Sexology of the Vaginal Orgasm by Karl F. Stifter Read Free Book Online Page B

village, most noticeably, tend to accept those men whose mothers own the most cows. A lover can, however, compensate for much of status by being tall, attractive and “potent”. (Stifter, 1996)
What does “status” actually stand for in our modern mass society? One possible scale of status is the ability of a per- son to acquire so-called status goods to demonstrate their status. The quest for status in the anonymous mass society thus extends to the collection and acquisition of goods that rank highest in the hierarchy of consumption. Hirsch (1976) and Frank (1985a, 1985b) argue that the quest for social positions is an important goal in individuals´ lifestyle. Since status is, as we know, a rare good, the possibilities of increasing one’s social rank are strongly limited. Today status appears in a particularly spectacular guise in the star cult. The glamour effect which glosses over any neg- ative behavior is evoked by film and pop stars – be
it that of a criminal child molester or a snotty macho. Many female fans are susceptible to this form of status to the point of hysterical helplessness.
The above-mentioned gender-typical differences have more far-reaching biological roots. For the man it is genetically advantageous to fall in love with a woman who can give birth to viable offspring. He thus looks for signs of health, such as youth, clear skin, clear eyes, shiny hair, white teeth and a limber gait.
Women, by contrast, heed property as evidence of power, prestige, success and secure income – and for good reasons. It is advantageous for them biologically to be attached to a man who can support her in nourishing her children. As the Frenchman Michel Montaigne said in his Essais in the 16th century: “ We don’t marry for our own sake, irrespective of what we might say, but just as much or even to a greater extent, for the sake of our progeny .” (cited in: Fischer, 1993; p. 57). At least the socio-biologists agree with him without any reservation.
Pheromones
The term pheromone is composed of the Greek word pherein (=to carry) and hormone. Pheromones are luring and signal substances that are excreted by insects and by almost all mammals to communicate with the members of the same species by means of smell. While hormones convey messa- ges within the body, pheromones perform communication outside of the body. For this reason they are also referred to as messengers. Pheromones are excreted as a warning (alarm pheromones), to mark sources of nutrition and gathering
sites (aggregation pheromones) or as a signal to initiate mating (sexual pheromones). The term pheromone was coined by Karlson in 1959 when the luring substance of the silkworm moth was identified.
In agriculture, pheromones have been used to incite cows and bulls to mate. In combating parasites, pheromone traps have been used. Animal pheromones, e.g., musk, have also been used in perfumes for a long time.
Animals perceive pheromones by means of the vomerona- sal organ (VNO), also referred to as the Jacobson organ. The VNO was discovered by the Danish doctor Ludwig Jacobson in the noses of animals. (Jacobson, 1811) How- ever, the first to describe it one hundred fifty years earlier was the Dutch military doctor Frederick Ruysch (1703). The American David Berliner discovered this organ also in human in 1991. According to Monti-Bloch, a neuro- physiologist from the University of Utah, the nasolabial fold running from the outer edge of the nasal ala to the corners of the mouth is especially richly endowed with pheromone-excreting glands. (1994) It is precisely this area that is touched by the nose tips of one’s partner when kissing. Monti-Bloch assumes that kissing is a ritual that mainly serves the purpose of allowing one to smell the pheromones.
For a long time, the mucous membrane tube found in the nose that corresponds to the VNO was at best seen as a non-functional evolutionary vestige. In the future, this view could radically change since it