Article ID: CBB001034922

Phantom Penis: Historical Dimensions (2010)

unapi

Interest in sensations from removed body parts other than limbs has increased with modern surgical techniques. This applies particularly to operations (e.g., gender-changing surgeries) that have resulted in phantom genitalia. The impression given in modern accounts, especially those dealing with phantoms associated with penis amputation, is that this is a recently discovered phenomenon. Yet the historical record reveals several cases of phantom penises dating from the late-eighteenth century and the early-nineteenth century. These cases, recorded by some of the leading medical and surgical figures of the era, are of considerable historical and theoretical significance. This is partly because these phantoms were associated with pleasurable sensations, in contrast to the loss of a limb, which for centuries had been associated with painful phantoms. We here present several early reports on phantom penile sensations, with the intent of showing what had been described and why more than 200 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Description Focuses on accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries of the phenomenon among men who have lost this organ.


Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001034922/

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Authors & Contributors
Hsiung, Hansun
Purnell, Carolyn
Weisser, Olivia
Thomson, Ann
Stolberg, Michael
Schleiner, Winfried
Concepts
Human body
Sex organs
Psychology
Medicine
Medicine and gender
Surgery
Time Periods
18th century
19th century
17th century
Renaissance
20th century, early
20th century
Places
Europe
Great Britain
England
France
North America
Japan
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