Studies in the psychology of sex. [Vol.4], Sexual selection in man : I. Touch, II. Smell, III. Hearing, IV. Vision / by Havelock Ellis.

  • Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939.
Date:
[1905], ©1905
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Studies in the psychology of sex. [Vol.4], Sexual selection in man : I. Touch, II. Smell, III. Hearing, IV. Vision / by Havelock Ellis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    eitement of the whole pilo-sebaceous apparatus. In the regions where this apparatus is vestigial, and notably in the face, this abortive at- tempt of the hair-follieles and their sebaceous appendages to produce hairs tends only to disorganization, and simple comedones or pustular acne pimples are liable to occur. As a rule, aene appears about puberty and dies out slowly during adolescence. While fairly common in young women, it is usually much less severe, but tends to be exacer- bated at the menstrual periods; it is also apt to appear at the change of life. (Stephen Mackenzie, The Etiology and Treatment of Acne Vul- garis, British Medical Journal, September 29, 1S94. Laycock [Nervous Diseases of Women, 1840, p. 23] pointed out that acne occurs chiefly in those parts of the surface covered by sexual hair. A lucid account of the origin of acne will be found in Woods Hutchinson's Studies in Human and Comparative Pathology, pp. 179-184. G. J. Engelmann [The Hystero-neuroses, G-y narcological Transactions, 1887, pp. 124 et seq.] discusses various pathological disorders of the skin as reflex dis- turbances originating in the sexual sphere.) The influence of menstruation in exacerbating acne has been called in question, but it seems to be well established. Thus, Bulkley (Eela- tion between Certain Diseases of the Skin and the Menstrual Func- tion, Transactions of the Medical Society of New York, 1901, p. 328) found that, in 510 cases of acne in women, 145, or nearly one-third, were worse about the monthly period. Sometimes it only appeared during menstruation. The exacerbation occurred much more frequently just before than just after the period. There was usually some dis- turbance of menstruation. Various other disorders of the skin show a similar relationship to menstruation. It has been asserted that masturbation is a frequent or constant cause of acne at puberty. (See, e.g., discussion in British Medical Journal, July, 1882.) This cannot be accepted. Acne very frequently occurs without masturbation, and masturbation is very frequently prac- ticed without producing aene. At the same time we may well believe that at the period of puberty, when the pilo-sebaceous system is already in sensitive touch with the sexual system, the shock of frequently re- peated masturbation may (in the same way as disordered menstru- ation) have its repercussion on the skin. Thus, a lady has informed me that at about the age of 18 she found that frequently repeated masturbation was followed by the appearance of comedones.