periodic passion

my good friend Havelock Ellis reports on the belief that men are also affected by periods

“Kraft-Ebbing records the case of a neurasthenic russian aged 24, who experienced sexual desire with urologinic character every four weeks, Nacke mentions the case of a man who had nocturnal emmissions at intervals of 4 weeks, Moll recorded the case of a man who had attacks of homosexual feeling every 4 weeks and Rohleder gives the case of  an unmarried slightly neuropathic physician who for several days every 3 to 5 weeks has attacks of satyriacal sexual excitement

In 1888 Julius Nelson published a study in which he recorded the results of his dreams and seminal emissions (which he called gonekboles) during a period of 2 years. He found his gonekboles fell into a physiological cycle of 28 days. But Havelock Ellis felt there was a more pronounced weekly rhythm. He was told by several young men who worked hard during the week, that Saturday and especially Sunday afternoon are periods when the thoughts spontaneously go in an erotic direction and at this time there is a special tendency to masturbation.

“AN” kept a record of his sexual manifestations between the ages of 30 and 34 showing that his emissions occurred most frequently on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days after a new moon. his yearly average came out as 52, or one per week, most often on a Sunday. in 1889, 38 year old “Mr X” reported that at certain regular times he felt an itching in his testicles and his penis would erect at the slightest provocation. this feeling would persist for 2 or 3 days and he recalled at these times that he had a strong desire to wrestle with someone.

perhaps my male readers might like to chime in with the results of their own experiments in record keeping here. I doubt if nursemyra is the only woman wondering if she should get out and about more often on a sunday…..