On involuntary seminal discharges / by M. Lallemand ; translated from the French by William Wood.

  • Lallemand, F. (François), 1790-1853?
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On involuntary seminal discharges / by M. Lallemand ; translated from the French by William Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    upon very level ground : his ideas had lost (heir clearness, and his memory was often at fault. The two families being dismayed by these symptoms, came to Marseilles. Several distinguished practitioners were agreed as to the existence of a grave disease of the brain, without being able to explain its nature : the majority however decided upon a softening of the brain {ramollissement dn cerveau): my name had been men- tioned in the course of the discussion. The next day they decided to bring the patient to me. The appearance of his countenance during the whole of this conversation, the coincidence of these congestions with the time of his marriage, and the bad effects of blood-letting, made me wish to have a private conversation with him. As soon as we were alone, I questioned him as to what had taken place: he understood me perfectly, and informed, me stammering, that the unexpected appearance of menstruation at first prevented all intercourse, and that afterwards, he found himself completely impotent. He attributed his catastrophe to the presence of the menses, to the cerebral congestions and loss of blood that they had required, &c. But all this was only the illusion of self-love, for I very soon arrived at the first cause of this impotence, and found that it arose, as I had all along suspected, from diurnal pollutions. The following is what I obtained in answer to my questions. At 16 years of age, M. de B. was possessed of one of the most robust constitutions, and of an ardent and passionate disposition. Placed at college, he there contracted the habit of masturbation : at the end of three months, he had very frequent nocturnal pollutions, pains in the chest and troublesome palpitations, that warned him of the danger he was running ; he corrected himself of it and returned home. Having become free, he subdued his impetuous temperament by the most violent exercises, such as hunting, and especially by ridino- on horseback ; he also became passionately fond of agricultural pu£ suits. This new mode of living so completely re-established his health, that he was constantly annoyed with energetic and impor- tunate erections, against which he usually employed cold lotions and river bathing, even in the most inclement seasons, &c. He had never committed any excesses with women, and was free from any blennorrhagia or syphilitic affection. In 1831, his erections were rather more moderate ; and he became costive, which he attributed to the exercise he was taking especiallv to that of riding. ° l ' In 1832, he experienced a numbness and formication in the feet and legs. In 1833, there came on frequent blindness of vision and flashes of heat in the face; which he attributed to the increased constipa- tion. At the same time, the erections became more and more rare less energetic, and at length incomplete: the ability for intellectual