ISCIENTIST: Glad You Came Glad You Came: The History of the Science Concerning the Study of the Female Orgasm E. Clark-Lepard and A. Wilson Summary: This article covers the history of the science of the female orgasm from the 13th to 21st centuries, focusing on the development of our understanding of topics such as hysteria, female ejaculation, and vaginal vs clitoral orgasms. The study of female sexuality and female orgasms has been convoluted for centuries; as the context with which we view women and sexuality has changed, and technology has improved. In the 21st century we are still in the process of debunking ideas from centuries ago, and with the help of technology and an open discourse we can work towards creating a scientific and societal community free of shame. Received: 03/06/2016 Accepted: 04/12/2016 Published: 04/12/2016 URL: https://journals.mcmaster.ca/iScientist/article/view/1167/1004 Keywords: Hysteria, Female Ejaculation (Squirting), Vaginal Orgasm, Clitoral Orgasm, CUMD, Female Sexuality, Masturbation, Reproductive Anatomy Note on Terminology: Early beliefs surrounding Hysteria and the We acknowledge the limitations of the term female in Circumstances of female Ejaculation this article as an umbrella term for all female The scientific analysis of female sexuality dates back to experiences. However, this terminology is what is and before year 1. Ancient Egyptian and Greek has been used in the field of science and sexology. We philosophers have speculated on the nature of female would like to acknowledge the limitations of the ejaculation, female sexual behaviour, and orgasm with language moving forward. varying levels of success. During this early period of discovery and investigation, societal beliefs and social Introduction morals shaped the interpretation of observations The science surrounding the female orgasm, female significantly. Yet despite these limitations initial sexual behaviour, and female ejaculation has been theories such as those of Aristotle and Hippocrates incredibly controversial throughout its history. Social held sway for hundreds of years following, such as stigma and morality has shaped and influenced Freud’s analyses of hysteria in the early 20th century. scientific discovery throughout time but has had With technological advancements and the particular impacts when studying female sexuality. popularization of the scientific method, our Until very recently there was controversy over the understanding of the female orgasm has endured a existence of phenomena such as female ejaculation, tumultuous history. despite it being documented for over 2000 years and several accounts from women to the contrary. The concept of hysteria was an early attempt to Examining the history behind recent discoveries such classify various behaviours in women such as anxiety, as the complexity of the clitoris and the biochemical depression, and changings in sexual desire (Maines, composition of female ejaculation improves our 1999). It has existed since the ancient world; as early collective understanding, of how we as a scientific as a 1900 B.C. Egyptian papyrus which described the community have come to where we are today. “wandering womb” theory for hysteria. The Examining the controversy and multiple perspectives “wandering womb” theory states that a woman’s throughout history also provides insight on the history uterus moves around her body, causing unwanted of science and how it has changed through time. symptoms such as anxiety, shortness of breath, muscle spasms, fainting and unusual behaviour (Tasca et al., 2012). In the 5th century B.C. Hippocrates ISCIENTIST | journals.mcmaster.ca/iscientist 1 April 2016 | Volume 1 | Issue 1 ISCIENTIST: Glad You Came coined the term hysteria as caused by a restless uterus feminine type generally, but not in those who are dark (Tasca et al., 2012; Maines, 1999). He believed that and of masculine appearance. The amount of this unlike men’s bodies, which are dry and warm, discharge when it occurs is sometimes on a different women’s cold and wet bodies were more vulnerable scale from the emission of semen and far exceeds it” to sickness, especially when they were not procreating From his text On the Generation of Animals. (Tasca et al., 2012). While Hippocrates’ claim has no Previously, reference to liquid discharge from scientific basis, it alludes to a larger cultural belief that “females” had only been in the context of women are lesser beings: weak and whose sexuality is reproduction or menstruation, as such this is one of reduced to reproduction. Plato’s view is debated the earliest references to a liquid discharge during based on translations of texts such as Timaeus. Many pleasurable intercourse. scholars believe that he was in accordance with Hippocrates’ view, and described the uterus as an Early observations of the physiology of female animal within the woman’s bodies (Maines, 1999; sexuality were later used as a basis for further study of Science museum, nd.). The uterus would move into female ejaculation and orgasm. However these the chest and windpipe, causing the symptoms of findings were not made through a rigorous scientific shortness of breath and panting (Maines, 1999). process and as a result, beliefs became fact. For However, others believe that Plato thought that the example, Aristotle’s findings that feminine fair- cause of hysteria was psychological (Adair, 1995). skinned women were more likely to ejaculate than masculine darker women is likely subject either to a limited sample size or confirmation bias. Health, which likely varied between these women based on the existence of racial and sexual societal barriers, has a direct effect on the ability to ejaculate, and could therefore explain this observation. Societal expectations of femininity and female sexual experience likely also had an effect on early observations like these. As there existed less rigorous criteria for scientific proof, early observations such as those surrounding hysteria and the circumstances of female ejaculation are limited and influenced by societal beliefs. Figure 1: Charcot demonstrating hysteria in a hypnotized patient at the Salpêtrière (Lurat and Brouillet, 1888). The Start of Sexology The next major advancements into the study of In addition, to theories like hysteria (Figure 1), which sexuality and specifically the female orgasm occurred focused on orgasmic deficiency, there are also very in the 17th through 20th centuries. Before the 20th early mentions of female ejaculate. The existence of century, major advancements were made in the female ejaculation has until recently been understanding of female sexual anatomy by Regnier controversial in the scientific community. We echo de Graaf and Alexander Skene in the 17th and 19th Korda, Goldstein and Sommer, 2010 in arguing that Centuries respectively. Both of these researchers not only does this phenomena exist but has been focused on detailed observations that allowed for observed and documented since approximately 300 replicable findings. This more rigorous and scientific B.C. One of the earliest explicit mentions is from model continued to grow into what became the field Aristotle, who in response to Hippocrates’ claim that of clinical sexology in the 20th Century. Sexologists, both men and women produce sperm (Lonie, 1981), physicians, and psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, postulated the existence of a seminal fluid in the Princess Marie Bonaparte, Alfred Kinsey, Ernst History of Animals. “There is a discharge from the Grafenberg, and Shere Hite began trying to collect, uterus which occurs in some women but not in others. record and explain experiences and phenomena It is found in those who are fair-skinned and of a related to female sexuality including the “‘female’ ISCIENTIST | journals.mcmaster.ca/iscientist 2 April 2016 | Volume 1 | Issue 1 ISCIENTIST: Glad You Came orgasm”. Science moved much faster during this period with conflicting theories and critical discussion occurring in academic circles. Findings and theories proposed by one researcher affected the approach and interpretation of other researchers. During this period the concept of hysteria was re-examined, more comprehensive research methods were utilized, the effects of the Clitoral-Urinary Meatus Distance (CUMD) were postulated, and the gap was bridged between women and scientific community. The first description of the female prostate and its link to orgasm in a scientific context was in the 1600s by Regnier de Graaf. Physician and anatomist, de Graaf researched “male” and female reproductive anatomy (Dupont, 2008). In addition to creating several anatomically accurate illustrations through the use of dissections, de Graaf provided the first scientific description of female prostate and squirting (Zaviacic Figure 2: Skene’s glands are homologous to the male prostate (Nicholasolan, 2007) and Ablin, 1998; Sevely and Bennett, 1978; Korda, 2010). He described the glands and ducts around the .psychoanalyst, was one of the first researchers to female urethra as the female prostate in 1672, and receive public attention for his work and many of his stated that ejaculate was discharged from the female theories continued to influence the field of sexuality prostate (Sevely and Bennett, 1978; Zaviacic and Ablin, for decades following. Freud made two significant 1998). Furthermore, he attributed this ejaculation to contributions to the history of the science of female pleasure, which was radical as this notion has been orgasm that are relevant to