Page:Homo-sexual Life by William John Fielding (1925).pdf/17

 (c) The family of the homosexual often contains a larger number of nervous persons and such as deviate from the normal sexual type.

This latter observation, of course, tends to give homosexuality an hereditary aspect, which is Hirschfeld's opinion. But, when analyzed, this may mean that a nervous or neurotic disposition is inherited, which, under certain environmental conditions (the negative attitude of parents, the dominant mother, etc.) leads to a homosexual goal.

Dr. Iwan Bloch, who has world-wide standing as a sexologist, gives the following interesting opinion:

1. The so-called "undifferentiated" stage of the sexual instinct is often eliminated when the instinct becomes directed toward a definite particular sex among heterosexuals or homosexuals before the advent of puberty. Homosexuality shows a definite, clear direction of the sexual instinct towards the same sex long before puberty.

2. A comprehensive theory of homosexuality must also explain the extreme cases, particularly male homosexuality coupled with complete virility.

3. Sexual parts and genital glands cannot determine homosexuality in those possessing typical normal male genitalia and testicles; neither can the brain itself be the determining factor in genuine homosexuality, because homosexuality cannot be rooted out by the strongest conscious and unconscious heterosexual influences brought to bear upon thought and phan-