mission takes place after the dreamer has awakened.

The widest and most comprehensive investigation of erotic dreams
is that carried out by Gualino, in northern Italy, and based on
inquiries among 100 normal men--doctors, teachers, lawyers,
etc.--who had all had experience of the phenomenon. (L. Gualino,
"Il Sogno Erotico nell' Uomo Normale," _Rivista di Psicologia_,
Jan.-Feb., 1907.) Gualino shows that erotic dreams, with
emissions (whether or not seminal), began somewhat earlier than
the period of physical development as ascertained by Marro for
youths of the same part of northern Italy. Gualino found that all
his cases had had erotic dreams at the age of seventeen; Marro
found 8 per cent, of youths still sexually undeveloped at that
age, and while sexual development began at thirteen years, erotic
dreams began at twelve. Their appearance was preceded, in most
cases for some months, by erections. In 37 per cent, of the cases
there had been no actual sexual experiences (either masturbation
or intercourse); in 23 per cent, there had been masturbation; in
the rest, some form of sexual contact. The dreams are mainly
visual, tactual elements coming second, and the _dramatis
persona_ is either an unknown woman (27 per cent, cases), or only
known by sight (56 per cent.), and in the majority is, at all
events in the beginning, an ugly or fantastic figure, becoming
more attractive later in life, but never identical with the woman
loved during waking life. This, as Gualino points out, accords
with the general tendency for the emotions of the day to be
latent in sleep. Masturbation only formed the subject of the
dream in four cases. The emotional state in the pubertal stage,
apart from pleasure, was anxiety (37 per cent.), desire (17 per
cent.), fear (14 per cent.). In the adult stage, anxiety and fear
receded to 7 per cent, and 6 per cent., respectively.
Thirty-three of the subjects, as a result of sexual or general
disturbances, had had nocturnal emissions without dreams; these
were always found exhausting. Normally (in more than 90 per
cent.) erotic dreams are the most vivid of all dreams. In no case
was there knowledge of any monthly or other cyclic periodicity in
the occurrence of the manifestations. In 34 per cent, of cases,
they tended to occur very soon after sexual intercourse.