In order to further
public awareness and knowledge regarding this controversy, we are
posting a verbatim copy of the 1950 article. It is exactly as it appeared
in the International Journal of Sexology except that this author
has bolded and italicized portions that are relevant
to the debate.
A rather high percentage
of women do not reach the climax in sexual intercourse. The frigidity
figures of different authors vary from 10-80 per cent and come closer
to the statistics of older sexologists. Adler (Berlin) came to the
conclusion that 80 per cent of women did not reach the sexual climax.
Elkan guessed that 50 per cent suffered from frigidity, while Kinsey
found it to be 75 per cent. Hardenberg's figures have a very wide
range from 10 to 75 per cent. Many of these statistics
cannot be compared, since the various authors use different criteria.
Edmund Bergler sees the condition of eupareunia only in vaginal
orgasm and so his frigidity figures are naturally much higher than
those based on any kind of sexual satisfaction. The restriction
to the vaginal orgasm, however, does not give the true picture of
female sexuality. Lack of orgasm and frigidity are not
identical. Frigid women can enjoy orgasm. The lesbian is frigid
in her relations to a heterosexual partner, but is completely satisfied
by homosexual loveplays. A deficient orgasm need not always be associated
with frigidity. Numerous women have satisfactory enjoyment in normal
heterosexual intercourse, even if they do not reach the orgasm.
Genuine frigidity should be spoken of only if there is no response
to any partner and in all situations. A woman with only clitoris
orgasm is not frigid and sometimes is even more active sexually,
because she is hunting for a male partner who would help her to
achieve the fulfillment of her erotic dreams and desires.
Although female erotism has been discussed for many centuries or
even thousands of years, the problems of female satisfaction are
not yet solved. Even though female doctors (Helena Wright) participate
in these discussions nowadays, "the eternal woman" is still under
discussion. The solution of the problem would be better furthered,
if the sexologists know exactly what they are talking about.
The criteria for sexual satisfaction have first to be fixed before
we make comparisons. Numerous "frigid" women enjoy thoroughly all
the different phases of "necking." Should we count out all variations
of sex practices which result in complete orgasm though not vaginal
orgasm? Innumerable erotogenic spots are distributed
all over the body, from where sexual satisfaction can be elicited;
these are so many that we can almost say that there is no part of
the female body which does not give sexual response, the partner
has only to find the erotogenic zones. It is
not frigidity, if the wife does not reach orgasm in intercourse
with her husband, but finds it in sexual relations with another
partner. One of my patients, who married early a very much older,
rich man and had two children, pestered me persistently with questions
as to why she could not experience an orgasm. I explained that physically
there was nothing wrong with her. Bored by the repeated discussions
with her, I finally asked her, if she had tried sex relations with
another male partner. No, was the answer and reflectively she left
my office. The next day in the middle of the night, I was awakened
by a telephone call and a familiar voice who did not give her name
asked: "Doctor are you there? You are right," and hung up the receiver
with a bang! I never had to answer any further sexual questions
from her.
In spite of abundant literature dealing with female orgasm,
our knowledge of the mechanism and the localisation of the final
climax is insufficient. Different organs and their stimulation work
as a trigger and cause an increase of the sexual "potential" up
to the level where the orgasm goes off. One could suppose
that the clitoris alone is involved in causing excitation, since
this organ is an erotic center even before puberty, though it is
aided by other erotogenic zones. Inflammations of the
clitoris, especially below the prepuce, can make it so hypersensitive
that it loses its ability to produce orgasm. Such changes occur
by masturbation in elderly women after the menopause when the external
genitals shrink and become affected by hypoesterogenism. The erotogenic
power of the clitoris passes then mostly to the neighborhood of
the genital organs, to the inside of the small labia or to the pubic
region of the abdomen. The entrance to the rectum can also become
an erotogenic center, not for anal intercourse, but for stimulation
with the finger. In one of my patients vaginal orgasm was lost completely,
but orgasm could be achieved with a finger in the anus and the penis
in the vagina. Sometimes the breasts help the clitoris
in producing erotization. Kissing the nipples, touching them with
the penis, or inserting the penis between the two breasts lead to
an orgasm. Cunnilingus or even insertion of the penis in the external
orifice of the ear are other illustrations of the variability of
the erotogenic zones in females. Some investigators
of female sex behavior believe that most women cannot experience
vaginal orgasm, because there are no nerves in the vaginal wall.
In contrast to this statement by Kinsey, Hardenberg mentions that
nerves have been demonstrated only inside the vagina in the anterior
wall, proximate to the base of the clitoris. This I can confirm
by my own experience of numerous women. An erotic zone always
could be demonstrated on the anterior wall of the vagina along the
course of the urethra. Even when there was a good response
in the entire vagina, this particular area was more easily stimulated
by the finger than the other areas of the vagina. Women tested this
way always knew when the finger slipped from the urethra by the
impairment of their sexual stimulation. During orgasm this area
is pressed downwards against the finger like a small cystocele protruding
into the vaginal canal. It looked as if the erotogenic part of the
anterior vaginal wall tried to bring itself in closest contact with
the finger. It could be found in all women, far more frequently
than the spastic contractions of the levator muscles of the pelvic
floor which are described as objective symptoms of the female orgasm
by Levine. After the orgasm was achieved a complete relaxation of
the anterior vaginal wall sets in.
Erotogenic zones in the female urethra are sometimes the cause of
urethral onanism. I have seen two girls who had stimulated themselves
with hair pins in their urethra. The blunt part of the old fashioned
hair pin was introduced into the urethra and moved forwards and
backwards. During the ecstasy of the orgasm the girls lost control
of the pin which went into the bladder. Both girls felt ashamed
and tried to hide the incident from their mothers until a huge bladder
stone had developed around the pin as centre. One stone was removed
by supra-pubic, and the other by vaginal, cystotomy. A third hair
pin entered the bladder and before the bladder was inflamed, it
was angled out via the urethra. Since the old hairpins are no more
in use, pencils are used for urethral onanism. They are longer than
the hairpins and do not glide into the bladder so easily, though
they cause a painful urethritis. Urethral onanism may happen in
men as well. I saw a patient with a rifle bullet which glided into
his bladder. He had played with it while he was lonesome on duty
on New Years Eve. Analogous to the male urethra,
the female urethra also seems to be surrounded by erectile tissues
like the corpora cavernosa. In the course of sexual stimulation,
the female urethra begins to enlarge and can be felt easily. It
swells out greatly at the end of orgasm. The most stimulating part
is located at the posterior urethra, where it arises from the neck
of the bladder. Sometimes patients of Birth
Control clinics complain that their sexual feelings were impaired
by the diaphragm pessary. In such cases the orgastic capacity was
restored by the use of the plastic cervical cap, which does not
cover the erotogenic zone of the anterior vaginal wall. Such complaints
occurred more frequently in Europe than here in the U. S. A., and
was one of the reasons for giving preference to the cervical cap
over the diaphragm pessary. Frigidity after hysterectomy
may happen, if the erotogenic zone of the anterior vaginal wall
was removed at the time of the operation. The vaginal wall is preserved
best by the abdominal subtotal hysterectomy, less by the total hysterectomy
and least by vaginal hysterectomy when always large parts of the
vagina are removed. That is the cause of vaginal frigidity after
vaginal hysterectomy observed by LeMon Clark.
The uterus or the cervix uteri takes no part in producing orgasm,
even though Havelock Ellis speaks of the sucking in of sperm by
the cervix into the uterus. The non-existence of the
uterine suction power was proved by a simple experiment, in which
a plastic cervical cap was filled with a contrast oil (radiopac)
and fitted over the cervix. The cap was left in for the whole interval
between two menstrual periods. These women had frequent sexual relations
with satisfying orgasm. Repeated X-ray pictures taken during the
time when the cap was covering the cervix, never showed any of the
contrast medium inside the cervix or in the body of the uterus.
The whole contrast medium was always in the cap. The
glands around the vaginal orifice, especially the large Bartholin
glands, have a lubricating effect. Therefore they are located at
the entrance of the vagina and produce their mucus at the beginning
of the sexual relations and not synchronously with the orgasm. Sometimes
the mucus is produced so abundantly and makes the vulva slippery,
that the female partner is inclined to compare it with the ejaculation
of the male. Occasionally the production of fluids is so profuse
that a large towel has to be spread under the woman to prevent the
bed sheets getting soiled. This convulsory expulsion of fluids occurs
always at the acme of the orgasm and simultaneously with it. If
there is the opportunity to observe the orgasm of such women, one
can see that large quantities of a clear transparent fluid are expelled
not from the vulva, but out of the urethra in gushes. At first I
thought that the bladder sphincter had become defective by the intensity
of the orgasm. Involuntary expulsion of urine is reported in sex
literature. In the cases observed by us, the fluid was examined
and it had no urinary character. I am inclined to believe that "urine"
reported to be expelled during female orgasm is not urine, but only
secretions of the intraurethral glands correlated with the erotogenic
zone along the urethra in the anterior vaginal wall. Moreover
the profuse secretions coming out with the orgasm have no lubricating
significance, otherwise they would be produced at the beginning
of intercourse and not at the peak of orgasm.
The intensity
of the orgasm is dependent on the area from which it is elicited.
Mostly, cunnilingus leads to a more complete orgasm and (consequent)
relaxation. The deeper the relaxation after intercourse the higher
is the peak of the orgasm followed by depression and hence the students'
joke: Post coitum omne animal triste est. The higher the climax
the quicker is the reloading of the sexual potential.
Other somatic factors help to sexually stimulate the female partner.
As was mentioned there is no spot in the female body, from
which sexual desire could not be aroused. Some women have
greater sexual desire at the ovulation time while others at the
time of the menstrual period. It may be that during menstruation
the sexual tension is higher, because the danger of unwanted pregnancy
is lessened. The woman-on-top posture is more stimulating as the
erotogenic parts come in contact better. The angle which is
formed by the erected penis and the male abdomen has a great influence
on the female orgasm. These mere somatic causes
are often overshadowed by psychic factors, even the commonest automatic
reflexes produce sexual reactions. It is possible
to cause an orgasm merely by using some stimulating sentence. Such
a reaction follows the laws of the unconditioned reflexes.
The erotogenic zone on the anterior wall of the vagina can
be understood only from a comparison with the phylogenetic ancestry.
In the most commonly adopted position, where "the lady does lay
on her back," the penis does not reach the urethral part of the
vaginal wall, unless the angle of the erected male organ is very
steep or if the anterior vagina is directed towards the penis as
by putting the legs of the female over the shoulders of her partner.
The contact is very close, when the intercourse is performed more
hestiarum or a la vache i.e. a posteriori. LeMon Clark is right
when he mentions that we were designed as quadrupeds. Therefore,
intercourse from the back of the woman is the most natural one.
This can be performed either in the side-to-side posture with the
male partner behind, or better still with the woman in Sims', knee-elbow
or shoulder position, the husband standing in front of the bed.
The female genitals have to be higher than the other parts of her
body. The stimulating effect of this kind of intercourse must
not be explained away as LeMon Clark does by the melodious movements
of the testicles like a knocker on the clitoris, but is merely caused
by the direct thrust of the penis towards the urethral erotic zone.
Certain it is that this area in the anterior vaginal wall is a primary
erotic zone, perhaps more important than the clitoris, which got
its erotic supremacy only in the age of necking.
The erotising effect of coitus a posteriori is very great, as only
in this position the most stimulating parts of both partners are
brought in closest contact i.e., clitoris and anterior vaginal wall
of the wife and the sensitive parts of the glans penis.
This short paper will, I hope, show that the anterior wall
of the vagina along the urethra is the seat of a distinct erotogenic
zone and has to be taken into account more in the treatment
of female sexual deficiency.
Reference
Adler, The Frigidity of the Female Sex,
Berlin, 1913
Elkan, The Evolution of Female Orgastic Ability
-- A Biological Survey, Int. J. Sexol, Vol. II, No. 2
LeMon, Clark, The Orgasm Problem in Women, Int.
J. Sexol, Vol. II, No. 4 and Vol. III, No. 1
Hardenberg, The Psychology of Feminine Sex Experience,
Int. J. Sexol, Vol. II, No. 4
Kinsey, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male
Bergler, Frigidity, Misconceptions and Facts,
Marriage Hygiene, Vol. I, No. 1
Helena Wright, A Contribution to the Orgasm
Problem in Women, Marriage Hygiene, Vol. I, No. 3
Lena Levine, A Criterion for Orgasm in the Female,
Marriage Hygiene, Vol. I, No. 3
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