating from the protoplasm of the egg, is definitely indicated. The core of the egg itself, meanwhile, remains motionless and unchanged. The nucleus of the seed cell, on the contrary, rapidly increases. It begins to divide into chromosomes, which, however, are still only half the number that is in the cell of this animal species. The increase in living tissue occurs at the expense of the yolk: it can be said to devour the yolk. At the same time, the division of the centrosome into two halves occurs, slowly moving towards the periphery of the egg in the same way as we saw in the dividing cell. At the same time, the division of the chromatin of the sperm chromosome begins, and, with the nucleus increasing more and more, the chromatin takes on a mesh structure. The growth of the seed cell nucleus stops only when it reaches the size and type of the egg nucleus. During this time, both centrosomes moved away on both sides of the midline separating both nuclei. The activity of the egg nucleus begins only now and at the same time simultaneously with the activity of the seed nucleus. But before that, it removes part of its chromatin in the form of a so-called polar body; at the same time, in it, as well as in the seed nucleus, there remains half as much chromatin as in other cells of the same animal species. Seed and egg nuclei begin to tighten their chromatin at this time, forming chromosomes. Chromosomes are evenly distributed along the midline, as in the case of cell division, after which they are divided into two halves in length, and they are pulled to the right and left by the radial filaments stretched to them. Depending on the growth of the nucleus of the seed cell, its living substance receives the same strength as the substance of the egg cell. Both nuclei are quite equal relative to each other (a symbol of social equality of both sexes). The deeper meaning of this circumstance lies in the fact that during the division of the conjugated nuclei in the further course of the process into two cells, approximately the same amount of male as female substance is concentrated in each cell. We did not want to say "exactly the same", because in the offspring the influence of male and female is far from equally distributed. The latter, according to Zemon (see below), is explained by alternating ekphorias in mnemonic dichotomies. But, in view of cell division in the subsequent course of embryonic life according to the same scheme, it can be concluded that each cell of the future organism of the child, or at least each nucleus of it, acquires approximately half of the maternal and half of the paternal substance or energy.

In the above process lies the secret of heredity. The energies of heredity conceal in the growing and dividing chromosomes all their original strength and original quality, while the substance of the yolk, devoured by the chromosomes and the chemism of the life process and transformed into their own living substance, is completely deprived of its specific, plastic life energy, just like the energy food eaten by us, adults, is not reflected in the qualitative nature of our organic structure. Any number of steaks eaten will not instill in us the properties of a bull. Thus, no matter how much was eaten by the nucleus of the seed cell of the yolk protoplasm, it remains with its original inherited paternal properties and energy, perhaps only multiplied and strengthened. On average, a child receives as many properties from his father as from his mother. The "fright" of pregnant women is nothing more than superstition. The substance of the nucleus of germ cells is, therefore, the carrier of the hereditary properties or energy of a given species. Taking into account the homogeneity of processes inside the cell during division and conjunction, we can conclude that the rest of the cells of the body, which do not have the appropriate conditions for independent reproduction of the individual, still have energies of their own kind. The process under consideration obviously hides in itself one of the deep laws of life, which only the future has to reveal.

August Trout in his book " Sexualquestion" augustTrout « Sexualquestion"

Grigory Klimov Red Kabbalah (1)

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It was Maupassant. And by the way, AugustTrout in his book " Sexualquestion" also cites Maupassant, how ... you can’t keep it? ... In the book of the famous psychiatrist augustTrout « Sexualquestion", New York, 1922, professor...

The essence of the problem Interview with Grigory Petrovich Klimov

Abstract

There is a book of the famous psychiatrist - augustTrout « Sexualquestion". Its author, even before... and very honest. In her AugustTrout discusses sexual instinct is not only like a doctor... and read. Interestingly, the book Sexualquestion" came out right after...

"xxii-vek.narod.ru/" XXII-VEK.narod.ru

August Trout
Sex question

The sexual question is one of those questions in which it is very easy to go astray. Exciting by its nature human passions and human curiosity, it, in connection with its content, gives wide scope for all sorts of abuses of it. Combining with religion, morality, art, politics, law and medicine, or falling into the hands of trade and the desire for profit, it is illuminated in each individual case one-sidedly and tendentiously. We find it, for example, in the following way:
1. Erotic and pornographic, in order to systematically irritate the natural desire to take money from others. The consequence of such monetary greed is the sale of girls, pandering, prostitution and pornographic literature.
2. The purpose of expressing one's own eroticism, which in this way finds its satisfaction.
Both of these motives are more or less connected with the following kinds of consideration of the subject:
3. A kind of religious metaphysical, in an ecstasoerotic or ascetic manifestation of mysticism.
4. A kind of political and social, historically demonstrating the manifestation in all its shamelessness, under the influence of greed and eroticism, the right of the strong, that is, the right of a man in relation to a woman. Fortunately, however, they are beginning to consistently recognize the equality of women.
5. Genus special legal, manifested in the form of paragraphs of the law, designed to regulate the rights of both sexes and their offspring in relation to sexual intercourse and its results. Everywhere these laws shine through as the right of the strong, as well as mystical and barbaric customs.
6. The medical interpretation of the sexual question is divided, on the one hand, into the scientific study of sexual physiology and pathology, and on the other hand, into the treatment of sexual malnutrition and diseases and the hygiene of sexual life. The first reflects the insufficient psychological education of doctors, while treatment is often too harmful for an excess of respect for lawyers, theologians and traditions. In order for the medical attitude to the case not to go astray, it is necessary to consider the sexual question from the psychological, physiological, anatomical and pathological sides. To this must be added a study of the development (embryology) and evolution (phylogeny) of the sexual impulse and the reproductive organs.
7. The ethnographic and historical genus is extremely instructive not only as a description of actual sexual relations in world history, but also as a description of repeated human errors. This kind, however, also often suffers from a lack of objectivity and superficiality, being often under the direct subjective influence of the two above-mentioned facts. But he has already made great strides.
8. The arts often pay attention to the sexual issue, because the role of sexual feelings and passion in all areas of art is dominant. The same can be said about fiction. Art and fiction are thoroughly permeated and inspired by the sexual question, but often, unfortunately, they are also perverted by it, and mainly when greed and eroticism come to the fore. Art and literature, of course, react to any perception of the sexual question by people in good and in bad.
9. The ethical or moral nature of the relationship to the sexual question should also be given here. It, unfortunately, is often characterized by degeneration into moralizing phraseology, or mystical asceticism, bordering on hypocrisy, or into a reaction that is opposite to ethics. Here we are dealing with an extremely essential side of the issue, which must be combined with its social and hygienic side. Too lofty aspirations on the basis of ethics, without going beyond the limits of exceptional severity, often do not reach the goal. But this serious area is the main one.
10. The role of the sexual question in pedagogy is also very important, but it is often misunderstood here.
In all the above forms of research on the sexual question, in most cases, the personal erotic feeling of the author is very important, which can hardly get rid of it, but in the interests of scientific self-criticism, it is necessary, of course, to make every effort to remain fair, neutral and objective.
How important is the question of sex to mankind, whose happiness and right development in the future depend to a large extent on its best solution! In making an attempt to understand this sensitive issue, I will try, as far as possible, to avoid callousness and eroticism, and also not to resort to compilability and heaviness of presentation, characteristic of scientific works. I base my views on various studies in various fields, as well as on extensive personal experience in the study of pathological cases and the normal sexual life of healthy people. But in the field of ethnography, which is completely alien to me, I followed the capital work of Westermarck, summarizing his provisions. In my exposition of sexual psychopathology, I have followed mainly Krafft-Ebing.
The extraordinary complexity of the sexual question makes it impossible to find for it the same simple solution as the question of alcohol. The solution of the latter comes down to a short formula: "Down with alcohol as a drink!" just like the question of the abolition of serfdom - to the formula "Down with slavery!" Alcohol, slavery, torture are only artificial outgrowths that oppress humanity and are subject to simple removal. This will be associated with benefits for humanity, because they do not belong to human nature. Meanwhile, the sexual question directly concerns the roots of life, in many of its points it coincides with the general human one and deserves a completely different attitude towards itself. But at present it stands on false, dangerous and harmful paths, from which it must be driven at all costs and directed to a more adapted fairway, with the help of dams and appropriate sewers. The main proposition of the sexual question boils down to the following: Every sexual function and sexual love in man, as well as in every living being, has as its most important goal the procreation. Therefore, it should be considered from the points of view of the natural sciences, psychophysiological and sociological. These attempts have already been made, but mainly in scholarly works or one-sidedly. Mankind, in the interests of its happiness, must therefore wish that its reproduction be accompanied by a progressive increase in all its physical and mental (spiritual) qualities, both in terms of strength and physical health, and in terms of character, reason, will, creative imagination, love of work, cheerfulness and social sense of solidarity. Depending on this, all attempts to solve the sexual question should be aimed at the prospects and happiness of our offspring.
In the interests of the best development of the sexual question, it is necessary to completely abandon individual considerations. But due to the inherent weakness and short-sightedness of mankind, which manifest themselves most intensively in this area, it is necessary to keep in mind the above general proposition all the time, taking into account both the immediate happiness and benefit caused by human individual weaknesses, otherwise one can fall into utopianism. Such a combination aggravates the difficulty of solving the problem, due to which it is necessary to completely renounce prejudices and false shame. We will try to do it.
The sexual question, from a higher point of view, is as much aesthetic as it is ethical; as beautiful as it is good. And only filth and meanness, due to gross egoistic desires, stupidity and ignorance, combined with erotic curiosity, mystical superstition and abnormal brain activity, are shameful and insulting.
We will divide our topic into 19 chapters.
Chapters I to VII discuss the natural history, history and psychology of sexual life: chapter VIII its pathology, and chapters IX to XVII its sociological side, in the sense of relation to various spheres of social human activity.

Chapter I
reproduction of living beings. Embryo history
Division; virgin birth; conjunction; mnema; development; gender differences; castration; hermaphroditism; heredity; blastophthoria.

August Trout

Sex question

2. The purpose of expressing one's own eroticism, which in this way finds its satisfaction.

Both of these motives are more or less connected with the following kinds of consideration of the subject:

3. Genus religious-metaphysical, in ecstasy-erotic or ascetic manifestation of mysticism.

4. A kind of political-social, historically demonstrating the manifestation in all its shamelessness, under the influence of greed and eroticism, the right of the strong, that is, the right of a man in relation to a woman. Fortunately, however, they are beginning to consistently recognize the equality of women.

5. Genus specially legal, manifested in the form of paragraphs of the law, designed to regulate the rights of both sexes and their offspring in relation to sexual intercourse and its results. Everywhere these laws shine through as the right of the strong, as well as mystical and barbaric customs.

9. The ethical or moral nature of the relationship to the sexual question should also be given here. It, unfortunately, is often characterized by degeneration into moralizing phraseology, or mystical asceticism, bordering on hypocrisy, or into a reaction that is opposite to ethics. Here we are dealing with an extremely essential side of the issue, which must be combined with its social and hygienic side. Too lofty aspirations on the basis of ethics, without going beyond the limits of exceptional severity, often do not reach the goal. But this serious area is the main one.

10. The role of the sexual question in pedagogy is also very important, but it is often misunderstood here.

How important is the question of sex to mankind, whose happiness and right development in the future depend to a large extent on its best solution! In making an attempt to understand this sensitive issue, I will try, as far as possible, to avoid callousness and eroticism, and also not to resort to compilability and heaviness of presentation, characteristic of scientific works. I base my views on various studies in various fields, as well as on extensive personal experience in the study of pathological cases and the normal sexual life of healthy people. But in the field of ethnography, which is completely alien to me, I followed the capital work of Westermarck, summarizing his provisions. In my exposition of sexual psychopathology, I followed mainly Krafft-Ebing.

The extraordinary complexity of the sexual question makes it impossible to find for it the same simple solution as the question of alcohol. The solution of the latter comes down to a short formula: "Down with alcohol as a drink!" just like the question of the abolition of serfdom - to the formula "Down with slavery!" Alcohol, slavery, torture are only artificial outgrowths that oppress humanity and are subject to simple removal. This will be associated with benefits for humanity, because they do not belong to human nature. Meanwhile, the sexual question directly concerns the roots of life, in many of its points it coincides with the general human one and deserves a completely different attitude towards itself. But at present it stands on false, dangerous and harmful paths, from which it must be driven at all costs and directed to a more adapted fairway, with the help of dams and appropriate sewers. The main proposition of the sexual question boils down to the following: Every sexual function and sexual love in man, as well as in every living being, has as its most important goal the procreation. Therefore, it should be considered from the points of view of natural science, psycho-physiological and sociological. These attempts have already been made, but mainly in scholarly works or one-sidedly. Mankind, in the interests of its happiness, must therefore wish that its reproduction be accompanied by a progressive increase in all its physical and mental (spiritual) qualities, both in terms of strength and physical health, and in terms of character, reason, will, creative imagination, love of work, cheerfulness and social sense of solidarity. Depending on this, all attempts to solve the sexual question should be aimed at the prospects and happiness of our offspring.

In the interests of the best development of the sexual question, it is necessary to completely abandon individual considerations. But due to the inherent weakness and short-sightedness of mankind, which manifest themselves most intensively in this area, it is necessary to keep in mind the above general proposition all the time, taking into account both the immediate happiness and benefit caused by human individual weaknesses, otherwise one can fall into utopianism. Such a combination aggravates the difficulty of solving the problem, due to which it is necessary to completely renounce prejudices and false shame. We will try to do it.

The sexual question, from a higher point of view, is as much aesthetic as it is ethical; as beautiful as it is good. And only filth and meanness, due to gross egoistic desires, stupidity and ignorance, combined with erotic curiosity, mystical superstition and abnormal brain activity, are shameful and insulting.

We will divide our topic into 19 chapters.

Chapter I

reproduction of living beings. Embryo history

Division; virgin birth; conjunction; mnema; development; gender differences; castration; hermaphroditism; heredity; blastophthoria.