A medical friend
tells me of a little girl of two, whose external genital organs are
greatly developed, and who is always rubbing herself.
[312] R.T. Morris, of New York, has also pointed out the influence of
traditions in this respect. "Among boys," he remarks, "there are
traditions to the effect that self-abuse is harmful. Among girls, however,
there are no such saving traditions." Dr. Kiernan writes in a private
letter: "It has been by experience, that from ignorance or otherwise,
there are young women who do not look upon sexual manipulation with the
same fear that men do." Guttceit, similarly, remarks that men have been
warned of masturbation, and fear its evil results, while girls, even if
warned, attach little importance to the warning; he adds that in healthy
women, masturbation, even in excess, has little bad results. The attitude
of many women in this matter may be illustrated by the following passage
from a letter written by a medical friend in India: "The other day one of
my English women patients gave me the following reason for having taught
the 17-year-old daughter of a retired Colonel to masturbate: 'Poor girl,
she was troubled with dreams of men, and in case she should be tempted
with one, and become pregnant, I taught her to bring the feeling on
herself--as it is safer, and, after all, nearly as nice as with a man.'"
[313] H. Ellis, _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, volume ii, "Sexual
Inversion," Chapter IV.
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