The penile plethysmograph, a device engineered to measure physiological sexual arousal in males, stands as the most recognized contribution of Kurt Freund. A Czech-Canadian physician and sexologist, he dedicated his career to the rigorous scientific examination of human sexuality, transitioning from clinical psychiatry in Prague to specialized research at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto.
Early Career and Education
Born in 1914 in Chrudim, Freund pursued his medical education at Charles University and the German University in Prague Medical School. He began his professional journey at the Department of Psychiatry at Charles University in 1948. Throughout this period, he conducted extensive research and clinical work within the university's Sexological Institute. He eventually earned a Doctor of Science degree from the institution in 1962.
Conversion Therapy Research
Between 1950 and 1953, Freund conducted clinical experiments involving 67 men to test the efficacy of conversion therapy. By applying behaviorist principles, he paired images of men with nausea-inducing drugs and utilized testosterone injections alongside images of naked women. Follow-up studies in 1956 and 1958 proved the treatment futile. His findings demonstrated that participants remained aroused by same-sex stimuli despite outward behavioral changes, leading him to eventually apologize for the harm caused by these efforts.
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Following his empirical findings on the limitations of conversion therapy, Freund shifted his perspective on homosexuality. In 1957, he began advocating for its decriminalization, which was subsequently enacted in Czechoslovakia in 1961 based on recommendations signed by him and other psychiatric colleagues. By 1977, he publicly expressed doubt regarding the classification of homosexuality as an illness, suggesting that social changes could eliminate distress for homosexual individuals.
Plethysmography and Courtship Disorders
Freund developed the penile plethysmograph around 1953, initially to verify claims of homosexuality among military recruits. He later refined the device to research pedophilia and other paraphilias. His academic contributions included the 'courtship disorder' hypothesis, which categorized behaviors such as exhibitionism, voyeurism, and biastophilia as disruptions of the natural courtship process. He continued this work in Canada after fleeing there in 1968, where the Kurt Freund Laboratory was later established in his honor.
Final Years
Following a cancer diagnosis in 1994, Freund became a member of Dying with Dignity. In 1996, he ended his life in Toronto. His remains were cremated, with ashes distributed between the grounds of the Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice in Prague and a site adjacent to his former professional office at the Clarke Institute.
Fast facts
- Born: 1914, Chrudim
- Died: 1996, Toronto
- Education: Charles University, German University in Prague
- Key Invention: Penile plethysmograph
- Primary Fields: Psychiatry, sexology
- Notable Theory: Courtship disorder hypothesis
- Citizenship: Canada, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia
Questions readers ask
What was the purpose of Freund's penile plethysmograph?
It was designed to measure male sexual arousal by tracking blood flow to the penis, aiding in research on sexual orientation and paraphilias.
Did Kurt Freund successfully change his patients' sexual orientation?
No. His experiments between 1950 and 1953 proved that conversion therapy was ineffective, as patients remained aroused by their original sexual interests.
Achievements
- Held posts at Charles University
- Fields: psychiatry and sexology
