ism, emphasize the unbroken traditions that have motivated religious feeling by consciously or unconsciously identifying the phenomena of sex with the supernatural.
In considering the subject, Sex and Life—the caption of the present chapter—it is not only pertinent, but imperative in an honest discussion of the theme, to indicate the background of mankind's traditions in the realm of sexual interest, as well as to allude to the far-reaching biological implications of sex and life.
SEXUAL COLDNESS
From the immediate individual standpoint, probably no factor has been more responsible for the attempted dissociation of sex from life than frigidity, or sexual coldness. This statement is made with a full realization of the fact that frigidity, in certain cases, at least, is an effect of other more remote causes.
Congenital and Counterfeit Frigidity. There are different kinds of frigidity, or sexual anesthesia, just as there are as many variations in the degree of sexual feeling as there are variations in human temperament. At this point, however, we are interested principally in two specific types of frigidity; first, the congenitally "cold" type, and, second, the pseudo and counterfeit type of coldness.
The congenitally frigid person is one born deficient in sexual libido, or sexual feeling; that is, because of some inherent maladjustment of the bodily chemistry, probably in most cases a shortcoming of one or more of the links of the endocrine or ductless gland system, the individual is never able to experience normal sexual desire, feeling or gratification. Little or nothing can be done to improve this condition, unless, in exceptional instances, the specific trouble is amenable
