Penile subincision
Subincision is a form of body modification consisting of a urethrotomy, in which the underside of the penis is incised and the urethra slit open lengthwise, from the urethral opening (meatus) to the base, exposing the previously closed nerve-dense urinary tract tissue and resulting, some proponents suggest, in enhanced sexual pleasure.
Other reported advantages of subincision include greater sensitivity and the effect of increased width. Disadvantages include the risk of surgery, which is often self-performed, and increased susceptibility to STDs. The ability to impregnate (specifically, getting sperm into the vagina) may also be decreased. Subincisions heal quickly—usually within 4 weeks.
Subincisions can greatly affect urination and often require the subincised male to sit while urinating. The scrotum can be pulled up against the open urethra to quasi-complete the tube and allow "normal" urination, while a few subincised men carry a tube with them to aim with.
Cultural traditons
Subincision is traditionally performed around the world, notably in Africa, Australia, South America and the Polynesian and Melanesian cultures of the Pacific.
The practise (as well as circumcision) is widespread in Aboriginal Australia, and is well documented in cultures of the central desert such as the Aranda and Luritja peoples. The Aranda word for subincision is arilta, and occurs as a rite of passage ritual for adolescent boys. It is thought to make the penis resemble a vulva, and the bleeding is likened to menstruation.
This type of modification of the penis was also traditionally performed by the Lardil tribe from Mornington Island in Queensland. The young men who chose to endure this custom would be the only ones to learn a complex ceremonial language, Damin, which is the only known non-African language with click consonants. In later ceremonies, repeated throughout adult life, the subincised penis would be used as a site for ritual bloodletting. According to Ken Hale, who studied Damin, no ritual initiations have been carried out in the Gulf of Carpentaria for half a century, and hence, this language has also died out.
Indigenous cultures of the Amazon also practise subincision, as do Samburu herdboys of Kenya, who are said to perform subinicisions on themselves at age 7 to 10.
Related Modifications
- Splitting the urethra only to the base of the glans is called meatotomy.
- Some people split the top of the penis as well, to achieve genital bisection.
- Splitting the glans, but not the shaft, is known as headsplitting.
- Splitting of the top of the penis only—superincision—is quite rare.
External links
- http://www.bmezine.com/news/people/A10101/subint.html (Warning: contains graphic content)
- A mention of penile subincision in Hawaii during the early Twentieth Century
- A mention of penile subincision among Papuans
Related topics
Works cited
Abley, Mark. Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languagues.