Curing Homosexuality in 1913

Attempts to cure homosexuality in have included some rather odd practices. Of course, there was psychotherapy, but an article from the August 2, 1913 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association describes a few other courses of treatment which included castration, bladder washing and — I’m not making this up! — prostate massage.

[Yobyag]

I thought prostate message WAS homosexuality?

So I should stop or I might be cured? Oh I get it...reverse psychology. Good one ;-)

[West Coaster]

I thought prostate message WAS homosexuality?

Only if you enjoy it.

[ScottyMatic]

Yobyag wrote:

I thought prostate message WAS homosexuality?
So I should stop or I might be cured? Oh I get it...reverse psychology. Good one ;-)

Get thee behind me, doctor!

Here's hoping your prostate is never lonely.

I was quite pleasantly surprized by the follolwing passage, written in 1913:

"I have met and studied a large number of homosexuals and have been convinced that a great injustice is done to a large class of human beings, most of whom are far from being the degenerates they are commonly believed to be.

…Investigators agree that homosexuality is no sign of mental or physical degeneration. This Ivan Bloch says:“I no longer entertain any doubt that homosexuality is compatible with perfect mental and physical health. This same author quotes Magnus Hirschfeld as saying that homosexuality may occur in persons just as healthy as normal heterosexual persons. Similar ideas are expressed by Näcke and others. My own findings concur with these views.Most of the inverts I know belong to our highest types both mentally and physically and show absolutely no hereditary taints. Without entering into a detailed discussion of this question I will say that I am convinced that homosexuality as such is entirely independent of any defective heredity or other degenerative trends."

We should remember that this was in the era of World War I, when many male homosexuals were conscripted into the army, and shipped to foreign countries, where they could explore their natures far from the scrutiny of their rural hometown communities. Many of the soldiers who returned with what we now call "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" were relegated to sanitariums and mental institutions where their homosexuality was explored --for the first time-- by modern psychotherapists.(psycho-the-r apists).

Despite voices of reason, such as that quoted above, the hetero-normative bias was just as strong in many therapists and doctors as in the society in general.

Still, even nearly a hundred years ago, some professionals recognized that gay people were just as "normal" as everyone else, and that the problem was not with them, but with a societal majority that can't see past the end of it's own provincial and limited world-view.

[dante2810]

From the article:
"...a large number of homosexuals are in no way abhorrent of themselves in respect to their natures; they seem to be perfectly happy and perfectly well adjusted, probably in a restricted sense, and these patients probably are not worth while treating as Dr. Brill treats them. If we accept homosexuality as a condition which has as much right to exist as heterosexuality, why should we address ourselves to the duty of treating it?"

Not surprising that a physician from almost a century ago has more common sense than most of these so called "experts" on the religious right today.

[NE Jade]

I bet that is why Will's therapy and treatment never "straightened" him out. He opted for the prostrate massage! But can you blame him?

[Lorax]

A million religious right fascists can't be wrong- bend over and reach for your ankles, boys!

Nothing like a deep finger massage after a long, hard day at the office.

[fuzi]

Frontier Proctologist: Have finger, Will travel.:-)