Phallography

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The phallography (or phallography , of phallus (erect penis) and γράφειν graphein “write”, “draw”) describes the medical measurement and recording of erections .

In phallography, a measuring instrument ( erectometer , strain recorder , plethysmograph ) is attached to the patient's penis . This continuously measures the penis circumference and the penis stiffness during the measurement period. The penile functional states through the various stages of sexual arousal are divided into flaccidity (slackness), tumescence (swelling), rigidity (hardness) and detumescence (decongestion).

Technology and history

The first phallograph was developed in the 1950s by the Czechoslovak researcher Kurt Freund . The original purpose of the device was to deter men from claiming they were homosexual in order not to be drafted into the military.

A corresponding measuring device has also been developed for women, which is called the vaginal photoplethysmograph (VPG) in English . It measures the blood flow to the vagina , which can also be used to read off sexual arousal. The first VPG was developed by Palti and Berovici in 1967 and further developed by Sintchak and Geer in 1975. A simple variant uses an established thermometer with a remote display.

application areas

Phallography has various uses in medicine , sexology , criminology, and sex therapy .

Erectile dysfunction

Phallographs are done in sleep laboratories to measure and record nocturnal sleep erections . The examination is also known as the nocturnal penile tumescence measurement and is abbreviated to NPT. Characterized a can in the case of erectile dysfunction will be checked whether a mental or physical cause for erectile dysfunction of the patient is present.

Determination of sexual orientation and preference

Furthermore, the technique of phallography can be used to determine the “sexual preferences” of male people. The subjects are exposed to sexual stimuli, mostly relevant images, films and tapes.

The informative value is limited. For example, a high percentage of adult men are sexually aroused by prepubertal stimuli - Wolfgang Berner came up with a proportion of 25% - without giving them preference or acting accordingly. Likewise, people who prefer children can in part also be stimulated by adults. Another study took into account three preferred age groups as well as the preferred gender and shows the variation.

This type of phallography has previously been used in criminal proceedings for sexual offenses . However, the method may not be used against the will of the accused. Whether the accused may consent to the phallography, for example to provide evidence of his innocence, is controversial, but was partly affirmed by courts in the past (1977). In the United States, the guilt determination method has not been applicable since 1993.

Since 2006, the test in the Czech Republic - the home of the inventor - has been used on a “voluntary” basis with some asylum seekers who have claimed persecution for their homosexuality. In order to verify homosexuality in case of doubt, heterosexual stimuli are used, which should not provoke a reaction. EU Interior Commissioner Cecilia Malmström described this as degrading and the EU Commission has launched an investigation. In Germany, such verifications are carried out with a survey by experienced sexologists about the biography and persecution.

Therapy control

In the United States, the device is used in the treatment and therapy control of convicted sex offenders.

Aversion therapy

In the United States, phallography is used as part of aversion therapies to correct undesirable sexual preferences or orientations . Since the 1980s, attempts have also been made to specifically change the sexual preferences of underage “sex offenders”. Here erection measuring devices are attached to the penis and they are exposed to sexual stimuli such as pictures, sound recordings or videos. As soon as they have a (partial) erection, they receive negative stimuli such as electric shocks or ammonia fumes that irritate the eyes .

literature

  1. ↑ http://www.urologielehrbuch.de/erektile_dysfunktion.html
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Berner: Pedophilic Sexual Orientation: A Fuzzy Expression . In: Archives of Sexual Behavior . tape 31 , no. 6 , 2002, pp. 480-481 .
  3. ↑ Alice Dreger: Do Gay Men Have More Sexual Interest in Children than Straight Men Do? , Psychology Today , Feb. 28, 2011
  4. ^ A b Eisenberg, Ulrich: Law of Evidence of the StPO , 8th edition Munich 2008, Rn. 702f.
  5. ↑ a b Decision of the Hanover Regional Court of January 19, 1977, 31 Qs 154/76 = NJW 1977, pp. 1110–1111.
  6. ↑ Czech Republic defends gay test for asylum seekers , queer.de, December 19, 2010
  7. ↑ EU takes action against Czech penis tests , queer.de, May 18, 2011
  8. ↑ z. B. as a penalty in the case of serial rapist Darren Sharper : The controversy behind penile plethysmography: why it's used on convicted sex offenders (2015)
  9. ↑ source in the article by Erik Möller (2000): Hazardous Medical Play , Telepolis
    Mournian, Thomas: Hiding Out. San Francisco Bay Guardian, April 8, 1998

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