No abstract

Less than 10% of men with complete spinal cord injury experience ejaculation in intercourse. Vibratory stimulation of the penis triggers a predictable series of body reactions in most men with lesions above the thoracic 11th spinal cord level. These reactions are very similar to the physical manifestations of the sexual response in men with intact nervous systems. Between half and three quarters of men with lesions above the thoracic 11th spinal cord level ejaculate. The spermatozoa count is within the normal range, but the percentage of motile spermatozoa is low. The reactions leading to ejaculation take between 30 sec and 3 min and are characterized by rhythmic abdominal and leg spasms, lowered, then elevated pulse rates, elevation of blood pressure, and after the culmination of these experiences, relaxation, tiredness, and a general feeling of well-being. Autonomic dysreflexia (elevation of the blood pressure and severe headache) was avoided with preventive medication. The observations suggest that interrelated ejaculatory centers may be located in the thoracic 11th-and-below areas of the spinal cord. The vibratory stimulation technique has positive implications for both the reproductive and sexual needs of men with spinal cord injury and their partners.

A survey was conducted among the nursing staff of a 400-bed extended-care unit for aged men by questionnaire to find out what patient behaviors were identified as sexual by the staff and how they reacted to these behaviors. Three types of behavior were identified as sexual and as "causing problems": sex talk (e.g., using foul language); sexual acts (e.g., touching or grabbing, exposing genitalia); and implied sexual behavior (e.g., openly reading pornographic magazines). As many as 25 per cent of the residents were thought to create such incidents. Acceptable sexual behavior identified by the staff were limited to hugging and kissing on the cheek, although their answers implied that residents could need more intimate touching and affection. The survey raised questions about the nature and causes of different types of sexual behavior in the institutionalized elderly and about the roles nursing staff, physicians, and administrators can play in recognizing individual needs while safeguarding both the residents and the staff from the consequences of unacceptable incidents.

The Raman spectra of n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, and n-heptane have been investigated in the liquid phase between 310°K and their melting points, and also in the solid phase. The room temperature spectra clearly show the presence of appreciable concentrations of two rotational isomers in butane and pentane, and of three isomers in hexane and probably in heptane. In the solid phase only one of these isomers is present, and in agreement with previous conclusions based on spectroscopic and other evidence, this lowest energy form was assumed to possess the planar, trans-, zig-zag configuration. The spectra of the solids yield experimental values for the limiting skeletal stretching frequencies of the zig-zag form, and these were compared with values calculated by previously established methods. The photoelectric spectrograph was used for quantitative intensity measurements on selected line pairs of each molecule over appropriate temperature intervals, and from the results values were obtained for the energy difference, —ΔH, between rotational isomers. The values obtained were 760±100 cal. mole−1 in n-butane, 450±60 cal. mole−1 in n-pentane, 520±70 and 470±60 cal. mole−1 in n-hexane. No quantitative result could be obtained for n-heptane. The observed gaseous heat capacities of n-butane, n-pentane, and n-hexane were compared with values calculated by statistical mechanics. It was found that for n-pentane and n-hexane the calculated values do not agree accurately with the experimental results, probably because of the simplified partition functions used to obtain the compositions of the isomeric mixtures.