AP OPOIEIOPDIO OOOO READ ABHISARIKA ILLUSTRATED SEX SCIENCE MONTHLY CONTAINING Special articles by specialists in easy English to impart Sex Education to every man and woman so’as to Jead themselves a happy married life, iF Also helps to correct the superstitions of the readers with scientific knowledge. Helps those that worry with perverse practices or maladjustments in Sex life to correct themselves ! JOIN AT ONCE! Annul Subscription Rs. 3.60 Single copy 0-30 nP. Contact Abhisarika : : Samalkot E.G. Dt. (AP, MEQES EIEIO OODOODOOIEK PBIOIPD OAS OOO SOOdOOdOooaTeaee OOO OOOCSOOlOOOOOEI@EedTeE xSEX QUESTIONS ANSWERED. While sending your problems write very legibly or type~ Let your explanation be brief and to the point. Use a Give your name and complete | yOUR write, seperate sheet for each question, address on the top of each sheet. Also enclose a: self-addressed and stampd envelope for personal reply if necessary. A charge of Rs. 2-50 per question is made which you should remit by Money order and the relative M.O. receipt enclosed with your question to- wards stenographic and type writing charges. We reserve the right of publishing answers to important questions in the column and the ‘indentity of the questioner will be kept confidential. _Address all your letters for this department to the Editor, Abhisarika, Samalkot, E.G. Andhra. Letters that did not comply these conditions will not be paid any attention. Sex MODIFICATION Sir, I feel that I must havea girl’s body and lead a girl’s life in order to find happiness and free of misery. I have no fe- male feature; beard growing and voice changed. My male organs are well developed. However I am interested in the type of surgery that would change ‘my biological system and appearance. Please let me know whether sex-modifiication may be considered wrong and whether could result in death ? Mr. R. K.S. Before any doctor under- takes to change the individuals sex characteristics he would iny sist for a through psychiatric: examination as a preliminary. So you should meet a compe- tent psychiatrist to find what your emotional and psychologi- cal situation may be.ABHISARIKA 3 nS Any surgery is fraught al- ‘ways with a minimum of danger and change-of-sex surgery is no tess different. Such operations are done by competent surgeons in America but occured in a very very limited number of tases. Few doctors are willing to undertake this surgery. After the surgery it is nece- ssary to take female sex harmones to change the fat deposition in the body to give the fairer softer skin which the female has in contrast to the male. It is perfectly alright for anything to be done to any individual that will increase his real happiness. But it would be most important to be sure that this. was a desirable change but not that something desired out of mischievous intention. For some persons sex modifica- tion did not solve all problems but added many problems to the existing one. THYROID CONDITION Sir, By metabolism test my doctor discovered that my thy- roid gland is not functioning properly and has _ prescribed thyroid pills to be taken a full year to get me up to normal. Please explain how it prevented me getting pregnant and in what way this gland is connected with fertility. Mrs. R. S. K. * * * The thyroid gland puts out va harmone which regulates most of the body glands and bodily functions. If your thyroid acti- vity is low thiroid pills increase it. This brings ovaries to more consistant function of the help bring about pregnancy.Was your husband examined? Even if your husband is infertile nothing will help you to become pregnant. FREQUENCY PROBLEM Sir, Is it possible for a couple the following ages, male 28 years and female 40 years,. to have sexual intercourse eight or nine times in one night, with ejacu- lation taking place each. time and the female having a climax that many times or more? Is. having coitus eight or nine times in one night exces- sive? Would coitus six to eight times a week be concidered normal ? Mr. J. P. Dz ift is certainly. not impossi- ble for a sexually vigorous youth to reach orgasm eight time in one night. It is certainly not common for any man to do such a thing, but it is not impossible. ‘Woman or quite capable of reaching orgasm several times,4 ABHISARIKA oN eeeeeeaeeemaey much more so than men are. We have known at least two young couple who have avera- ged intercourse three times a day for a period of a year with both of them reaching orgasm each time. Intercourse cannot be called excessive so long as the two do not become so relaxed that it is almost impossible to carry on normal activity. It can dono physiological harm. When per- sons get to the point that they have had as much as nature can week would be above average but it cannot be considered ab- normal in an unhealthy sense. You must remember that the word “normal” is used in two ways. On the one hand, it means merely “average”? or “usual,”? and on the other, it means ‘healthy’? and ‘‘desira~ ble”. What is normal for one couple may not be so for ano- ther. Each couple must find their own best frequency. and there are very great differrences between different persons in stand they will loose their desire needs and capacity. for intercourse. —Editor Coitus six to eight times a * * x enna nn nnn nnn nnn nee SS Se GREATEST INVENTION HERE is a story told that George Bernard Shaw was once asked what he considered the most far-reaching invention of the last century. Ofcourse, everybody expected him to say something like the use of electricity, the telephone, radio, etc; ete; But instead he replied : ‘The invention of contraceptive methods.” Walter J. Garre, M.D; in Medicle Times.L matters of difference of opinion between the couple what measures do you suggest ? For happy married life mutual understanding, tolerance and adjustment are necessary in both of the partners’ If one of them has these qualifications and the other lack it, of course, that marriage is a hell in itself’ although there may be preten-, sions otherwise. It very often happens that the married couple are part of a larger family. Appropriate atti- tudes in behavior and policies between themselves and other family members determine the degree of their happiness. If there is unanimity on ‘the part of the couple they can meet adverse currents in the family. Besides, for a strong-willed, unbending husband usually the wife will be submissive to avoid a clash and conflict in the fa- mily. Similarly the husband will obey the unbending wife. In such cases of entire subju- gation of the personality of one or the other will restore harmo- ny outwardly, there is no real happiness between the couple. We shall cite an example of a gentleman, a officer with high ‘social status. He exercises his will with all _vehemence6 ABHISARIKA SEED outside his home and at home he is almost dumb and numb. He shivers at the sight of his mother and clings to her in every tespect. Of course, “his first wife committed suicide. His second wife resisted such temp- tation and so was tortured to death. Shame on him! The third wife the sternest of all encoun- tered attack on her mother - in- Jaw vehemently and finding her husband in a most miserable state, deserted him for a better one. What happiness is there for the gentleman or his wives ? He is an example of the neurotic personality and ail the blame due to him. He would have noted the domain of his mothers’s influence upon him and not ruined his marital happiness. % Now another vital ques- tion ascends: If love of parents can come in the way or need necessarily interefere with ma- tried love? Usually love and respect for elderly members would en- tail obedience on the part of youngsters. Obedience exerci- sed excessively becomes slavish- ness. The economic dependence on the elder members and the joint family set up bend the young married couple toa high degree of obedience. Yet they incline to have limited pri- vileges that are essential to che- tish their marriage. This the parents may mistake as undue liberty taken against them. This licence, they want to check. Mistrust and suspicion in elders that their son or daughter is becoming enslaved to his or her partner make them vicious. With this fear and anxiety they create and concoct stories about their unfaithfulness in order to bring aversion in the loving partners. There are thousands of loving couple departed or living with mutual suspicion and teasing each other under the influence of the il! - will of their parents or parents - in - law. The young man if emo- tionally mature, does not heed to these and his filial love does not counteract his marital love. Love of parents is no crime; but it should not come in the way of love of wife or husband. Every one of the partners should respect each other's parents, And the parents of them should realise the importance of some independence for the young. The considerate parents of both the young couple would show regard for the pair in stead of commanding them to live according to their whims and fancies. They should not prescribe any rules for their conduct. They guide them just as friends do, and help them toABHISARIKA 7 SSS SSS solve their problems. Even where such conside- ration from the side of the parents is lacking, the young couple can still manage happily with a certain amount of pati- ence and sincere effort to esta- blish concord and happiness in the family. If necessary they do not hesitate to save their -partners and themselves from the evil influence of the parents. Every marriage is a creation of new family unit. For this the seperation of the individual as marriage partner from each of their family is inevitable. They break from their mother families to form their own. If they realise this and act accord- ingly they can set an example to the young India. EMOTIONAL FITNESS The young men, who have strong attachments to their parents emotionally and econo- mically dependent upon them, are not fit for marriage. Like- wise the feeble-minded people and those with nervous debility cannot get happiness however tolerant their marriage partners are. And men that find plea- sure in seducing women or tor- turing them are sadistic; and those addicted to excessive drinking to forget the realities of life or those committed to homosexual practices or have tendencies consciously and sub- consciously cannot satisfy them- selves in normal conjugal rela- tions. They are emotionally unfit for marriage. In all such cases it is wise to leave the de- cision to the doctors and act accordingly. PuysIcaL FITNESS The couple for marriage must be fit for physical union. It is necessary to ascertain that: they are sexually eligible for conjugation. There are women as well as men who are impo- tant; women getting no erotic sensations during the act are said to be frigid; and those that do not participate actively in the act are said to be impotent. With men lack of complete erection, failure of erection during the act and premature ejaculation come under .impo- tency and if these are not cor- rected would impair the union. Impotency in the women does not hinder union while with the men it does so. Because the male is the active participant and the female is the receipiant in the sex act. As marriage is a contract between two membe- ts of the opposite sex for mu- tual pleasure, the impotency of the male is treated as a breach of the contract. Because the impotency in the husband denies, happiness to the female partner.8 ABHISARIKA SSS SSS The sane and proper course therefore is that the man should get himself cured before he thinks of marriage. % How can a young man ascertain his potency without having a sexexperience with some woman? Is premarital sex-ex perience necessary to ascertain this ? We do not approve prema- rital relations to any one-either the bride or the bride-groom as these lead to some psychological complexes. Of course the case is different with the widowed or the deserted. To test one’s own potency one need not go astray. He should have to test himself and he can know well if the detumecence is taking place when he has erotic feelings. That is the only proof of one’s potency. If this is incomplete or not strong enough and he is one who did not indulge in the forms of self- relief, he should realise himself that his is a case worth médical attention. IMPOTENCY AND INFERTILITY These two terms have a difference in meaning and usua- ly they are misunderstood. Impotency is the state of no erection, half-erection or failure of erection before ejaculation or premature ejaculation. In these cases of impotency the sexual partner cannot derive any sexual pleasure during the act. In cases of infertility the potency of the male, that is his ability to do the act to the satis- faction of his partner is alright, Only he cannot impregnate his wife. Even the impotent , who is suffering from half - erection Ot premature ejaculation can impregnate their wives provided. their semen containg the sperma- tozoa. The superstition is that the infertile are the impotent; this is not a scientific truth. The ability to bring forth children can be ascertained by microscopic examination of the seminal fluid of the man. Any doctor can carry this test and declare easily the sperm ,count of the live spermatozoa. If there is any malformation in the genital organs which is con- genital or through injury or disease, the medical check-up will help to correct it. So also the feminine ferti- lity is to be checked up. To be fertile the woman has to release a egg every month and this is said to be ovulation. Anovulation of the woman is also the cause of infertility. And for childlessness the. male . only is not to be blamed. Thus the doctors can enlighten the marriage partners about their physical fitness for conjugal union and procreation.ABHISARIKA [3] 9 SS It is a surprise still to the medical science although both the partners are medically fit why they could not beget chil- dren, where as both of them if entitled to different partners are able to do so. Ru Factor Medical advances have esta- blished years ago a particular quality in blood defined as Rh Factor. Eighty five out of every hundred persons have this quality in their blood. The other fifteen does not. The percentage in Rh is greater in the Chinese and the Negroes. If the male of Rh group marries a female of the no-Rh group the nascent baby gets the disease Known as Crostoblastosis, a combination of gout and anae- mia. The child will be usually still - born. Now medical re- search has focussed its attention on this aspect, and however a blood test is better to be carried out to verify the blood content of the marriage partners. It is essential that the hus- band is healthy. The unhealthy lover can destroy the happiness of marriage. However we do not insist upon ‘perfect health. Suppose there is a man that suffered from Scarlet fever in infancy leading to kidney ail- ment in later life or one with a weak heart as a consequence of rhuematism. These persons so far as conjugal relations are concerned are alright though the repurcussions impair the earning capacity, modify their mental life and habits and pro- bably may cut short the span of life considerately. We come across married couples one of whom is a sufferer through some ailment but happy in marital life. Let us suppose that one of the couple is suffering from some physical disability. Sharing a knowledge of such suffering, with the partner, will arouse sympathy, understanding and will restore happiness through remidial measures. Where such mutual sympathy and under- standing is wanting, one of the two will side - track destroying the sancitity of marriage, by seeking sexual gratification somewhere-else. There may be cases where pregnancy is undesirable. For instance, to:a lady with a weak heart, or’ one that underwent Ceaserian operations twice, pregnancy ruins the health or at times fatal. In such cases. the other partner accomodates him-. self with the given circumstan- ces; so also the husband or the wife succumb to circumstances with all pleasure when if by mischance one of them becomes infertile. Still there are chances10 ABHISARIKA SSS SSS for these ailments to be correct- ed atany time after marriage. However one should not marry untill these ailments are correc- ted if discovered before marriage so as to avoid unnecessry com- plications as a aftermath of ‘marriage. 3% Suppose one is infertiledue to congenital reasons and that it is found irrepairable does it not entitle him or her for marriage? Even in instances of irrepai- rable infertility also marriages are successful if the partners accept the fact as such and re- main contented with the other factors of marriage. But it is unfair to cover a defect froma future life- partner and go on with marriage. After discovery the other partner being unprepa- red for this will be shocked and the result is misery for both. Unless they are emotionally mature none of the young men and women can estimate their needs and visualise the ideals implied in marriage. Untill they realise they are no individuals and their personalities are not formed. People who gradually grow upto this stature will be enmashed deeply in love. There no sacrifice of either aspirations or ideals or other needs will be too much. They look to the future together with love and without-fear and anxiety. They live for each other. % How to estimate if the progeny of such and such‘a couple will be of perfect health? This question is one of Eugenics. It is a science of re- cent origin which endeavours to explain how the human race can be developed on_ healthy lines. It is a common desire of any married couple to have their children both physically and mentally healthy. The elders also wish it in their selection. Yet we may state that for heal- thy progeny that the parents of the both or partners themselves should not have suffered from venerial diseases or epilepsy. No parent should contaminate any disease that can be commu- nicated to the progeny through heritage. | Doctors should take this in view in their premarital consultations, and be satisfied. 4 What are the heriditary traits that can be handed over from one generation to the other? The human body is a com- plicated machine. There is a possibility of transmitting a few traits, good as well as bad to the children. | Usually blood- diseases, nervous diseases and those of the glands, blindness, deafness and epilepsy are inhe- ritable. They can also be acqui- red. Only the doctors arc com-ABHISARIKA ML SSS? petent to decide which of them are acquired or heriditory. The mental habits and the physical features of the children are inherited from their parents. After the fertilisation of the spermatozoon with the ovum of the female the embryo is formed in the womb of the mother. The spermatozoon and the ovum are too tiny particles that can tiot be seen by a naked eye. These contain chromoso- mes meaning colour bodies, thread - like in structure. They carry heriditary factors, the genes. A set of 24 chromosomes is inherited from each parent. These genes are responsible for the body of the baby having the characteristics of the parents in the physical features like co- four of the body colour of the hair and the eyes as well as per intelligence, temperament and. all such traits making up the personality. * Then how is it the baby gets brown or cat eyes when both the parents have black eyes? Every baby gets two types of genes one of which is from the mother and the other from the father. When these two types of genes differ greatly from one another the complex- ion and features show great variance. It is the proportion of these genes that is responsible for this change. When the eyes of the father are black and the eyes of the mother white it is possible for the baby to inherit the father’s eyes. This means that the genes of the father dominated those of the mother. Yet in the baby the genes of the mother will remain hidden. To his son the eyes may be cat eyes. Thus the traits of the grand fathers, and grand mothers; whichare absent in their son or daughter may be revealed in the grand - children. CONTROVERSY ABOUT MENTAL TRAITS A controversy exists about the heriditary transmission fof traits concerning the mental qualities. The Eugeinists hold that the mental qualities and traits directly building up -cha- racter are inherited from parents, The behaviourists say that trai- ning and environment determine the character and individuality. They give greater importance to training and environment- Thus two twins brought in under en- tirely different environment and subject to different types of training form different perso- nalities. The relationship between heridity and environment is like that between the seed and the soil. The seed determines the type of the plant. Environment2 and growth. In a healthy soil growth will be healthy and ina rocky soil or in the sandy soil the growth will be unhealthy. Thus while acknowledging the importance of environment and heridity we must be aware that the growth and devolepment is only for traits that are actully present in the seed. Thus the role of heridity is always there. There is a difference bet- ween heriditary diseases and congenital diseases. The latter can be devoleped in the mother’s womb or during birth. For instance if the mother is in her second month of pregnancy and is attacked by German Measles the child may be born blind or deaf or may have other de- formities. This is congenital Dut not heriditary. The heridi- tary diseases are transmitted through genes either of the father in the spermatozoa or of the mother in the ovum. So it is not proper to say that the diseases of an infant is heridi- tary simply because ihe baby suffers since birth, We may classify diseases under two broad heads: 1, Heriditary and 2. Ac- quired. The heriditary diseases are those which are transmitted from the parents or from the grand parents through them. Diseases acquired are not inhe- tited from the parents. ABHISARIKA Suppose a person gets a physical deformity due to in- fantile paralysis. It is not he- riditary and it cannot be trans- mitted to the succeeding gene- rations Similarly the deafness. And there are certain di- Seases that can be so ‘transmi- tted from one generation to the other. Suppose a boy with six fingers; and his father and his paternal grand-mother have the same trait: then it is heriditary with him. Certain diseases of eye and the ear, haemorrhage are heriditary. Not only the diseases but also susceptibility to such diseases is likewise tra- nsmitted to the offspring throu- gh genes. It is also possible that some of the diseases may not exhibit in the infants due to the effect of the environment. It is also possible that a husband and wife living healthy lives may transmit heriditary diseases to the children. From this we understand why our ancesters insisted to study the traits of the marriage parties for five Successive generations before coming to any decision. (To be continued) LOVE The heart of him who truly | loves is a paradise on earth; | he has God in himself; for | God is love. LAMENNMIS.OF + THE SCROTUM . The scrotum is a bag of auto- nomous sex glands, of the male, kept outside the body. When it is exposed to hot water or air during summer, the scrotum expands and the testis go down. And afer a cold bath and in winter the scrotum shrinks and brings the testis close to the body. The purpose of the scrotum is to keep the testis in the right temparature; either excessive heat or excessive cold damages the glands; that is why the sc- rotum protects the testis from ever changing climatic. condi- tions and also keeping them at anecessary distance from the THES" MYSTERY CREATION | rs body temparature. The tempa- rature of the scrotum is ten to fifteen degrees less than the temparature of the human body and exactly that much of tempa- rature is necessary for the testis to function; more or less it damages the spermatozoa. THe PENILE SIzeE % Is there any remarkable racial difference in the human genital sizes on colour basis ? The average genital size of the European male is approxi- matly three inches; of the brown races in India about four and half inches; of the Arabs over seven inches and of the Negroes of Africa about twelve inches. Dr. Johston observes that the prepuce of the Negroes.a4 ABHISARIKA SSE exceeds two inches over the glans penis. The prepuce in the Arabs also exceeds almost an inch thus insisting circumci- sion to the men of those races. Otherwise coitus is either impo- ssible or painful for them. From the statistics quoted above it is made clear that the penile length of the black races is about four times to that of the White races. Why this racial difference is to be found to-day cannot be explained ex- cept in terms of evolution. We believe and we have every cause to believe that the White races are evolved from the Black races; perhaps the environment had influenced them and their physical features when they have transmigrated from Africa through India to Europe. This is, of course a hypothesis which is to be proved with the help of some other facts. *& = Has the size of the male genital a direct bearing upon the potency of him? No. It is silly to think that the longer the male genital is, the more virile the man will be. The fact is just the oppo- site. The short penis is more virile than the longer one. % Then why do some people worry about the short stature of their member with a feeling that they cannot satisfy their partners? Of course it is out of igno- tance; this penis inferiority complex is an outcome of lack of sex knowledge and age-old- belief. Added to it they read the ancient Erotics wherein the organ sizes condemned as unfit for conjugal satisfaction tallys with the average normal sizes of men to-day; poor people they dont know the times have chan- ged and with time the physical features also. So what was once good does not hold good to-day. Besides, the genital depth of the women is also relatively changed and both of them are Propor- tional, to each other. Although the genital length of the men was upto 12 inches those days, men equally worried with a feeling that it does not suffice to satisfy women. That is why they resorted to artificial organs or some form of Tantram to enhance the size of their genitals. The vaginal length of the women of the antiquity was about 10 to 11 inches to suit the penile length of the man. Now men have an average length of their mémber about four and half inches; the depth of the vagina from the sacrum to behind the symphysis ( = the point of union of the pubic bones) pubis is about 3 inches. One more inch may be addedABHISARIKA to this for the thickness of the symphysis bone and the tissue covering it. A penis obout 4 to 4and half inches can therefore traverse the whole vaginal canal, giving the partner sexual satis- faction. If this fact is realised all the inferiority complex in the men has to vanish. One should also identify the Sasha man’s genital of those days to the Aswa man’s genital to-day; and so he need not worry about the size taking it as above normal if it is over five inches. Besides the vagina is elasti- cal. And elasticity means the power of returning to the posi- tion from which it is extended. Even if the male genital is over 6 to 7 inches it suits in the vagi- na of the woman whose vaginal length is not more than 4 inches. Only in cases of sexualinfanta- Jism where the man’s genital is not developed more than 3 in- ches on erection the sexual satis- faction of the woman is an im- probability. There is nothing to worry about the girth of the penis as well. The sphinctor vagina is a ring-like muscle that grips the male member during intercourse; it is also elastic. And even when the vagina be- comes loose and the sphinctor muscle looses its grip as in the woman that have conceived children, it can be corrected by SO THEY SAY! Never marry but for love; but see that thou lovest what is lovely. Penn, * * * One of the good things that come of a true mar- riage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it. G. Macdonald. * * * If you would marry suitably, marry your equal Ovid. * * * What God hath joined together no man shall put asunder: God will take care of that. G. Bernard Shaw. * * * Marriage! Nothing else demands so much from a man! —Ibsen.16 ABHISARIKA. SSS making her to contract her thi- ghs after intromission. Thus there are good number of adjustments one can make to correct when these genitals do not suit each other. INFERIORITY COMPLEX This, the most criminal of all the complexes particularly when it pertains to the genital size or virility. Many criminals that have seduced young girls that did not mature, suffer from this complex. Criminal histories show that they committed this heinous crime to test their viri- lity on the young as they fear detection if united with the ex- perienced ladies. Now the knowledge of the penile size we think will remove this inferiority from their mind and let :them realise that they are also normal people and fit for conjugal relations with any adult woman. %& «Is there any possibility for the well developed organ to be reduced in size due to any reasons ? The male organ develops upto the age 18 and _thereafter- wards stops growth. No once developed organ can shrink thereafterwards. However this is a common feelingin some of the adults. That may be due to the lack of proper erection. And if the erection is full, the normal size is visible. When the desire of the indivi- dual is not strong he does not get the sex impulse or emotion with all vehemence. The blood does not go into the cavernous tisssues completely; hence the erection is not complete; becau- the erection is not complete it appears as though the penile length is reduced. Fear, worry and anxiety are the factors that distrub the sex emotions; when emotion. fails the blood circulation also fails and the erection becomes incomplete. Quack doctors are attribut- ing this imaginary reduction of the male genital to certain harm- less practices as Musturbation, or day-dreaming. This is to exploit the ignorance of the patients for their economic ends. And this should not be excused. %* «How far it is true that masturbation effects the size of the penis ? It is not at all true. Some believe that the penile length willimprove due to masturbation and some other believe that the size will be reduced. Both of them are wrong. _Jt has no di- rect effect on the size of the penis.ABHISARIKA [5] 17 See Penis IN THE Lower ANIMALS The guinea pig possesses two horny styles attached to the penis and the glans penis is covered with sharp spines. Some of the Caviidae also have two sharp -horny saws at the side of the penis. The cat, the rhinoceros, the tapir and other animals possess projecting struc- tures on the penis. The sheep, the giraffe and many antelopes have attached to the penis long fiiform process through which the urethra passess. Butterflies have a whole armory of keen weapons for use in coitus. These have a keen edge and then cut into sharp teeth. Per- haps all these: structures serve tolexeite the sexual apparatus of the female and to promote tumescence. Worsuip OF THE PHALLUS “Hardly any object has been with great unanimity re- presented by nearly all peoples as the phallus, the symbol of procreative force in the religions of the East and the object of veneration at public festivals. Every where except in Persia We meet with priapic represen- tations and the veneration ac- corded to the generative organ. It is needless to refer, to the great significance of the Linga Puja, the procreative organ of the God Siva, in India, a God to whom more temples were erected than to any other Indian deity. Our museums amply show how common phallic represen- tations are in Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, frequently in con- nection with religious worship.” R. Andree. Women sometimes took part in these rites, and the osculation of the male sexual organ or its emblematic ‘repre- sentation by women is easily traceable in the phallic rites of India and many other lands, not excluding Europe even in com- paritively recent times. Ploss and Bartels. HyGiene OF THE GLANS PENIS. Young men does not know how to keep the health of their member. While having their bath they have to draw back the prepuce and clean the glans penis with soap water. Other- wise the smegma formed under the prepuce causes phimosis. to them. The smegma is a yellow gelatinous matter with bad smell waxy by nature and forms into astone, Also. gives scope for pus inflamating the glans penis; thereafter the prepuce cannot be drawn over. the glans penis. without pain’Fig. No. 10 The lower part of the pre- puce is covered by a mucous membrane, light pink in colour. The prepuce protects the glans penis which contains sensitive nerves and tissues. The seba- ceous glands that are situated ‘under the glans penis produce the yellow substance known as smegma which is usefull during coitus as a lubricant. ABHISARIK/ Glans penis covered by prepuce. 2. and 6 prepuce. 3. Normal prepuce half opening the glanspenis 5. Meatus : 6. Tissues that fill with blood during erection B 2. The prepuce completely covered the glans penis This condition on erec- tion makes coitus di- Sficult. As the opening is small it does_not allow the foreskin to be pulled back during coitus and thus causes pain. 1. Also the smegma for- med under the fore- skin becomes putrid. C_ So circumcision is nece~ ssary in the cases of tight foreskin. Picture C illustrates glans penis after circumcision. We cite herea case of a gentleman whois over 28 years of age suffering from phymosis. He complained ‘of a° serious condition of his glans penis. The prepuce is tight and sturdy with putrified smegma and even a gentle touch upon it made him howl with pain. It is a case of chronic phimosis ( = a diseased condition in which theABHISARIK‘A 19 SSS foreskin cannot be pulled back on the glans penis) cum Balani- tis ( = inflammatior of the glans penis and prepuces. On operation over twenty stones are found in the corona. All these are removed and’ the patient is advised to frequently clean the part with soap water and apply Pencillin ointment and Sulphanimade’ powder to the erosure until it is healed. The man is a puritan him- self and married. He thought this as a form of venerial disease which he supposed as contami- nated from his wife who is inno- cent. His doubts grew day by day and he teased her; her plea- ding innocence was in vain. He deserted her but did not marry for fear that all woman are like that. Now after all this, he realised he is mistaken and after being explained that the condi- tion arose due to his neglect of genital hygiene; he is now pre- pard to beg her pardon. To enligtten more on the subject we want our readers. to be benifited with the advice given by Dr. Pugh as quoted below: The foreskin is genereally supposed to slip readily over the head of the penis. How- ever, it does not always do so. Ferequently, in new-born babies the process of separation is not completed and the foreskin clo- sély adheres to the head of the penis. In some instance the ope- ning of the urine canal is al- most invisible because of a closely adhering foreskin. Such infants are generally circum- cised: _ Normally, the prepuce of the newborn infant is elongated and its opening appears narrow. Together with the adhesions this can prevent retraction of the foreskin. In the ordinary course of development, the.ope-. ning widens and the adhesions resolve during the first six to nine months of life. In the great majority of youngsters, freeing of the fore- skin occurs spontaneously, but gentle stretching and seperation _ of the adhesions with a probe, or dull instrument, is often per- formed. One ofthe problems crea- ted by a tight foreskin is ‘that of cleanliness. ‘The lubricating fluid under the foreskin is secre- ted by the sebaceous glands of the prepuce. This fluid substa~ nee is known as.smegma and is quite oily. . If this meterial i: not gently wiped away accom- panied by frequent cleansing of the area, amass of cheesy de- bris forms which is foul smelling and irritating to the sensitive penile tissue. Greater accumu-20 lation of smegma results from both a tight and, to a lesser degree, a long prepuce. When the male foreskin is long, there is also a tendency for pus to form. A part, or all, of the foreskin may then become inflamed and the indi- vidual is often most uncomfor- table. The foreskin should be cleansed daily in these cases, or as a result of accumulation of pus under the foreskin a pro- fuce discharge often takes place. At times the odour from this condition is very disagreeble. Recently, a patient of thir- ty-five, who came to me be- cause of penile inflammation, asked, ‘Doctor, if I keep those parts really clean, will they not tend to harden up, and thus lose their sensitivity which is so important in sexual rela- tions ?** Another man’ asked. “Is it not true that these parts are -self-cleansing ?” To both of these men our reply was an emphatic “No !* When’ the inflamed fore- skin extends beyond the head of the penis and becomes tight, the condition is called phimosis. Sometimes a man will draw back the tight foreskin behind the head of the penis. Then to his dismay, the fore skin cannot ABHISARIKA again be drawn over the head. In these instances, the foreskin often quickly swells, causing considerable pain. This condi- tion is known as paraphimosis. In rare cases, the pressure of the foreskin behind the head of the penis can become so great that gangrene, or death of the part, may occur from a shutting off of the blood supply. When detected, it must be relie- ved at once. Another—fortunatly rare— inflammatory process affecting the glans penis that may result from uncleanliness is known as balanitis. This is a sore caused by certain organisms, and it is Pparctically confined to men with long or tight foreskins who have unhygienic habits. This disease can be very serious if proper medical treatment is not) given. What is the treatment for chronically inflamed foreskin? In the young it is circumcision; in adults, those who have a little patience can be trained in ways of keeping the foreskin back. Why not circumcise adults, also? My answer is, “It can be done, but as those in middle years have a highly developed blood supply, the operation of circumcision is a much more formidable procedure that it is in the early years of life, andABHISARIKA [6] 2h SSS SSS? therefore should not be advoca- ted as a routine practice. When necessary of course, it should be done.” Suppose one neglects the foreskin over a period of years. The chief danger of allowing a chronic inflamed condition to persist is cancer. Inflammation can be prevented by proper care and cleanliness. Do not neglect hygiene of the foreskin! LY RALLY RAL RA LYRA RLY RAL EPRALLRA: ' : Adduction of Woman | RAY RR RALLY RAY BRAY RAL RA AA: fil arriage by captureis knownas Rakshasa Vivaha accepted as one of the eight forms of marriage by Hindu Smrities. about it. There are two fundamentally different theories The theory of MacLennan was widely accepted. Ac- cording to him there has really been in primitive society a re- cognised stage in which marriages were effected by the capture of the wife. It was once of world-wide practice and still com- mon in almost all of the savages to-day; commonly found in Koraputti, East Godavari and Khammam district agencies’ and Bustar state. There can beno doubt that woman very freque- atly have deen captured in this way among primitive peoples. Nor has the custom been confined to savages. In Brahmi type of marriages prevelant among the highly civilised people have ‘Ais Rakshasa form of marriage imbibed asa symbol in it. The naternal cousin of the bride will kidnap the bride after marri- ige and bride-groom has to pay him compensation to take her nto his custody. In England it was in Henry VIIIth’s time that he voilent seizure of woman is made a criminal offence and hat was limited to women possessed of lands and goods. ek * * *| ABORTION | | LAWS BE | CHANGED? _4 paces By Robert Wood. OR a long time, leading health groups in England and the United States have been dissatisfied with the laws gover- ning abortion. Pointing to the fact that the regulations were originally adopted as a result of the un- healthy attitudes to sex that pre- vailed in the last century, many argue the need for revising the codes to bring them more in line with modern attitudes and con- dions. In. England particularly is there pressure for reform,. even to the extent that a bill was in- troduced into Parliament by the Hon. Kenneth Robinson and debated on the floor early this year. This followed, by a short period, the publication of a small but important new book on the question, written by Mrs. Alice Jenkins, one of the leaders of the Abortion Law Reform Society. The Title of the book—Law for the Rich— expressed what many persons have so ‘often felt about abortion: that there was one law for the rich and one for the poor. ; For anyone who had suffié cient money, said Mr. Robinson in defending his reform’ bill, it was a perfectly simple matter to get a pregnancy ended bya qua- lified medicle practitioner on the flimsiest of medical grounds. For the poor, abortion means most often resort to anABHISARIKA 23 SSS unskilled abortionist, who:ope- rates under unsanitary and dan- gerous conditons. It is, of course, impossible to tell how many illegal aborti- ons are performed every year. it is only the unsuccessful ones forthe most part that come to light. The estimates in England fave varied from 54,000 illegal abortions per year to the estimate of 100,000 given by the Abortion Law Reform Association in the pamphlet published by them some years ago under the title of Back Street Surgery. In the U.S. the estimated figures range froma quarter of a million to well over a million each year! It is the conviction of many of those who would like to see the abortion laws reformed that there is no satisfactory alterna- tive to legalized abortion, carried out by skilled medical men jin suitable conditions. Qualified medical men are deterred by the present laws, but unscrupulous charlatans and quacks are not. At the present time in En- gland, under the Offenses Again- st the Person Act of 1861, the anlawful administration of drugs to. or use of instruments by a pregnant woman on herself, or (whether she be with child or not) by any person to her, with ‘nient to procure miscarriage, is a felony punishable by impri- sonment at the discretion of the Courts. The lawful procuring of miscarriage is permitted only by a qualified physician in cer-+ tain specific cases when the con- tinuance of the pregnancy en- dangers the woman’s health and life. Certain forms of heart and kidney disease come under this heading. ‘ There have been from time to time many attacks on these provisions. In 1938 Dr. Aleck Bourne, a distinguished London surgeon, openly performed an illegal abortion ona young girl who had been the victim of rape. In order to bring a test case of the law, he then deliberately in- formed the police. He was ac- quitted at his trail, and it is to the efforts of this courageous doctor that credit for some liberalization of the law must be credited. Before considering some of the pros and cons of this impor- tant question weJmust understa- nd the true meaning of the word abortion. In medicine abortion means the termination of a preg- nancy before ‘the fetus or em- bryo is capable af living outside the womb. It must be remembered that when the present laws with their severe: penalties were enacted “disease was rampant, medical science primitive, and all surgery24 ABHISARIKA LF SSS? fraught with grave risk.” It should be noted that today a medical man convicted of illegal abortion is struck off the Medi- cal Register and imprisoned al- though the woman concerned may have suffered no ill effects of any kind. It is clear that no penalty will deter a large number of wo- men from seeking an abortion. Probably ninety per cent of the attempts are made by unskilled people, and the majority by the woman herself. These unskilled practices often cause grave and permanent illhealth and even death from bioodpoisoning, heart failu- re, gangrene or air’ embolism. In many of these cases the women do not approach a medical man to find out-if they are actu- ally pregnant, and cases have been recorded of death following attempts to end a non-existent pregnancy. Tn her book, Mrs. Jenkins comes to the conclusion that contraceptives, although a nece- ssary part of a clvilized sex life, are by themselves not enough to solve the problem of unwanted egnancy and that in some cases abortion is the lesser of two evils. Mr. Jenkin’ points out the lack of evidence for many of the objections against changing the law. Dr. Joan Malleson, a dis- tinguished gynecologist, expre- ssed the opinion that “abortion can be performed safely during the early weeks of pregnancy.” The New York Conference on Abortion held in 1958 included areport by a qualifled doctor who had recorded 5,210 termi- nation cases sent, to him by 353 medical men, although he was operating outside the law. His experience showed that termina- nations of pregnancy, properly conducted, rarely lead to harm. ful consequences of any kind. More recently a report by Dr. Christopher Tietze of the results of legal abortion in coun- tries like Japan and Eastern Eu- ropean states confirms this ex- perience. Incidentally, it must be borne in mind that the reforms generally advocated require the operation to be performed in the very early stages of preg- nancy. The author of Law for the Rich considers some of the mo- ral and theological objections to the reform of the abortion laws. There is no reason to suppose, she says, that abortion would have bad effects of a serious na- ture on the sexual behavior of the young. In the past this kind of objection has been brought against practices which are now accepted, such as the use of anesthetics in child-birth and