student days he travelled extensively, studying languages. He was tall, a keen athlete, and, he says, a good-looking young man. One of his tutors, several of his student friends, and some acquaintances on his travels made homosexual advances; but these shocked him. He had a distinguished Service career in the first world war.

As he became older he realised that he was predominantly homosexual in orientation, but his family background and training had taught him that this was reprehensible; so he did not allow any homosexual behaviour to occur. He tells me that he never discussed his inclinations with any person until about five years ago when he did so with me. His knowledge of the subject up to that time was derived from reading Greek and other classical writers. It appears that not until after his 50th year did he have his first experience of sexual activity with another person.

He is now obsessed by the thought of his "wasted youth ". It distresses him to find that it is the physical beauty of the youth of both sexes-but particularly young males-which attracts him. He admits that mutual masturbation with young men in the 16-20 age-group has occurred often during the last thirty years, but no sexual acts with women or older men. Since a prostatectomy a few years ago these incidents have ceased or, at least, become less common. He says that if he had had some sexual fulfilment during his youth and maturity he would now be content to " grow old gracefully ".

In his community he is liked and respected and his personal problem is unsuspected by his friends and neighbours.

These case-histories have been selected from a much larger number to illustrate different types of male homosexual. All are known to me personally, none shows any outward signs of homosexuality (except possibly no. 6), only one (case 16) is sexually interested in adolescents; only one has sought medical advice. None of them has ever been on a police charge for a homosexual offence. None of them knows of any reason why they are homosexually orientated, and all agree that seduction in childhood by older persons was not the cause.

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"It is my considered opinion that the cause of homosexuality is still unknown." This was the way the doctor began his conclusions. Neither homosexual or heterosexual men have the slightest choice in their sexual orientation, he states. And discovery of one's real sexual orientation can be accidental, distressing and embarrassing in many cases.

Doctors, judges, magistrates and lawyers use terms such as "cure” and "treatment" too freely, this doctor believes. For the homosexual, cure can only mean the reorientation of his desires into heterosexual channels-and as far as this doctor has observed, he has never seen any homosexual permanently reoriented. Chastity and castration are not cures either, he states. To accept marriage as a criterion of cure is unrealistic.

Every tenth man, this doctor states, is predominantly homosexual, an observation drawn from more than 30 years. This, the doctor states, means they fall in Kinsey rating 4, 5, and 6.

"Investigations I have made in several European and non-European countries leads me to believe that the incidence varies little, if at all, from country to country," he adds.

"In discussions of homosexuality the physical aspects tend to be overemphasized, while the emotional aspects are overlooked. Yet these may be as intense as those experienced by heterosexuals. Many homosexual friendships, like many heterosexual friendships, do not include physical acts. The homosexual liaison-unlike marriage is unsupported by legal, social, economic, or family considerations tending to encourage permanency. I do not believe that homosexuals are inherently more promiscuous than heterosexuals would be if they had to live under similar conditions of loneliness and sexual insecurity. "Lesbianism, fornication, adultery, rape, even murder can usually be discussed calmly and objectively, but male homosexuality rarely. It seems likely that the illogical and disproportionate emotional reaction produced in some people— usually men, not women-by this subject is caused by unresolved conflicts. It is widely believed among homosexuals that exaggerated revulsion is an indication of latent homosexual tendencies.

"Homosexual problems are often the cause of alcoholism and suicide, though the basic reason for these tragedies is rarely disclosed and usually unsuspected. "I make no attempt to defend the immorality disclosed in many of the casehistories, beyond suggesting that it should be judged alongside heterosexual immorality."

Finally, the doctor concludes, "homosexuals are reluctant to seek medical advice because they believe that most family doctors share the ignorance and the emotional prejudice of laymen on this subject; most of them know that medical treatment cannot make them heterosexual, and people, including doctors, find it easy to preach life-long chastity for others when they do not have to practise it themselves."