Homosexuality

Homosexuality, unnatural sexual attraction to persons of the same sex. H. was formerly considered purely a psychopathological phenomenon (Krafft-Ebing), and questions of H. were dealt with primarily by psychiatrists and forensic physicians. Only in recent times, thanks to the work of Steinach and others, H. has also received a constitutional-biological interpretation. According to Magnus-Hirschfeld, about 2% of people (more often men) suffer from H. An indirect idea of the prevalence of H. can be obtained from the fact that in Berlin alone there are about 120 clubs for homosexuals and a special journal "Die Freund-schaft" is published, which, despite its expensive price, has about 20,000 subscribers. H. occurs in all races (more often in Anglo-Germanic, less often in Semitic), in all classes and among different professions (more often among artists, poets, etc.). Incidentally, a number of outstanding people suffered from H. (Socrates, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, etc.). H. also occurs in animals (thus, among goats in 8-10%). According to Freud, H. is an obligatory transitional "phase" in early childhood in all people. It is important to know that homosexual tendencies do not exclude heterosexual ones (so-called bisexuality). In some homosexuals, there is a periodic alternation of these tendencies, and in some there are long phases of heterosexuality (thus, in the case of Kronfeld's patient for 14 years, while his wife was alive, he lived a normal heterosexual life, and before marriage and after his wife's death he was a homosexual). Freud, Schilder and others interpret the phenomena of H. very broadly. In friendship between persons of the same sex, in jealousy, they are ready to see manifestations of homosexual tendencies. In Freud's expression, social activity is "sublimated H." As for other sexual perversions, they occur in H. no more often than in heterosexuality, and in men masochistic, in women, especially those who play an active role, sadistic tendencies predominate. Quite often H. is accompanied by transvestitism. Touching upon the nature of H., it must be said that basically there are two opposite points of view: conditional and constitutional. According to the conditional theory, the origin of H. is associated exclusively with external factors: sexual impressions of childhood, bad example, temptations created by circumstances (life in a boarding school, on a ship, etc.). Not denying the significance of these circumstances, it must be borne in mind that such external conditions exist for many people, and H. is observed in no more than 2% of the population. Magnus-Hirschfeld sharply defends the constitutional point of view, evaluating H. as a congenital anomaly, as a biological variant ("sexual intermediate stage"), based on Steinach's teaching on the existence of a bisexual "pubertary gland." According to Steinach, the nature of man is basically bisexual, the pubertary gland is originally hermaphroditic, differentiation of sex occurs only in the period of puberty, when, due to the antagonism of various hormones, one of them perishes. In homosexuals, "due to a special combination of circumstances," the hormone that is normally subject to suppression, on the contrary, prevails, which determines the attraction to one's own sex. Steinach came to these conclusions on the basis of numerous experiments, which he has been conducting since 1894 and which ended in attempts to change sexes, artificial hermaphroditism, rejuvenation and treatment of H. Steinach asserts that in the testicle of homosexuals, along with atrophy of the seminiferous tubules and degeneration of Leydig cells, there are special intermediate cells resembling luteal bodies, rich in protoplasm and poor in chromatin, which he called F-cells (F=feminine). These cells cause suppression of the male hormone and have a feminizing effect. They are poorly stained and rarely contain crystals. Treatment of H. is reduced to preliminary "neutralization" of the organism from sexual characteristics and subsequent transplantation of heterosexual sex glands. Steinach's concept as a whole, as well as Ancel-Bouin's theory of the "pubertary gland," which formed the basis of this teaching, have caused serious doubts. Steinach's theories have been subjected to ruthless criticism by Stieve, who refutes the hormonal significance of the pubertary gland; Stieve found F-cells in subjects who are quite normal in a sexual respect. According to Benda, these cells are nothing other than Leydig cells filled with poorly preserved crystals of Reinke. The therapeutic effect in H. is also far from reliable (see below). If the constitutional interpretation of H. in the spirit of Steinach presented here has been subjected to severe criticism, nowadays few people dispute the significance of the constitutional factor in H. Not denying the great importance of the exogenous factor, it should be thought that no less important is the constitutional factor. Otherwise it would be difficult to explain why only some of those subjected to the temptation to become homosexuals become them. Kraepelin, who initially firmly defended the exogenous origin of H. (the influence of masturbation!), was forced to appeal to the constitution. H. is often associated with a psychopathic constitution, psychological infantilism. Freud associates H. with an innate predisposition to fix infantile attachments; in childhood fixation to the mother occurs and in connection with this aversion to other women. The constitutional point of view is also supported by the data on heredity: according to Magnus-Hirschfeld, in 8% brothers and sisters also suffer from homosexuality; the general burden, according to Kraepelin, occurs in 70-80%. Recently, many works have been devoted to the question of what is the somatic and psychological constitution in H. There is probably no strictly specific constitution. In terms of body build type, the most common are asthenic and asthenic-dysplastic, according to Weil - asthenic and muscular-asthenic. Picnics are very rare. This harmonizes with the schizoid components of character in H. Kretschmer drew attention to the similarity between body build in H. and schizophrenia. In the relatives of homosexuals, one often finds schizophrenics, among schizophrenics one often (according to Bleuler always) sees homosexual tendencies. In schizoids, due to sexual weakness, sexual perversions more easily arise, in particular H. Incidentally, it is interesting that Freud's assertion, which seemed completely unfounded, that schizophrenia and paranoia are connected with the mechanism of the homosexual's escape from his perversions, receives more real confirmation. Kronfeld emphasizes the presence of "disglandular infantilism" (mainly pituitary and thymico-lymphatic). In addition to a certain body build, heterosexual stigmas are often found (see Hermaphroditism). Thus, in men - female signs: hair distribution, fat distribution according to the female type, delicate skin, presence of breasts, female proportions of the skeleton, female pelvis, high voice, etc.; in women - facial hair, male pelvis, low voice, etc. Weil found in 95% of cases of H. disproportion of the skeleton in the direction of eunuchoidism (see), which indicates the endocrine origin of H. Thus, if normally the ratio of upper body length (to the pubis) to lower is 100:100, then in H. on average it is 100:108 (in eunuchoidism 100:125). In men, the ratio of the shoulder girdle to the pelvis is also closer to the figures for women. These data supposedly gave the author the opportunity to discover hidden homosexual tendencies. Weil's data are doubtful from the point of view of the variation-statistical method. Moreover, the author did not take into account the age phases, when these proportions of the skeleton can temporarily change. As for the psychological constitution, according to Kronfeld, one fifth of all homosexuals are completely normal psychologically. The majority, however, are either sensitive (emotionally labile, prone to daydreaming, fantasizing and fixing experiences), hysterical, or infantile (debilitated, emotionally labile, suggestible). What unites these constitutions is strong suggestibility and a tendency to increased affective excitability, hence impulsiveness, often coarseness. In accordance with the heterosexual somatic signs, we also see psychological features of the opposite sex (gestures, movements, facial expressions, gait, taste, habits). Thus, for example, men pay much attention to their toilet, wear corsets, powder themselves, curl their hair, do needlework, etc. One homosexual dreamed of becoming pregnant. Women cut their hair, smoke, drink, prefer male professions. Sometimes H. begins to manifest itself very early, already in children's games (boys love to play with dolls, etc.). The attitude of a homosexual to his perversions is sometimes indifferent, but the majority suffer from the inability to live a normal sexual life, from a feeling of sexual inadequacy, lack of confidence in oneself, especially in sexual matters, a feeling of being misunderstood, loneliness, closedness. Often a person becomes a homosexual due to hypochondriacal fear of discrediting himself sexually. About 60% of homosexuals attempt suicide.

Another explanation for the origin of H. is given by Plate, Goldschmidt, Wolff, and others. They consider H. to be zygotic intersexuality, which occurs because when crossing healthy but very distant races, the valencies of both sex factors are very unequal, which is why, despite the correct distribution of sex chromosomes, some prevail over others. If there is no final judgment on the pathogenesis of H., it is still impossible to sharply contrast congenital H. with acquired H. (however, they also distinguish 'symptomatic H.', for example in diseases of progressive paralysis, in idiocy, etc.). All people have a speech center, but depending on environmental conditions, it depends on what language a person speaks. Biology explains perversions in general, and environmental conditions can to some extent explain why this particular subject exhibits certain deviations (H., fetishism, etc.). In some countries there is a law that punishes H. with imprisonment. Besides the fact that this law, directed against a biological deviation, is absurd in itself and does not give real results, it acts harmfully on the psyche of the homosexual.-The predominantly constitutional nature of H. determines a relatively poor prognosis. A cure is achieved only in a small number of cases and mainly where there are bisexual tendencies. The most important task is prevention: proper sexual education, joint school education. In cases where there is a significant involvement of external factors, some success is achieved by psychotherapy, hypnosis, physical education. Attempts to treat by castration followed by transplantation of sex glands have not yet given definite results. The first operation was performed on the proposal of Steinach by Lichtenstern. In the patient, due to tbc, both testicles were removed. The transplantation of a healthy testicle gave good results, which have lasted for 7 years. The patient married a year later, a mustache and beard appeared, the muscles strengthened, the voice became lower. Lichtenstern operated on 7 more cases; unilateral castration was performed (bilateral is a very serious intervention); the author notes success in three cases. Other authors (Stabel) obtained negative results. Kreuter decided to transplant a testicle from a homosexual to a heterosexual castrate; the operation had no consequences. The partial success in the cases of Sereysky the author tends to explain by the suggestive influence of the operation. It is possible that some surgical failures should be attributed to a poor transplant, its rapid resorption, etc. Recently, attention has been paid to the circumstance that the transplant and the subject to whom the transplantation is done belong to the same blood group. It is also possible that unilateral, incomplete castration is also a brake on success. In individual cases associated with sexual weakness, it is useful to apply organotherapeutic preparations.

M. Jewish.