But this seems to be a mistake, for the
seventeenth century anatomists certainly used the name "labia" for these
parts.
[83] Bergh tentatively suggests, as regards the pubic hair, that its
appearance may be due to the upright walk in man and the human position
during coitus, the hair preventing irritation of the genitals from the
sweat pouring down from the body and protecting the skin from direct
friction in coitus. (In both these suggestions he was, however, long
previously anticipated by Fabricius ab Aquapendente.) The fanciful
suggestion of Louis Robinson that the pubic hair has developed in order to
enable the human infant to cling securely to his mother is very poorly
supported by facts, and has not met with acceptance. It may be mentioned
that (as stated by Ploss and Bartels) the women of the Bismarck
Archipelago, whose pubic hair is very abundant, use it as a kind of
handkerchief on which to clean their hands.
[84] Routh and Heywood Smith have noted that the pubic hair tends to lose
its curliness and become straight in women who masturbate. (_British
Gynaecological Journal_, February, 1887, p. 505.)
[85] Schurig, _Muliebria_, p. 75. Plazzon in 1621 said that in Italian it
had a popular name, _il besneegio_.
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