In the 1960’s, parents were admonished to keep their toddlers in bathing trunks by a sign on Jones beach created by Robert Moses. In contrast, healing diaper-sore bottoms on the beach is luxury for European children. ‘Nakedei’ is an affectionate German term for a naked toddler.

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It was only in the 1970’s that the sensory homunculus

used to describe the distorted human figure drawn to reflect the relative space of our body parts on the somatosensory cortex

acquired reproductive organs in US textbooks.

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Nevertheless in 2003 modesty prevailed in a paper read at the inauguration of a University president, again showing the homunculus as gender-free.

Kandel and Mack, Figure 6

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Also in 1970’s, an issue of the The National Inquirer stated that a NY state scientist claims she needs x$ to study the sex life of leeches. In reality, NSF funded her to study a novel synapse that just happens to connect leech penile evertor motor neurons. The article was prompted by William Proxmire planning to give her his ‘Golden Fleece Award’. It was with glee that her boss, James D. Watson, received the news, welcoming the opportunity to fight this American senator, who, however, wisely dropped the case.

These are vignettes of adult modesty. What goes on in the mind of pre-schoolers? A little girl, Nina, created the above piece of reductionist art. What does it represent?