Abstract
Koro is an acute anxiety characterised by the patient’s fear that his penis is shrinking and will disappear into the abdomen. When it occurs in the female it is associated with fear that the vulval labia and breasts are shrinking and will disappear (Linton 1956). To prevent this from happening the patient grips his penis very firmly; and at times he is helped in doing this by anxious and bewildered relatives. Fellatio practised immediately by the wife has been said to be of help. The Chinese employ various devices for this purpose including the application of special wooden clasps and the use of a male factor “yan”. The Chinese believe that the illness is a result of imbalance between “yan”, the male, and “Yin” the female, factors.
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References
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© 1983 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Ifabumuyi, O.I., Rwegellera, G.G.C. (1983). Koro in a Nigerian Male Patient: A Case Report. In: Simons, R.C., Hughes, C.C. (eds) The Culture-Bound Syndromes. Culture, Illness, and Healing, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5251-5_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5251-5_15
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