and to come down to modern times, in the sixteenth century it seems to have been familiar to French ladies, who, according to Brantome, enjoined it on their lovers.

Coitus reservatus,—­in which intercourse is maintained even for very long periods, during which the woman may have orgasm several times while the man succeeds in holding back orgasm,—­so far from being injurious to the woman, is probably the form of coitus which gives her the maximum of gratification and relief.  For most men, however, it seems probable that this self-control over the processes leading to the involuntary act of detumescence is difficult to acquire, while in weak, nervous, and erethic persons it is impossible.  It is, however, a desirable condition for completely adequate coitus, and in the East this is fully recognized, and the aptitude carefully cultivated.  Thus W.D.  Sutherland states ("Einiges ueber das Alltagsleben und die Volksmedizin unter den Bauern Britischostindiens,” Muenchener Medizinische Wochenschrift, No. 12, 1906) that the Hindu smokes and talks during intercourse in order to delay orgasm, and sometimes applies an opium paste to the glans of the penis for the same purpose. (See also vol. iii of these Studies, “The Sexual Impulse in Women.”) Some authorities have, indeed, stated that the prolongation of the act of coitus is injurious in its effect on the male.  Thus R.W.  Taylor (Practical Treatise on Sexual Disorders, third ed., p. 121) states that it tends to cause atonic impotence, and Loewenfeld (Sexualleben und Nervenleiden, p. 74) thinks that the swift and unimpeded culmination of the sexual act is necessary in order to preserve the vigor of the reflex reactions.  This is probably true of extreme and often repeated cases of indefinite prolongation of pronounced erection without detumescence, but it is not true within fairly wide limits in the case of healthy persons.  Prolonged coitus reservatus was a practice of the complex marriage system of the Oneida community, and I was assured by the late Noyes Miller, who had spent the greater part of his life in the community, that the practice had no sort of evil result. Coitus reservatus was erected into a principle in the Oneida community.  Every man in the community was theoretically the husband of every woman, but every man was not free to have children with every woman.  Sexual initiation took place soon after puberty in the case of boys, some years later in the case of girls, by a much older person of the opposite sex.  In intercourse the male inserted his penis into the vagina and retained it there for even an hour without emission, though orgasm took place in the woman.  There was usually no emission in the case of the man, even after withdrawal, and he felt no need of emission.  The social feeling of the community was a force on the side of this practice, the careless, unskilful men being avoided by women, while the general romantic sentiment of affection for all the women