J. W., aged 30, was brought to my office May 13, suffering from a self-inflicted wound. He had laid open the scrotum and succeeded in getting one testicle out, but was unable to sever the cord, on account of the intense pain. He had, however, mutilated the organ to such an extent that it became necessary to complete the operation. I tied off the cord and the tunica vaginalis separately with catgut ligature. Infection was feared, as he had used dirt to control the hemorrhage, but to my surprise he made an uneventful recovery without the least sign of suppuration.
The patient was a masturbator of the most pronounced type. He said he had accomplished the act as frequently as seven times a day, and he thought that by castrating himself he would get rid of the uncontrollable passion. He was somewhat deficient in gray matter, but had laid his