The married female’s sexual life and acts are often brought to the knowledge of her physician. I have often been asked the question, why so many married women become invalids from uterine and ovarian diseases? Not referring to child-bearing, abortions, and many indirect causes of disease which are numerous, but not enough to furnish an etiology for the long category of nervous ailments with which the medical man has to contend, my answer is, sexual abuse; a misunderstanding of the sexual functions; a non-adaptation of two individuals joined in marriage. It is not so commonly excessive venery; or too often repeated coition; but unrequited passion. Man is too likely to forget his duty to his wife and look first to his own gratification. Any sexual embrace not attended with sexual orgasm, is very detrimental and causes disease. With the brutal man and phlegmatic woman this condition is quite likely to occur, and more especially if the man has been a masturbator. Where the latter condition has caused a partial impotency, the sexual orgasm very commonly occurs before or immediately after the intromission of the penis, in which condition beatitude is impossible, and the physician is most likely to be consulted by one of the parties.
It will not improve our knowledge to be too modest on this question. As medical men we have the diseases of the sexual organs and their sequelæ to treat, and we must discuss the causes. My suggestion, that a couple should be matched, sexually, seems not out of place; and if this condition is not present at first, it must be obtained by adaptation. My observation has been supplied with a number of instances of once faithful wives, who had forsaken their husbands for this seeming little discrepancy or neglect, and associated themselves happily with more adaptable mates.
These singular facts confront us, and as teachers and scientific men we may, when consulted, if familiar with the causes, suggest remedies. I have many times corrected this discrepancy in domestic felicity by a little careful instruction, and thereby prevented the impending dissolution of the marriage relation.
This might well be termed matrimonial hygiene.
Such grave facts are brought to the knowledge of the family physician, and he has but to listen to find out all: he has only a few questions to put, and the case is before him. No indecency to be indulged in: such cases must be conducted with the strictest sense of honor and decorum, or the bond of confidence and trust will be immediately forfeited.
[Continence], while in itself not an abuse, in any manner, of the sexual organs, yet is a fruitful source of disease. The erotic male may contract troublesome disease, both local and general, by too close proximity with a voluptuous female; and why not as much a cause of disease in the female? It is the condition so commonly caused by the affectionate and chaste embraces of parties “engaged to be married.” When this condition exists the marriage ceremony had better be consummated as soon as possible, or injury may come to both parties.
The case of a young married couple, lately under observation, is instructive. The wife was stricken with paralysis, from which she was eight months in recovering. During her illness she became much reduced in flesh and will. She recovered in flesh, but remained very neurasthenic for many months. I made use of all methods of treatment by drugs and electricity. I could detect no organic trouble. When interrogating the husband, I ascertained that they had, through fear of doing injury to the wife, remained continent, and, being too modest, had not consulted the family physician on this very delicate subject. I immediately advised sexual congress freely, and the neurasthenia gradually disappeared. She has since remained in perfect health. She was afflicted, as she supposed, with all manner of diseases. She was often too feeble to walk, and required assistance or a cane, to walk across the room. She was irritable and fretful, often crying, and no reason could be given for any trouble, as she was provided with everything asked for. It may seem a venturesome advice to render, yet I can but urge the natural use of the sexual organs when there is a strong erotic excitement, following a long period of continence, when this desire is not a morbid one; which is likely to be the case only in the depraved, after long abuses.
Were it not for mistakes so commonly made by individuals in selecting such imperfect and inadaptable mates, the very poetical words of the old maids and bachelors, “single blessedness,” might better read, “single cursedness.” With the chances as they now are, it is an important question, whether it is more advisable for a maiden lady to marry or to remain continent and pine.
A loathsome abuse of the sexual organs, not usually recognized by the fastidious, exists, in which one of the individuals, taking a part in this abnormal sexual act, uses the mouth as a vagina. Some of these benighted creatures are males, others females. Houses of prostitution of the present day are so accommodating to their patrons that they keep females who serve degraded males in this manner. I am credibly informed that they prefer this method; that the erotic desire has been transferred from the genitals to the tongue. Any person who may be inclined to exercise a doubt, may easily convince himself of its truthfulness by visiting one of the many low-down “houses of ill fame” in any one of our large cities.