Page:Fielding - Sex and the Love Life.pdf/67

 He also refers to the prevalence of the sexual psychoses in men, which are so rare in women, as an indication of the greater intensity of sexual desire in the former. In addition, he refers to a series of facts, for instance, to the occurrence of so-called platonic love, which though often hypocritical, has a real existence more often in the female sex than in the male; to the more enduring chastity of girls, and to the ready adaptation of women to polygamy, which sociologists have noted, as well as to their generally more consistent observation of monogamy.

A knowledge of the structure and functions of the sex organs is essential to an understanding of the sexual question. When one is able to visualize the remarkable mechanism of the reproductive system, he will have a more wholesome respect for his sexual gifts, and a greater appreciation of their responsibilities.

Unlike the corresponding organs of the female—which are nearly entirely within the body and concealed—the penis and testes of the male are external organs.

The Penis. The penis, also called the "membrum virile," is a muscular organ composed of erectile tissue containing numerous blood vessels. An analysis of its structure discloses that it is of three parts or bodies extending lengthwise, bound together by fibrous tissue. Two of these cavernous bodies, or corpora cavernosa, constitute the major portion of the organ. They are situated above the corpus spongiosum, a spongy body. The latter has running through it the urethra, the outlet both for the urine (from the bladder), and the seminal fluid (from the reproductive glands).

The numerous small blood vessels, with which the penis