wledged that his opinion thus
approximated to that which had long been held by inverts themselves.[121]

At the time of his death, Krafft-Ebing, who had begun by accepting the
view, at that time prevalent among alienists, that homosexuality is a sign
of degeneration, thus fully adopted and set the seal of his authority on
the view, already expressed alike by some scientific investigators as well
as by inverts themselves, that sexual inversion is to be regarded simply
as an anomaly, whatever difference of opinion there might be as to the
value of the anomaly. The way was even opened for such a view as that of
Freud and most of the psychoanalysts today who regard a strain of
homosexuality as normal and almost constant, with a profound significance
for the psychonervous life. In 1891 Dr. Albert Moll, of Berlin, published
his work, _Die Kontraere Sexualempfindung_, which subsequently appeared in
much enlarged and revised editions. It speedily superseded all previous
books as a complete statement and judicious discussion of sexual
inversion. Moll was not content merely to present fresh clinical material.
He attacked the problem which had now become of primary importance: the
nature and causes of sexual inversion. He discussed the phenomena as a
psychologist even more than as a physician, bearing in mind the broader
aspects of the problem, keenly critical of accepted opinions, but
judiciously cautious in the statement of conclusions. He cleared away
various ancient prejudices and superstitions which even Krafft-Ebing
sometimes incautiously repeated. He accepted the generally received
doctrine that the sexually inverted usually belong to families in which
various nervous and mental disorders prevail, but he pointed out at the
same time that it is not in all cases possible to prove that we are
concerned with individuals possessing a hereditary neurotic taint. He also
rejected any minute classification of sexual inverts, only recognizing
psycho-sexual hermaphroditism and homosexuality. At the same time he cast
doubt on the existence of acquired homosexuality, in a strict sense,
except in occasional cases, and he pointed out that even when a normal
heterosexual impulse appears at puberty, and a homosexual impulse later,
it may still be the former that was acquired and the latter that was
inborn.

In America attention had been given to the phenomena at a fairly early
period. Mention may be specially made of J.G. Kiernan and G. Fra