| Sexual | ||
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1 |
Erotic pleasure, especially via the ridged band and Meissner's corpuscles |
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2 |
Acts as a rolling bearing in intercourse and masturbation |
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3 |
Prevents dyspareunia (painful intercourse) |
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4 |
Stimulates partner's genitalia, giving erotic pleasure |
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5 |
Supplies skin to cover the shaft in erection and prevent tightness |
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6 |
Stores pheromones and releases them on arousal |
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7 |
Stores, releases and helps distribute natural lubricants ("smega" and pre-ejaculatory fluid) |
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8 |
Makes the glans a visual signal of sexual arousal |
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|
9 |
Provides a seal against the vaginal wall to contain semen |
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| Protective | ||
|
10 |
Prevents the glans becoming keratinised, and keeps it soft and moist |
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11 |
Protects the thin-skinned glans against injury |
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12 |
Protects the nerves of the glans, retaining their erotic function |
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|
13 |
In infancy, protects the urethra against contamination, meatal stenosis, (and UTIs?) |
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14 |
Provides lysosomes for bacteriostatic action around the glans |
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|
15 |
Pigmented, it protects the unpigmented glans against sunburn |
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16 |
Vascular (rich in blood vessels that bring heat to the tissues), it protects the less vascular glans against frostbite, as Sir Ranulph Fiennes found on his epic transpolar walk. |
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| Other | ||
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17 |
Provides skin for grafts to burnt eyelids, reconstructive surgery, etc. |
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|
18 |
Storage of contact lenses, smuggled jewels, etc. - not all recommended uses ...
... it would be preposterous to suggest that babies should be circumcised to prevent them doing this as adults, but such is the irrational pressure to circumcise, there are those who will. |
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