It seems clear from Miletski's summary of the existing literature that very little is actually known about bestiality and there is not anything approaching a consensus as to why animal-human sexual contacts occur. The differences in findings is evident in the changing explanations provided in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual from the first edition (published in 1952) to the fourth edition (published in 1994). Such contradictions only amplify the confused state of, and lack of research on, this topic.įrom surveying the widespread existence of animal-human contact, Miletski then turns to surveying the explanations for such conduct offered by earlier investigators ranging from Krafft-Ebing (1935), Freud (1963), and Menninger (1951), to Kinsey (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948 Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard, 1953)and his associates (Gebhard, Gagnon, Pomeroy, & Christensen, 1965), to John Money (1986). References to actual contacts are not always easy to locate and it is worth noting that some observers, for example, report animal-human contacts as widespread in China, whereas others claimed they were comparatively rare. In spite of its brevity, it is the most comprehensive summary listing that I have seen in print. Using a wide range of secondary sources dealing with the history of sexuality, Miletski examines animal and human sexual contacts area by area, from prehistoric times to the most recent, all in less than 30 pages. Whereas these definitions are useful for studies of people currently involved in animal relationships and those who can be interviewed, they are not so useful for historical study of such activity, which tends to be confused by use of such terminology as "sodomy," "unnatural acts," and "zooerasty." The title itself is important since Miletski, following the work of Mark Matthews (1994), believes there are two general classes of people who have sex with animals: (1) the "bestialists" who have had one or a few sexual contacts with an animal or use animals when a more "normal" outlet is not available and (2) the "Zoophiles," individuals who prefer an animal as a sex partner, often forming deep emotional relationships with them. It is based on a doctoral dissertation at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco, and is one of the few dissertations from that institution to be published. This is the best overall survey of bestiality that I have read. Bethesda, MD: East-West Publishing LLC, 2002, 273 pp.
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