By Sharon Gordon
Johannesburg - Have you ever wondered why we know so little about female genitals and sexual pleasure?
We’ve having sex for approximately 50 000 years. There may be no written record of it, but we can safely assume this to be true as until recently it has been the only way to procreate and to ensure the continued existence of the human race.
For something so natural and so necessary it is surprising then that so little formal research has been completed and that most studies have been shrouded in secret, damned as evil and perilous to the soul.
Even today in the 21st Century the study of sex – Sexology is still not recognised by many authorities as a legitimate area of study. In South Africa there are only a handful of specialists, and they all got their qualifications in far afield countries.
Perhaps it is our own fault. From when we understood the mechanics of sex most forms of study have almost always concentrated on the bizarre, dangerous and supposedly unhealthy aspects of sex. The pioneers of Sexology were great minds of the time; it would seem as if each suffered from their own quirks which influenced studies. In line with the time – they were all men, with their own bias. Many researchers then and now are tarnished with the pervert brush.
The act of sex was something we did. We were not sure why only what it was a basic and natural instinct. Only centuries later did we begin to understand that the act of sex was responsible for pregnancy. My best belief, still held by many is that a woman cannot fall pregnant from being raped! Spectacular stupidity!
Early civilizations believed that the power of life vested exclusively with the female. This belief influenced sociological, spiritual and cultural beliefs of the time. Once the basic concept of the act of sex was understood – the first hint of research, the quest for knowledge intensified.
I have always found it interesting that throughout the ages clusters of great minds arise at the same time and in the same place. They all seem to know each other; they are educated together and go on to revolutionise the way ordinary mortals see the world. Look at the cluster of great academics, musicians and artists who have changed the world. So, it is too with Sexologists.
The first western attempts at rational and systematic study of human sexual behaviour dates to the Greeks and then the Romans. It is the world’s great religions that really add to the mix and give sex the reputation of being sinful and shameful in all aspects other than for procreation.
Physicians like Hippocrates and philosophers like Plato and Aristotle (all men) were the initial formal researchers. They made extensive observations and comments about sexual responses, dysfunction, reproduction, contraception, abortion, sex legislation and ethics. Many of these texts were reintroduced into medical schools during the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries.
The 18th century sees the first programmes of public and private sex education and some new classifications and documentation of sexual behaviour. Most of it is related to dysfunction and illness. The 19th century sees a cluster of great minds – Darwin, Kaan, Morel, Burton and Morgan do biological, medical, historical and anthropological research that lays the foundation for future sex research.
Again, they address sexual mental illness and unhealthy aspects of sex. All research is devoted almost exclusively to the study of people believed to be sick.
It is in the 20th Century that the investigation of sexual problems and behaviour are seen as legitimate, and then only in some sections of the community.
The concept of studying sex as a science was first proposed by Iwan Bloch (1872 – 1922). Bloch was a dermatologist who came to the conclusion that a purely medical view of sexual behaviour was limiting and that it should be studied in context with historical and anthropological research – Part of the general science of mankind. Bloch is often referred to as the father of sexology.
Another member of the cluster operating in Berlin at the time was Magnus Hirschfeld (1868 – 1935). He edited the first important publication devoted to sexology as a science in 1908. Zeitschrift Fur Sexualwissenschraft contained articles submitted by some of the greatest minds of the time including; Freud, Adler, Abraham, Stekel and Sadger. From the contributor’s psychoanalysis was established as a legitimate part of sexology. Further great minds associated with the journal as co editors were Frederick Salomon Krauss and Hermann Rohleder. They also influenced the broadening concept of sex research. It only lasted a year, and they were all … men.
Hirschfeld opened the first sexological Institute called Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin in 1919. The Institute had 15 founding members which increased to over 100 within the first year.
Hirschfeld’s Institute dedicated itself to four major areas of research; Sexual biology, sexual pathology, sexual sociology and sexual ethnology. Among its many activities three are noteworthy; a large premarital counselling service, regular public lectures and discussions on sexological topics and a medico-legal service for expert testimony especially in criminal trials.
Contributors to the journal and Congresses were major influences on the study and development of Sexology during these pioneer days. These minds included Bloch, Moll, Hirschfeld and Marcuse; all Berlin based and men.
They covered subjects ranging from prostitution, transvestites (a word first used during this period), homosexuality, the nature of the sexual urge and human dependency. There is absolutely nothing about pleasure.
There were some women who commented and made a contribution. Not only were they remarkable for their time in that they were educated and outspoken, but they chose to be so in what is today still one of the fields where women are subjected to abuse for their participation.
Worth mentioning are Helene Stocker, who fought for the protection of unmarried mothers and for legal equality of illegitimate children (1905). Emma Goldman, an early advocate of women’s rights and birth control. Margaret Sanger and her sister who opened a birth control clinic in New York. In the 21st Century this still provokes strong reactions. Imagine what it provoked in 1916. She and her sister were convicted and sentenced to spend thirty days in a workhouse for their trouble.
The clinic was shut down by the authorities. How History repeats itself!
Katherine B Davies published a book on satisfying regular intercourse, masturbation and the use of contraceptives in 1929. No doubt she was damned to hell for that!
In 1930 Helena Wright publishes her book, The Sex Factor in Marriage.
Marie Stopes a renowned Nazi speaks out about contraception and abortion. Her clinics are still influential and provide a service to women all around the world.
The most influential pioneers were operating and clustered in Berlin, some research and comment was being made in England, America and other parts of Europe. Henry Havecock Ellis is best known for his six-volume work – Studies in the Psychology of Sex.
Regrettable is that these pioneering years preceded the Second World War. More regrettable is that the great minds and Institutes found themselves in Nazi heartland, namely Berlin. Many were Jews, academics or homosexuals. Had the Nazis not got to them the ally bombing would have.
Hirschfield’s work, philosophy and studies whilst controversial and often inaccurate pulled Sexology out of the ‘Enlightened’ Dark Ages. He and his colleagues renewed the interest and introduced the science of sex to the 20th Century. Their work has influenced and guided how we continue to research and study Sexology today. Had his work not been destroyed and allowed to continue uninterrupted the science may have been more accepted than it is today.
One of the only threads that continue before during and after the Second World War is the interest that the Rockefeller family takes in sex research.
From about 1914 this influential family starts looking for ways in which to support sex research. For the next 40 years it makes substantial financial contributions for research.
Some of the other interesting developments prior to the Second World War are the continued calls for sex education for both adults and children. The great divide and debate surrounding the opinions regarding the evils or pleasures of masturbation.
As early as 1926 the Dutch gynaecologist Theodor Henrik van de Velde publishes a book entitled Ideal Marriage. This popular work tries to encourage men and women to shed their inhibitions within their sexual relationships and to develop their sensuality. A call still being made in 2022.
When the world to war, the science of sex went to ground.
The first whiff of a renaissance of Sexology comes from the United States. It is 1953 and a recognised and accomplished zoologist Alfred C Kinsey is approached by the University to develop a programme of sex education for the students. As part of his preparation, he discovered how little information and how much misinformation was available. Sigh!
The project was funded partly by the Rockefeller Foundation. Today we still refer to his work – The Kinsey Reports. There was a fascinating series on his rivals, Masters and Johnson, called ‘The Masters of Sex’. It was a drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.
Sex education has become entertainment on many of the streaming platforms. It makes talking about it easier but somehow watching these programmes still feels like a dirty secret. They should come with a warning for the stupid people, that everything you see may not be true!
While we’ve come a long way, I sometimes feel we really haven’t.
We are still debating how the clitoris works, whether the G-Spot exists or not? We still don’t openly discuss pleasure and where we find it. Abortion rights are not rights at all and women are still being vilified for daring to speak out.
I’m hoping that the next 100 years will move things along and we can walk away from all our old prejudices making our lives so much more fun.