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Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939

"Sexual Selection In Man"

161). The pleasure and excitement experienced
by a woman in the odor of her lover is usually felt concerning a
vague and mixed odor which may be characteristic, but is not
definitely traceable to any specific bodily sexual odor. The
general odor of the man she loves, one woman states, is highly,
sometimes even overwhelmingly, attractive to her; but the
specific odor of the male sexual organs which she describes as
fishy has no attraction. A man writes that in his relations with
women he has never been able to detect that they were influenced
by the axillary or other specific odors. A woman writes: "To me
any personal odor, as that of perspiration, is very disagreeable,
and the healthy _naked_ human body is very free from any odor.
Fresh perspiration has no disagreeable smell; it is only by
retention in the clothing that it becomes objectionable. The
faint smell of smoke which lingers round men who smoke much is
rather exciting to me, but only when it is _very_ faint. If at
all strong it becomes disagreeable. As most of the men who have
attracted me have been great smokers, there is doubtless a direct
association of ideas.


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