Joys “R” Us

Abstract

The joy store, with shelves of so-called sex toys, contains marvels of human ingenuity. Sex toys—devices to give or enhance sexual pleasure—have been in use since ancient times. A favorite in Persia was a wooden phallus said to be soaked in olive oil and smeared generously with pepper and powdered nettles. When inserted into either the male or female, this outrageous instrument was described as one that would convert the most unresponsive to a “demon of lust.”¹ One must take into account the Persian penchant for imaginative exaggeration. Who can forget the flying carpet and other impossible feats of magic in Arabian Nights and the adventures of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad? Another device was a rubber ring covered with fine bristles inserted between the prepuce and glans of the apparently uncircumcised male. They also used penis sheaths said to be made of corrugated or studded metal. In other cases, strips of bone or wood were inserted under the skin of the penis to increase its size and rigidity. The method is basically the same as that used in modern surgery to treat impotence.