PSYCHIATRY, during recent years, has found it to
its advantage to turn to a number of related sciences
and allied branches of study for the explanation of
a number of the peculiar symptoms of abnormal
mental states. Of these related studies, none have been
of greater value than those which throw light on the mental
development of either the individual or the race. In primitive
races we discover a number of inherent motives which
are of interest from the standpoint of mental development.
These motives are expressed in a very interesting symbolism.
It is the duty of the psychiatrist to see to what extent
these primitive motives operate subconsciously in abnormal
mental conditions, and also to learn whether an insight into
the symbolism of mental diseases may be gained, through
comparison, by a study of the symbolism of primitive races.
In the following communication one particular motive with
its accompanying symbolism is dealt with. The application
of these findings must be left with the psychiatrist in his
clinical studies.
A great many of the institutions and usages of our
present day civilization originated at a very early period in
the history of the race. Many of these usages are carried
on in modified form century after century, after they have
lost the meaning which they originally possessed; it must be
remembered, however, that in primitive races they were of
importance, and they arose because they served a useful
end. From the study of these remnants of former days, we
are able to learn the trends of thought which activated and
inspired the minds of primitive people. When we clearly
understand these motives, we may then judge the extent of
their influence on our present day thought and tendencies.
Now, in our present communication, we wish to deal
with a motive which we find expressed very generally in primitive
religion; this is the worship of sex. We not only find
evidences of this worship in the records and monuments of
antiquity, but our knowledge of the customs and practices
of certain tribes, studied in comparatively modern times,
indicates the presence of this same primitive religion. We
feel that in sex worship we are dealing with an important
motive in racial development, and our object at present is
to give an account of its various phases.
Before we proceed, it is desirable to make reference to
some of our sources of information. There are plenty of
books on the history of Egypt, the antiquities of India or
on the interpretation of Oriental customs, which make scarcely
any reference to the deification of sex. We have always
been told, for example, that Bacchus was the god of the
harvest and that the Greek Pan was the god of nature.
We have not been told that these same gods were representations
of the male generative attribute, and that they were
worshipped as such; yet, anyone who has access to the
statuettes or engravings of these various deities of antiquity,
whether they be of Egypt, of India or of China, cannot
fail to see that they were intended to represent generative
attributes. On account of the incompleteness of many
books which describe primitive races, a number of references
are given throughout these pages, and some Bibliographical
references are added.
