CHAPTER IX
LIBIDO SEXUALIS
During the entire sexual spasm, especially at the height of the venereal crisis, certain pleasurable or lustful sensations, or libido, are experienced by both mates. The quality of the libido is different in different individuals. In some people the pleasure may be excessive, furious, overpowering. Some people are thrown by the violence of their emotional manifestations in a state of syncope or convulsions.L Hence the speculation whether the quality of sexual libido is higher in the male or in the female is entirely futile. Libido being a subjective feeling, no one will ever be able to measure the same in another individual, just as he is unable to measure the amount of pleasure his fellowman has gained at any other occasion of enjoyment (e. c. banquet, dance, theatre, etc.). Hence, we will never be able to decide about the quality of libido in the two sexes. But the symptoms of libido being in both sexes almost identical, the inference may be drawn that the quality will also be similar.
Symptoms of libido.—The normal libido and orgasm show certain defined symptoms by which the presence of the larger lust may be easily diagnosed. While in libido corpora conjugum are in a state of excitement, caused by the irritation of the fibres of the sympathetic nerves. The irritation spreads over the entire extent of the vasomotor system and causes a paralysis of the vasomotor nerves. The result is the widening of the coronary arteries, hyperaemia of the heart muscles, and hence an increased excitation of the heart ganglia and palpitation of the heart. The circulation is accelerated, the arteries beat strongly, and the venous blood, arrested in the vessels, augments the animal heat. The stagnation of the blood, more pronounced in the brain by contraction of the muscles of the neck and the retraction of the head, causes a momentary cerebral congestion. During its continuance the intellectual faculties are held in abeyance. The eyes are markedly injected, the bulbi of the eyes protuberate, and the pupils are enlarged almost twice their normal size. The eyes become haggard, and the sight is dimmed, or the eyes are spasmodically closed in order to shut out light. The respiration is rapid and panting, coming in short and quick intervals, the air being expelled spasmodically. Some times the respiration is entirely suspended by a convulsive contraction of the larynx, and the breath is ejected in the shape of babbling, incoherent words. The congested nerve-centres communicate only vague and confused outside sensations. Mobility and sensibility are held in suspension. The limbs are convulsively agitated or are subject to clonic contractions. The nostrils are dilated, the jaws are firmly set, and the teeth are ground one against the other.
These different expressions of the summa libido are accompanied by caressing words. Ovid, the master in matters of sensuality, sings in his “Ars Amandi”:
Where these symptoms are wanting, the absence of the potency of experiencing libido may be assumed.
The orgasm.—Simultaneously with the objective phenomena of erection and ejaculation, runs the course of the subjective pleasurable feelings. The libido may be divided into three phases: the ant-orgastic, orgastic and post-orgastic phases. During the ant-orgastic stage, the lustful sensation grows by degrees in intensity up to the moment of commencing ejaculation. The libido remains then relatively constant for some time. The largest lust swells then suddenly to the maximum and reaches its acme, the orgasm, at the instant of emission. After the ejaculation the libido disappears rapidly. It falls to zero and is followed by a phase of indifference and in some individuals even of depression. In the female the pleasurable feelings occur later than in the male, come on more slowly, and generally outlast the act of ejaculation. The female post-orgastic libido does not rapidly disappear, as in the male, but dies away as the tune of the tuning-fork.M
1, ant-orgastic; 2, orgastic; 3, post-orgastic phases.
After the orgasm the sexual excitement gives place in the male to a state of exhaustion and to an inclination to sleep, and to a comfortable feeling of lassitude in the normal woman. “Omne animal post coitum triste est praeter mulierem gallumque,” says Galen. After a few moments rest a comfortable lassitude takes possession of the whole body in both mates.
At this period, even if the man would be in a position ad pergendam commixtionem (e. c. eunuches and in priapism), further permulsiones are not wanted and their discontinuance is demanded by the normal woman.
A woman desiring the continuance of uninterrupted penetrations, or who even allows them, plainly shows that, while she may have felt ant-orgastic libido, she has surely not experienced the supreme gratification which is found in the state of orgasm. Except in early youth, and then only after a protracted continence, it is impossible even for a woman to experience further libido immediately after the orgasm. The general notions about the great feminine potency are erroneous. They are based upon the confusion of the potency of cohabitation with the potency of experiencing the orgasm, which is not one and the same even in the male. So far as cohabitation is concerned it is true that the weakest, most delicate woman, is able to tire out the strongest man. Playing the passive part, she could stand concarnatio continua for a long time, in fact, as long as the mucous membrane of the vagina will last, and the vaginal pavement epithelia are by nature very strong. Even Ovid knew this fact. He says in his “Ars Amoris”:
But in regard to the potency of experiencing libido the woman is generally inferior to the man. After three complete orgasms in one night even a young, strong woman will be completely enervated during the following day, and the woman who regularly experiences a daily orgasm, for a protracted period, will, no less than her active partner, fall a victim to neurasthenia after some time.
Intensity of libido.—The intensity of the pleasure varies in different individuals. With some the intensity reaches a very high degree. There are those who cry and bite at the height of orgasm.N On the other hand, there are individuals who scarcely have any lustful feelings, or, if capable of experiencing ant-orgastic libido, are lacking in the feeling of orgasm. Normally the intensity of libido and orgasm increases with the number and dignity of the points which produce the pleasure.
The source of any kind of pleasure lies in the five senses. Of these the sense of touch is best adapted to provoke sexual pleasure. The tactile sense is the fundamental and generic sense from which all others take their rise, and by which they are verified. All the perceptions of our senses have to be supplemented by our tactile sense. The foetus, within the uterus, receives the first knowledge of its own individuality, of its own ego, by the tactile sense. In touching with its body the wall of the womb, it receives one impression, while in touching one part of its body with another part, it receives two impressions, at both points of contact. In this way it learns by repeated experience of the existence of bodies outside of his own. Thus it differentiates its own ego from the outside world by the sense of touch, at a time when the other senses could not as yet functionate. Touch is, therefore, the primary sense. The other senses are only modified tactile senses. Waves of sound touch the tympanic membrane of the ear: rays of light touch the retina in the eye; odors touch the nerve-endings of the olfactory nerve, and food the taste-papillae.
The sense of touch is, therefore, the sense above all others to evoke pleasurable sensations. The touch of a soft and smooth surface pleases; that of a rough object displeases. Many people like to feel smooth objects, such as velvet. Others prefer smooth plants; yet others are fond of caressing animate beings, such as cats or dogs with a smooth fur. There are those who delight to touch the soft, smooth skin of babies. Now the softest and smoothest skin in the human body is found on the parts covered with a mucous membrane. The pleasurable sensations, therefore, increase when two individuals touch each other at parts covered with such a membrane. Hence, kissing on the lips, by reason of their covering, is accompanied by pleasure. This undoubtedly accounts for the origin of kissing.
The same reason is responsible for the universal tendency among lovers to approach and touch one another’s lips. For, affection fed by sight, sound, taste and odor, reaches its climax in touch. The combined power of contact with softness and warmth amounts to a considerable pitch of material pleasure, and a predisposed affection, as among lovers, renders the contact thrilling. Love pleasure, therefore, begins and ends in sensual contact. The intensity of the sensual pleasure will be proportional with the area of contact and with the dignity of the organs touched. Nudity with the greater area of direct contact will increase the pleasure.
The values of the organs producing sexual libido are successively: in the male, glans et corpus penis, scrotum, labia oris, lingua, palma manus, and the gluteal region; in the female, clitoris, vulva, labia majora, nymphae, vestibule, vagina, vaginal portion of cervix, mamillae, labiae oris, lingua, palma manus and the gluteal region.O The more points of the highly sensible organs are touched, the larger the extent of the skin-surface that enters into the realm of touch, the more the frictions are conducive to excitation, the better the function of the sphincter cunni,P the greater will be the intensity of the sensual libido in both mates. If more special senses are excited, such as sight by beauty, the smell by sweet odors, the touch by soft, smooth skin, if imagination coöperates, and if inhibitory effects are absent, then the intensity is much greater.
Inhibition of libido.—The inhibitory effects upon the libido have various causes, and are mostly brought on by the different senses. The most inhibiting effects emanate from the sense of smell. The sense of smell plays an important rôle in provoking or inhibiting sexual desire. For that reason women are possessed of certain odors to attract their mates.Q The vaginal mucus, or rather contents, have a stale, characteristic odor. This odor belongs to the class of the capryl-odors, which may be designated as the specifically erotic odors. The natural vaginal odor becomes stronger during the menstrual period. Some women transpire at the time of menstruation the disagreeable odor of trimethyl-amin.
In some country-districts in Europe, it is reported, the young peasants, when going to a dance, place their handkerchiefs into their arm-pits to imbibe the peculiar odor of the man, and, unaware to the girls, hand over the same to the women they are in love with to smell. The peculiar odor is supposed to excite the girls to love.
All this serves to show that the quality of the odor is not a matter of indifference to the excitation of sexual voluptas. The disagreeable smell from any part of the body of one mate will act as an inhibition upon the libido of the other. The sense of sight, if offended, works much the same way. Ugliness will, therefore, act as a check not only upon the voluptas, but also upon the libido. Pain or cold have also inhibitory effects. Hence defloration, accompanied by more or less pain, checks the libido of the woman.
Hatred has a great inhibitory influence upon voluptas and libido. In men, it is self-evident that where there is no voluptas there is no erection and consequently no congress or libido. But even in women where sexual conjugation is possible against her will, libido can seldom be compelled. She may be debauched, physically, and even ejaculation may take place, for when fully excited, the muscular contractions become independent of the will, but the excitation can not induce full libido.R Virtually, a woman can rarely be violated. If in a case of rape the woman experiences complete orgasm, then she consented physiologically, though she may have morally struggled against the impropriety of the act.
Spatium concarnationis.—Spatium temporis concubitus, to a certain extent, depends upon the will. The man and the woman are able to delay the orgasm for a certain time. It is in the individual’s power, if it be not neurasthenic or tabetic, to induce the orgasm earlier or later. But this power is limited. It is not altogether voluntary to induce orgasm or prevent it.
The duration varies in different animals as well as in different individuals. In some animals a single stimulant suffices to induce orgasm; other animals remain in conjugio for hours or even days. If the duration of the ant-orgastic stage is too short in the female, analogous to the ejaculation ante portas in the male, the deficiency must be corrected. Though the precipitate orgasm in the female has not the same importance as in the male, because her orgasm does not of necessity terminate congressum as in the male. Yet it may, sometimes, have a damaging effect upon the potency of procreation. For the ideal intercourse, in the interest of procreation, is the one in which the female ejaculation occurs immediately after the male emission or simultaneously with the same. Besides, the longer duration creates greater intensity of libido, which is desirable for the well-being of both mates. For this reason Ovid advises in his “Ars Amandi”:
The post-orgastic stage.—Soon after the orgasm the libido ceases, and a state of languor ensues.
In normal individuals and in affectionate lovers the lassitude is of an agreeable nature. The serenity of the mind depends largely upon the intensity of the experienced libido. If the act is executed with great pleasure, it will give the nervous system a pleasurable excitement and will act as a helpful tonic upon the nerves. The blood under its animating influence flows more freely through the capillary vessels of the skin. The countenance becomes expanded, its expression brightens and its whole surface acquires the ruddy tint and genial glow of health. Every function seems to be gladdened by the tonic. It causes a universal expansion of vital action. The body feels buoyant and lively, and there is a consequent disposition to quick and cheerful muscular motions, as running, jumping, dancing, laughing, and singing. Furthermore, the act executed with a great intensity of pleasure serves to appease the sexual desire for a time and naturally leads to moderation. The serenity and well-being, following such an act, have a great influence upon the continuance of the lovers’ affections. An agreeable calmness will increase and even create attachment. Some conventional marriages turn for that reason into affectionate love-affairs.
If the intensity of the libido is insignificant, a depression of the mind post concarnationem will result. Where coition is performed with aversion, without affection for the mate or with fear of infection or conception, it will act as a nerve-depressor, and a state of dejection will be the result. Such an act does not satisfy and appease the sexual desire. Like a distasteful meal that does not satiate, concubitus without pleasure or great affection creates desires for more sexual indulgences, keeps the nerves in a state of sexual excitement, and leads to many kinds of debauchery. Even if originally a good deal of affection existed, a sexually unsuitable match may reduce the intensity of the libido to a minimum. If then the languor is disagreeably felt, if the individual remains excited and is unable to sleep, and the following morning feels enervated, the former affection will gradually disappear, and a romantic love-affair of long duration may turn out a complete failure after marriage.S