Rudolph Von Urban, M.D Sex Perfection and Marital Happiness (1949)
This is one of the most recent books in my collection, and one of the most bizarre. While most of the other books, no matter how weird they seem, actually reflect the state of knowledge at the time, Dr. Urban breaks out into whole new realms of the bizarre and unheard of. Oh, he has all the usual hangups. He thinks that women are all about sex and babies and not much use for anything else. So much so that work is bad for them. At page 42 he says, "Woman's entire nature consists of sexuality, in the larger sense. Her mental and emotional life is one great yearning for the fulfillment of this sexuality in love, devotion and motherhood. In this lies her most important task, her duty and her happiness. The strength a woman must devote to this struggle for existence is stolen from this great life task. Love then has to be sidetracked. True, many 'career women' have occasional liasons which temporarily appease their sex desires. But a woman who surrenders without her whole soul, that is without real love, violates the harmony of her nature and degrades herself to prostitution." As for babies, he says that "Every normal woman needs a child to whom she can be useful in order to discharge the tension in the cells which control the maternal instinct. For this reason, she loves the child who brings her relaxation."(p. 109)
He is against masturbation, just like the rest of them. But his reasons are a little different. According to Dr. Urban, masturbation cannot diminish "bodily tension, "because the palms of their hands and their sex organs do not differ in the quality of their radiations." (p. 71). Thus, "every handling of the sex organs drives out, from every cell of the body, radiations which, if they cannot flow out from the body, only serve to tense it more and more. This tension produces fear. You feel as if you were in a prison. ... On the other hand, it is true that masturbation brings a great temporary relaxation from the pressure of the germ cells in the testicles. This relaxation gives one an immense feeling of satisfaction. And that is where one is led to make a big mistake. Not knowing that masturbation relaxes only his sex organs, while it tenses him more in his whole body, a person can find himself in a terrible conflict. In his desire for this delightful satisfaction he is driven, in spite of all threats, to more masturbation. Then, not only does he suffer afterwards from feelings of guilt for his disobedience, but he feels miserable on account of the increased tension in his whole body actually brought on by the masturbation." (p.56). His objections to contraception are different than the standard ones also. He says that the standard methods at the time, withdrawal and condoms, hamper the free exchange of 'the bio-electric currents' and mar the animation and intensification of the sex act. Sex intercourse is thus degraded, as already mentioned, to a sort of marturbatory procedure that leaves both partners disappointed and unsatisfied." (p. 173). Instead, he recommends the rhythm methdod or Karezza, which involves the man learning not to ejaculate when he has an orgasm. (I'm told that this is possible - I can't recommend it). (p. 177)
But to really appreciate Dr. Urban, one has to get out of the range in which he merely copies the others, and into his own theories. He believes that "there is a difference in bio-electrical potential in the bodies of male and female which can be exchanged in a proper intercourse, leaving both partners relaxed, happy and satisfied." (p. 79). This leads to the development of his six rules for perfect intercourse. While I can't say that every single word of the six rules is a bad idea, please understand that it is put here as a joke - do not try these at home.
Rule number one is that there should be an extended period of foreplay in every sexual encounter. So far so good. But he also insists that the man never touch the woman's clitoris during foreplay. In fact, Dr. Urban believes that a man should never touch a woman's clitoris, and, apparently, neither should she. He says, a "matured woman should have entirely given up the sensations of the clitoris, which are characteristic of a child. After puberty these sensations are normally concentrated in the vagina." (p. 86). And he tells the woman, ""Never let him touch your clitoris. To come to an orgasm only through this organ means that you still want a masturbatory act, a childish play for yourself alone, instead of a mutual play for two." (p. 169). And, if you haven't got the message yet, "Every man should avoid touching the clitoris of his mate, even though she desires it. The bride has to learn to mature to a vaginal sexuality." (p. 226). Furthermore, while he does recognize that one of the purposes of foreplay is to allow time for the vagina to become moist, his theory of the reason why is kind of interesting. His reason is that "water is a good conductor of electricity. Their two potentials of bio-electricity cannot equalize each other through a dry vagina, the chief cause of frigidity." (p. 98)
Rule number 2 is to use the proper position, the one that he recommends, which he has carefully designed for two purposes. First, it allows both partners to relax their muscles completely. Second, it allows them to avoid contact with other parts of the body, especially the evil clitoris. For you see, once foreplay is over, Dr. Urban believes that sex should consist of only the sex organs touching, with no other distractions. This is so that "the awakening bio-electric streams may flow undisturbed toward the sex organs." (p. 100)
Rule number 3 is about duration. Dr. Urban believes that the ideal sex act takes at least 27 minutes, (p. 119), though it seems fine with him if you round it off to a half an hour. Moreover, he is not picky about the quality of the contact, as long as there is contact. While he does advise men that they should strive to make their erections last longer, if they don't that is fine with him. Contact with a flacid penis, or with a man who is remaining perfectly motionless in order to delay ejaculation, is all the same to him as long as it lasts the required 27 minutes. (p. 102-103)
Rule number 4 requires full concentration to every detail. Which wouldn't be so bad if he weren't talking about lying around for 27 minutes with a flacid penis and no other parts of your body touching. (p. 104)
Rule number 5 provides that every muscle of the body should be completely relaxed: "The more relaxed the cells are, the more easily they discharge radiations which need to flow undisturbed to the sex organs." (p. 104)
Rule number 6 ordains the frequency of sex, which depends upon the length of the last encounter. A couple that has had the ideal 27 minute union should not have sex again for five days. If it lasts an hour they must wait a week, two hours two weeks, and so on. "Too frequent intercourse forces cells in the testicles to concentrate more on the production of sperm cells than of hormones. An organism without hormones has no animation or energy. In the end it leads to exhaustion, frustration and a disgust with the sex act which includes resentment against the person who has aroused the desire." (p. 105) If it lasted less than 27 minutes, however, they must get back to it right away and do it right. (p. 227)
So there they are, but I think you might get just as close to perfection by ignoring them.