Eunuchs are by no means destitute of sexual feeling. Dr. Matignon, of the French Legation in Pekin, believes that they seek the society of women, and gratify their sexual appetites by such methods as remain to them, even when the sexual organs are entirely removed.' In Turkey and India, where the eunuchs are chiefly negroes, total castration is commonly performed, the knowledge that Eexual potency is not altoget her abolished by the operation seeming to prevail; and Lancaster quotes the remark made by a resident of Nubia, that sex-feeling exists among Nubian eunuchs, unmodified by the absence of the genital organs, Poggius relates the ease of a citizen who castrated himself as a cure for his unworthy jealousy; Felix Plater another—that of Basil—who did the same with the same motive; and both Plutarch and Lucian sing the praises of Combalus who, being Beat by Seleucus to escort the latter's beautiful and amorous queen, Stratonice, on a journey, castrated himself before starting, knowing something of the dispositions of both bis lord and lady, and leaving his genitals sealed up in a box in the king's palace behind him. Sure enough, on his return, the King's jealousy getting the better of his judgment, the unfortunate squire of dames was accused of intimacy with the queen, thrown into a dungeon, and the sensational denouement occurred when he exposed his privates to the king, or rather the place where they once grew, and giving a key to the irate monarch, directed him to the casket where were found the innocent and foully slandered members. The king, of course, made the amende honorable, and one of them at least lived happily afterward, Francis of Assisi similarly emasculated himself because he had to be alone with women, confessing them; and Friar Leonard, another remarkable enthusiast along these lines, removed his penis and testicles and went through VIterbium, in Italy, naked, to show that he was, physically at least, above suspicion.

2 Vid. Lucian, Dial, "Eunuchua."

"The eunuch differs from the man not in the absence of sexual passion, but in the fact that he cannot gratify it." This seems to be, however, a statement not fully warranted by the facts, as we shall see later; the castrated man being capable of a certain species of psychological enjoyment even when the genitalia are wholly obliterated. 1 dwell with special emphasis, and at somewhat greater than necessary length, upon this question from the fact that emasculation has only recently, and quite seriously, been proposed as the basis of a law to punish and prevent the growing crime of negro-rape; and for the purpose of throwing whatever scientific light may be available upon the subject.