TW for peeps: this post includes explicit sexual organ slang and use of a word considered now a slur in a quote from the chapter, which is then discussed from a historical perspective. Please skip this post if necessary.
Today’s installment of marriage advice from the ’30’s is first in a double whammy of biology and anatomy: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, the male and female sex organs and reproductive systems’ roles. I don’t know what health class was like in the era this book was written, but I can tell you, judging by a horrifying number of anecdotes on the interwebz in the last five years, men are WOEFULLY undereducated on how women’s bodies work. In many ways, a lot of young women don’t know important facts about themselves, either. Thanks, abstinence education, for creating a whole load of ignorant partners. They need to read this chapter, and the next. I suppose there were many unfortunately uneducated couples when this book was written, too, which makes me sad as hell that in nearly a century we still haven’t properly valued sex education. 100% not sorry for my attitude.
Luckily, there’s labeled diagrams in both chapters. Let’s get going, shall we?
Chapter 2, The Biology of Marriage: Male Sex Organs
Overall, the basic anatomy and biology is about what you’d get in middle/high school health class, with a few standout bits I noticed.
- “The Biology of Marriage” is a horrid euphemism for sex. I suppose they are pushing the appropriate-to-the-time assumptions that sex is only for after the “I Do,” but there’s also an underlying assumption (as seen in Chapter 1’s discussion of concerns of the new husband giving his wife VD) that the man is NOT a virgin. I wonder if this gets covered anywhere as a distinction in type/approach/feelings about sex for a man who’s marrying? Intriguing, but unlikely, since this is from a medical perspective. We’ll see, I suppose.
- The male reproductive system comes first between the two in the chapter order. Surely no implications intended?
- “The role of the male, however, is not limited merely to the production of the sperm; he must, in addition, deposit them in a place where they will have the best chance of coming in contact with the female cells. In some of the lower forms of life no special provisions are made for this latter purpose. Among certain marine animals, for instance, both the male and the female when ready for reproduction deposit their sex cells in the waters of the sea. There is no direct contact between the two sexes, and the sperms and eggs are left to meet by chance.” (Stone, 24) Please note that, while the authors seem to think humans are a higher life form, I posit that the WIDE VARIETY of gross movies out there discussing places deposits have been left suggest that at least some males of our species are, by the definition above, lower life forms…depositing all willy-nilly in socks, blankets, pies (if some movies are to be believed), etcetera.
- I wonder if the idea of random “lower life form” deposits will overtake the space in my brain that worries about being a shark’s next meal next time I swim in the ocean.
- Apparently undescended testes is a super common issue? I had no idea. One in 500, according to this chapter. Brings new meaning to the word “baller” doesn’t it?
- This chapter was DEFINITELY written before circumcision was so common in the US. There are two lengthy (no snickering!) sections regarding size and circumcision.
- Did NOT expect them to discuss castration. “The castrated cock, for instance, does not grow a comb and wattles, he does not crow, he lacks pugnacity and pays no attention to the females of his species.” (Stone, 38) Well. In-fucking-deedy. They touch on other cultures that castrated boys in the past and allege “Oriental” countries still created eunuchs as of the writing of the book. Since the now-offensive word was used at the time to cover pretty much all non-European/Russian countries in the Near and Far East, I rather presume they mean Istanbul, which had transitioned from Ottoman Empire to a Turkish Caliphate in the early 20th century, and perhaps Saudi Arabia or other Near Eastern countries. But that’s just a bad assumption on my part based on history between WWI and WWII. Either way, the word is no longer acceptable, but that’s always both a risk taken when reading historical accounts AND an indication of the culture of the time. I do not believe, in the context of the paragraphs included, that the Drs. Stone had any ill intent or racism, but genuinely were trying to relay that practices were different in other cultures. There is nothing in the wording that implies negative judgement: just information.
- Ok, so super interestingly, there was apparently scientific and medical research into gland transplants for men. I had NO IDEA. It started in the mid-1800’s, as a way to see if a castrated male could be helped. Here’s something super interesting: the medical research included noting what happened to male and female bodies (of animals…which I’m trying not to think about because I hate the idea of scientific experiments on animals in general) when sex hormones/organs are removed or implanted. Just an interesting thing to note while society now fusses about gender identity (vs gender presentation). I didn’t realize doctors were figuring out how to do hormone therapy in the late 1800’s. The docs do note it’s far too soon in the research to determine whether either injecting men with ED/castration/sexual deficiencies with male hormones can cure reproductive dysfunctions.
I feel like this post, which was originally going to be a combo platter of both biological male and female systems, is quite long enough for today. That’s not a length joke. I’m still thinking about all the times I’ve been swimming in “lower life form” sex seas. Gross.
Tune in for Episode 3, which covers all the female bits. Except one (you can’t see my eyes rolling, but please feel free to imagine it).
No Pithy Phrase 