FEMALE CIRCUMCISION (CLITORECTOMY)

During the late nineteenth and mid twentieth century penetrative sex with their spouses was the norm and when ladies carried on outside of this standard by masturbating or by not reacting to their significant other's embrace their sexual nature was viewed as debilitated. Sexual conduct like masturbation was hazardous on the grounds that it steered sex away from reproduction and rather burned through sexual effort in a non-marital fashion. Using the excision clamp, the clitoris could be altered 2 ways: normal clitorectomies involving the complete/removal of the clitoris or excision which involves the complete/partial removal of the clitoris and/or vulvar tissue.

The atmosphere of the late 19th century would be a difficult one to break away from, the tool was seen as a way to tame the sexual nature of women but would later be used in a different light. The problem of masturbation would often stem from a lack of contentment with their sex life with their husband, doctors began to understand that the tool could be used for more than just mutilation but could also be used for liberation. In certain cases doctors would use the excision clamp in order to circumcise the clitoris similar to how with a penis, the procedure would only involve the removal of the hood surrounding the clitoris in order to give it increased exposure during sexual intercourse and would often be very effective at increasing the amount of pleasure received from their husbands.

One of the first accounts of this procedure was 19-year-old Lizzy B. who was a girl from Brooklyn would often spend her time in isolation where she would masturbate around 20-40 times a day. Her excessive sexual tendencies had doctors necessitate the removal of her clitoris in order to regain a more dormant sexual behavior. After seeing Doctor John poluk in 1896 the physician reluctantly agreed to go forth with the procedure aware of the risks after her father pleaded him to do so. 3 months after the procedure his reports showed that lizzie had gone back to her normal habits and was happier.

Sources:

Duffy, J. Masturbation and Clitoridectomy. The Journal of The American Medical Association. October 19, 1963, Vol. 186, pp. 246-248.

Forster, Agnes Arnold. “Clitoridectomies: Female Genital Mutilation C.1860-2014.” NOTCHES, 25 Aug. 2016, notchesblog.com/2014/11/18/clitoridectomies-female-genital-mutilation-c-1860-2014/

​Rathmann, W.G. “Female Circumcision: Indications and a New Technique.” Female Circumcision: Indications and a New Technique, Sept. 1959, www.noharmm.org/femcirctech.htm