226 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
been far greater. The vice imposes itself, of course, with greater violence and more hurtful consequences on children already stained by degenerative vice, but it is also true that predisposi- tion receives from this vice a strong impulse to enter into activity.
The alienist and neurologist is more than anyone else in a situation to recognize and measure daily the immense sum of physical and moral misery which comes to youth from self- abuse. Apart from degradation of genital organs with sperma- torrhea in the boy, leucorrhea in the girl, disposition to phthisic and to other illnesses which mostly arise from this vice, there is a sequel of moral and social inconveniences. It is a matter of fact that impairment of sexual organs brings with it a degrading influence upon the moral character. The boy becomes bashful, especially in presence of female individuals, loses frankness, cannot look in the eyes of other people, becomes timid, without courage and boldness. Inclination and skill for physical exercises, as well as study, vanish. Disposition to idleness and to strange fancies arises, and while an ill-founded self-esteem increases, the individual grows suspicious, unfriendly, and inclined to judge censoriously the demeanor of everybody toward himself.
Less dangerous for the physical welfare, if dangers of syphi- litic or venereal infection are avoided, but not less noxious to individuals and to society, is the natural satisfaction of sexual impulses in early youth. The greater difficulty of indulging in it renders its abuse less easy, and its use has not such a deterio- rating influence upon the character as onanism, but other incon- veniences arise. The first is, of course, the exposure to syphilitic or venereal infections in roving loves. It is a matter of fact that precocious nuptial sexual intercourse becomes noxious as well to individuals as to their descendants. We observe in mankind what happens among beasts. The sheep, observes Burdach, remains ordinarily sickly and slender when it is coupled before the third year, and the horses remain small and weak which are coupled at the age of three years. The same may be said of cows, goats, sows, etc. Physically imperfect are the animals born from such precocious unions. Courrasons reckons among the principal causes of the diminishing stature and general
