(130) The Corpus Spongiosum: A Historical Lens on Female Sexual Anatomy

Abstract Introduction Embryologic development of the genitalia is characterized by homology of male and female structures. Despite this, historical descriptions have often devalued and pathologized the female genitalia relative to their male counterparts, particularly in relation to non-reproductive sexual function. This systemic bias is well-documented for the clitoris and vagina, but its relationship to other female genital structures remains unevaluated. Objective To trace how description of the female corpus spongiosum within the biomedical literature has changed over time and in relation to broader transformations in sex-gender discourse. Methods Close reading and period contextualization of relevant primary and secondary sources within Western biomedical literature and the history of medicine. Results From the ancient world through the Middle Ages, medical texts routinely blurred the distinctions among clitoral, vestibular, and labial structures, characterizing them in ways that upheld prevailing patriarchal norms. Vulvar anatomy was not clearly differentiated until the Enlightenment, when anatomists described discrete components, including the spongy vascular bulbs that Regnier De Graaf termed the “plexus retiformis.” Just as this plexus was a distinctly female structure, this period of history was marked by arguments in favor of women’s rights that were justified by their distinct roles as wives and mothers. In the 19th century, anatomist Georg Ludwig Kobelt subdivided this anatomy, defining the “bulbus vestibuli” bilaterally and their medial junction, the “pars intermedia,” a framework that reinforced the fundamental differences between the sexes. Yet, he simultaneously conceded that the external genitalia were physiologically and functionally alike as ‘the apparatus of genital sense. In the 20th-century Atlas of Human Sex Anatomy, gynecologist Robert Latou Dickinson identified a singular female “corpus spongiosum,” aligning it with the male homologue and using this to argue that female sexual pleasure merited equal consideration. More recently, Vincent Di Marino and Hubert Lepidi described a unitary “bulbo-clitoral organ,” combining the cavernous and spongy components. This interpretation has been controversially summarized by gyno-sexologist Vincenzo Puppo as a “female penis,” reflecting ongoing tension between emphasizing sexual difference versus sexual homology in women’s health research. Conclusions Recognition of the female corpus spongiosum as a distinct anatomic structure and the different terms applied to it reflect changes in women’s gendered sociopolitical status and roles. This evolution underscores the mutually constitutive relationship of subjective cultural attitudes and objective scientific research. Disclosure No.