I've recently been reading some background anatomy & physiology notes for a course I'm doing and came across a section on performing the examination of the nervous system. Most of the details seemed fairly obvious and things I was aware of. This included the standard reflex tests (knee-jerk, elbow tap etc), as well as testing sensation in hands and feet by touching with various instruments - pinpoint touch, light (cotton wool) touching etc. Other obvious tests include perception of sound origin using various tone tuning forks away from the ear and placed on various parts of the skull.
What drew my attention was the description of some of the tests of the pathways involved in the male sexual response. I was aware of the reflex that causes the testicles to raise when the inside of the leg is touched. However, I was not aware of (or hadn't considered) the others described:
- testing spinal reflex by squeezing (pinching!) the glans and observing the contraction of the anus.
- sharp squeeze of erect glans resultig in lessening of erection strength
- sensitivity to touch (pinprick & light) across entire genital area (scrotum, penis, perineum). It was suggested this should be done with patient blindfolded to eliminate any possible visual interference.
- sensitivity to temperature (hot & cold) across entire genital area - again suggested this should be done with patient blindfolded to eliminate any possible visual interference.
It was also suggested that the senstitvity tests should be done in the non-aroused state. I can't image that being very easy in a person with normal sensation! I would expect that in a play situation they could be extremely interesting to perform.
Has anyone every come across these, or even any other, tests? Are there any equivalent tests for females - I would imagine the sensitivity ones being the same? Has anyone experienced these sorts of tests, and what were thy like?