or sinners
whose lives have been ruined, either by their own fault or by others.
They have read Lamert's "Personal Preservation," or other sensational
books which excite both the fear and the sexual desire of weak
characters, whom they are intended to exploit. These poor devils
believe themselves lost, and are truly pitiable objects. These form
the types which are paraded as terrible examples in books on onanism
which make timid persons' hair stand on end.

When these unfortunate onanists are questioned on all the
circumstances of the act of which they accuse themselves, we generally
arrive at the following results:

We recognize that we have to deal with psychopathic or neurotic
subjects more or less tainted by heredity, timid and shunning their
fellows, easily impressed by imagination, possessed of unhealthy
sentiments and ideas; in fact, hypochondriacs, predisposed to look
upon every sensation or slight indisposition as a grave disorder
threatening their health or life. They thus live in perpetual anxiety.
This mental anomaly has for a long time preceded the onanism, even if
they have masturbated, which is often even not the case.

Among the numerous patients of this kind that I have treated, there
were many who had simply had nocturnal emissions since puberty, but
they regarded themselves as lost men through masturbation! Many others
no doubt practice compensatory masturbation, generally because their
timid nature prevents them from frequenting prostitutes, or committing
other sexual excesses, while the way in which they analyze their
sensations easily leads them to onanism. On the other hand, they are
generally so afraid that they do not give way to excessive
masturbation, perhaps only once or twice a week or even less often, so
that the normal frequency of coitus, according to Luther, is often not
attained and seldom exceeded. Among these persons we find few
precocious or excessive onanists. I admit, however, that a
hypochondriacal constitution predisposes somewhat to onanism.

But, what I wish to lay stress upon, is that the onanists who are full
of lamentation and self-reproach are neither the most numerous nor
those who commit the greatest excess. The worst onanists, those who
provoke several ejaculations daily, belong to the category of sexual
hyperaesthetics. These have not the classical aspect attributed to them
by tradition; they are not pale and terrified creatures, but rather
lewd individuals who are