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Aphrodisiacs: The Science and the Myth PDF

286 Pages·1985·9.76 MB·English
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APHRODISIACS - THE SCIENCE AND THE MYTH APHRODISIACS THE SCIENCE AND THE MYTH P.V. TABERNER CROOM HELM London & Sydney © 1985 Peter V. Taberner Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1985 Croom Hehn Ltd, Provident House, Burrell Row, Beckenham, Kent BR3 1AT Croom Helm Australia Pty Ltd, First Floor, 139 King Street, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Taberner, P.V. Aphrodisiacs. 1. Aphrodisiacs 1. Title 615'.766 HQ12 ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-6702-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-6700-0 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4684-6700-0 Typeset by Mayhew Typesetting, Bristol, UK CONTENTS List of Figures Preface 1. Introduction: The Nature of Aphrodisiacs What are Aphrodisiacs? 3 Aphrodisiacs and the Law 6 Advertising Aphrodisiacs 11 2. The Ancient Traditions 21 The Hindu Tradition 21 China and the Far East 25 The Near East 29 The Greek Tradition 31 The Roman Tradition 33 The Arab Tradition 36 3. Magic Charms, Potions and Philtres 41 Sex and Magic 41 Hippomanes 46 Cockle-bread 46 Dragon's Blood 47 John the Conqueror Root 47 Magical Love Charms 49 4. Herbalism and Quackery 55 Herbalism 56 Witchcraft and the Church 57 Vegetable Aphrodisiacs 60 Ginseng 65 The Legacy of the Herbalists 73 Quackery 74 Aphrodisiacs in Early Materiae Medicae 85 Modern Quackery and Pseudo-science 87 5. The Classical Aphrodisiacs 99 Rhinoceros Horn 99 Spanish Flies 102 The Mandrake 111 Alcohol 120 v vi Contents 6. The Scientific Approach to Sex and Aphrodisiacs 139 Endocrinology of Sexual Function 139 The Nature of the Sex Honnones 140 Fonns of Sexual Inadequacy 144 The Origin of the Erection 145 Physiology of the Erection and Ejaculation 146 Testicular Transplants: the Monkey Gland Story 150 The Therapeutic Role of Testosterone 155 Prolactin 160 Oral Contraceptives and Frigidity 161 Use of Sex Honnones as Anaphrodisiacs 162 Assessing the Effects of Potential Aphrodisiacs 164 The Placebo 167 7. Drugs of Abuse 173 Amphetamines 177 Cannabis 180 Cocaine 187 Opium and the Narcotic Analgesics 195 Nicotine 199 Nitrites 202 Nutmeg 204 LSD and the Psychedelic Drugs 206 Hypnotics and Sedatives 210 Kola, Khat and Other Stimulants 212 8. Drugs used Clinically as Aphrodisiacs 215 Introduction 215 The Use and Limitations of Testosterone 216 Yohimbine 217 Strychnine 222 Luteinizing Honnone Releasing Honnone (LHRH) 223 Dopamine and Sexual Function 224 Serotonin and Sexual Function 233 Drugs with Aphrodisiac Side-effects 238 Drugs with Anaphrodisiac Side-effects 239 9. Aphrodisiacs in the Future 243 Introduction 243 Pheromones 244 Perfumes 246 Aromatherapy 248 Bodily Secretions 249 Contents vii Brain Stimulation 253 Subliminal Stimulation 255 Conclusion 256 Appendix 1: List of Aphrodisiacs 257 Appendix 2: Effects of Drugs on the Nervous System 263 Bibliography 265 Index 271 FIGURES 1.1 An Advertisement for Mormon Elders Damiana Wafers (courtesy of the New York Historical Society) 19 2.1 The Ceremony of Drawing Down the Moon. From an illustration on a Greek vase 32 3.1 The Dragon Tree 48 4.1 Panax ginseng and Mandragora officinarum 66 4.2 A Bottle of 'APHRODISIAC' Tablets (from the Wellcome collection at the Wellcome Museum of the History of Medicine, London) 79 4.3 A Contemporary Advertisement for an Aphrodisiac Preparation 91 5.1 The Single-horned Rhinoceros 102 5.2 Lytta vesicatoria, One of the Species of Blister Beetles Known as Spanish Flies 104 5.3 A Bottle of Joshua Barrett's Mandrake Embrocation (from History of Medicine (1971), 3(1), p. 20) 112 5.4 The Saxon Method for Collecting Mandrake Roots 113 5.5 The Relationship Between Blood Alcohol Concentration and the Level of Intoxication 126 5.6 Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Plasma Testosterone and Luteinizing Hormone Levels 129 6.1 The Physiological Control of Sexual Activity 142 6.2 The Nervous System Control of Erection and Ejaculation 147 6.3 Correlation Between Plasma Hormone Levels and Sexual Arousal During the Menstrual Cycle 158 7.1 Effects of Illicit Drug Use on Libido and Sexual Performance in Narcotic Addicts 176 7.2 A Privately-sponsored Card Warning of the Hazards of Marijuana 182 7.3 An Advertisement for a Tonic Wine Containing Cocaine (Courtesy of Yale Medical Historical Library and Robert Byck) 188 8.1 Sequence of Events which Regulate the Release of Prolactin 225 8.2 An Advertisement for an Adult Movie Featuring L-DOPA 229 9.1 The Chemical Structures of some Pheromone Sex Attractants 245 viii PREFACE The planning and writing of this book has taken rather longer than I had originally intended; what began as a modest literary project for two second-year medical students has expanded over eight years to become a complete book. The subject matter lent itself all too easily to a sen sationalist approach yet, on the other hand, a strictly scientific approach would probably have resulted in a dull dry text of little interest to the general reader. I have therefore attempted to bridge the gap and make the book intelligible and entertaining to the non-special ist, but at the same time ensuring that it is factually correct and adequately researched for the scientist or clinician. I have always been impressed by Sir J .G. Frazer's introduction to his classic book The Golden Bough in which he apologizes for the fact that an article originally intended merely to explain the rules of succession to the priesthood of Diana at Aricia had expanded, over a period of thirty years, to twelve volumes. The present work cannot pretend to such heady levels of academic excellence. In spite of this expansion there are areas upon which I have only been able to make the briefest comment. There was no room for Hoff man's Water of Magnanimity or the winged ant sweetmeats of the harems of Arabia. An entire book could have been devoted to the subject of alcohol, the universal social lubricant, and certainly the most widely used aphrodisiac today. New drugs of abuse have probably become fashionable since Chapter 7 was written. New case reports of drugs with unexpected aphrodisiac or anaphrodisiac side-effects will most likely have appeared in the medical literature. New pseudo aphrodisiacs have certainly appeared in the ever-increasing number of hard-core pornography magazines. In fact, I do not imagine for one moment that the present work represents the last word on the subject; the legacy of Aphrodite is still too active an influence on our social and marital habits for that. A large number of individuals have contributed directly or indirectly to the writing of this book, but I am particularly indebted to Boz and Judie, who started it all; Jeannie, Pat and Erica for typing early drafts of the text; to Jeanette Edwards for her excellent artwork; Phil Darby ix x Preface for his fine photographic work and assistance with the figures; Vivian Brown for proof-reading the quotations in French; Professor Burrow for translating the Anglo-Saxon text; Dr Roger Price of the Wellcome Museum of the History of Medicine and to Dr Philip Brown and Pro fessor Gerald Kerkut, who provided essential advice and enthusiasm at key moments. Finally, I thank my wife, who provided invaluable practical support and help throughout the protracted gestation of the book and to whom it is dedicated, with much love.

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The planning and writing of this book has taken rather longer than I had originally intended; what began as a modest literary project for two second-year medical students has expanded over eight years to become a complete book. The subject matter lent itself all too easily to a sen­ sationalist app
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