Studies in the psychology of sex. Vol. II, Sexual inversion / by Havelock Ellis.

  • Havelock Ellis
Date:
[1915]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Studies in the psychology of sex. Vol. II, Sexual inversion / by Havelock Ellis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    21/416 page 1
    SEXUAL IXYEESIOX, CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Homosexuality Among Animals—Among the Lower Human Races —The Albanians—The Greeks—The Eskimos—The Tribes of the North¬ west United States—Homosexuality Among Soldiers in Europe—Indif¬ ference Frequently Manifested by European Lower Classes—Sexual Inversion at Rome—Homosexuality in Prisons—Among Men of Ex¬ ceptional Intellect and Moral Leaders—Muret—Michelangelo—Winlcel- mann—Homosexuality in English History—Walt Whitman—Verlaine— Burton’s Climatic Theory of Homosexuality—The Racial Factor—The Prevalence of Homosexuality Today. Sexual inversion, as here understood, means sexual instinct turned by inborn constitutional abnormality toward persons of the same sex. It is thus a narrower term than homosexuality, which includes all sexual attractions between persons of the same sex, even when seemingly due to the accidental absence of the natural objects of sexual attraction, a phenomenon of wide occur¬ rence among all human races and among most of the higher animals. It is only during recent years that sexual inversion has been recognized; previously it was not distinguished from homosexuality in general, and homosexuality was regarded as a national custom, as an individual vice, or as an unimportant epi¬ sode in grave forms of insanity.1 We have further to distinguish sexual inversion and all other forms of homosexuality from an¬ other kind of inversion which usually remains, so far as the 1 Taking all its forms en bloc, as they are known to the police, homosexuality is seen to possess formidable proportions. Thus in France, from official papers which passed through M. Carlier’s bureau during ten years (1860-70), he compiled a list of 6342 pederasts who came within the cognizance of the police; 2049 Parisians, 3709 provin¬ cials, and 584 foreigners. Of these, 3432, or more than the half, could not be convicted of illegal acts. l
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3