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Koro: A Natural History of Penis Panics

By Vaughan in Culture
Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 10:56:53 AM EST
Tags: Culture (all tags)
Culture

A woman in Nigeria narrowly escaped a recent lynching from an enraged crowd after a market trader claimed she had stolen his penis. This is an example of Koro, (as it is most commonly known in the West), a belief that the genitals have been stolen, or in other parts of the world, that they are fatally shrinking into the body. Bizarre as it sounds, the belief in Koro is several thousand years old and occurs internationally. This article examines historical and contemporary accounts of Koro and looks at some of the explanations for this intriguing phenomenon.


Belief in fatally retracting genitals, or a belief in genital theft, is usually known by the name 'Koro'. The word is of uncertain origin but is thought to derive from the Malaysian word for tortoise, (sometimes locally used as a slang term for the penis), perhaps with a nod to the tortoises' ability to retract its head into its body. It takes several forms, including a fast spreading social belief that tends to cause panics and widespread concern, and a more isolated form, usually the problem of a lone individual.

Koro as a social belief
To many people it is perhaps surprising that a belief in Koro can be particularly widespread but this belies that fact that the belief has a long and distinguished history. It is first mentioned in China (known there as 'suo-yang') where it is cited in the ancient Chinese text 'The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine', a traditional medical manuscript which dates from about 300 BC. Similar descriptions appear in Chinese volumes throughout the ages, and the idea exists as a folk belief among some Chinese and Asian peoples today.

Minor Koro epidemics have seized localised parts of Asia at various times, including a well documented 1967 outbreak in Singapore. As the panic spread hospitals became inundated with people worried that their penises were shrinking into their body. Many had resorted to pegs, clamps and even a constant firm grip from concerned family members attempting to prevent the member from vanishing entirely. According to an analysis of the incident reported in the Singapore Medical Journal, the panic stemmed from rumours that pork, poisoned from a swine fever inoculation, was causing genital shrinkage. Similar outbreaks in the Guangdong region in China have been related to an alleged sighting of the beautiful Hu Li Jung, a genital thieving fox spirit traditionally thought to wander the countryside in search of male victims.

In affected parts of Africa, Koro is more commonly related to the work of sorcerers or black magic, and involves alleged penis theft rather than retraction. The belief is of unknown vintage (historical sources are scarce) but periodically creates panics, sometimes resulting in fatal consequences for the unfortunately accused. Recent outbreaks have been reported in Nigeria, Benin and Ghana and usually involve the public accusation of penis theft, often after an unexpected or unwelcome touch from a stranger.

Whilst penis theft would seem a fairly simple charge to refute, victims in an 1990 Nigerian outbreak (reported on by psychiatrist Sunny Ilechukwu) often believed that their penises were returned at the point of public accusation. Some even went as far as undress to prove their accusation to onlookers, subsequently claiming that their 'returned' penis had been replaced but was shrunk, leading them to think it must be a ghost penis or perhaps the wrong one.

Isolated Koro Sufferers
Cases of Koro have also been reported in most nationalities including American, European and Middle-Eastern persons. Sufferers tend to show a couple of marked differences to Asian and African Koro sufferers, mainly that they tend not to believe that genital retraction will be fatal, and that it tends to present more commonly in the context of mental illness, rather than social scares. A recent study reported on three cases of Koro in American males who all formed penis retraction beliefs after smoking Cannabis. In these cases the researchers suggested that Koro was brought on by a combination of pre-existing worries over penis shape, anxiety and bad reaction to situational cannabis use. Perhaps due to a `bad-trip' experience or its ability to trigger or exacerbate psychosis and anxiety in a minority of individuals.

Koro in a Greek Cypriot man was reported in one medical case study from the British Journal of Psychiatry. In this instance the person was concerned that his penis was shrinking into his body, a claim accompanied by depression, psychotic symptoms and heightened anxiety. The gentleman concerned was treated by doctors with mood stabilising and anti-psychotic medication after which his penis-related concerns abated.

Other case studies have reported on Koro after depression following stroke, in relation to phobia for AIDS, after a brain tumour and during schizophrenia. In some cases the individuals had heard about Koro before suffering themselves, an unlikely belief perhaps triggered by later unfortunate events, but in others the belief seemed to arise without previous cultural contact.

Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know ?
Freud believed that castration anxiety was an important stage of personality development, and although this is not a popular view among psychologists today, it is not difficult to see how Koro beliefs may relate to many common sexual anxieties. Body satisfaction and worries over correct and desirable body shape are also common, and in mental illness they may reach delusional intensity. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a syndrome where sufferers come to believe that a particular part of their body (often regarded as quite normal by third parties) is particularly ugly, unshapely or undesirable. Whilst there is no evidence that Koro may be directly related to this disorder, it is easy to see how body concerns can be incorporated or even fuel unlikely beliefs.

The type of social Koro that creates panics could be easily dismissed as the result of primitive thinking of superstitious people, but as sociologist Robert Bartholomew has documented, industrialised societies have much modern history of similarly unusual social scares. This includes not one, but several widespread panics sparked by dramatisations of the Orson Welles play `War of the Worlds'. This would suggest that society is great shaper of our beliefs, and we are much more likely to believe what our neighbours believe than we would like to admit.

Further Reading
Several excellent analyses of the Koro phenomenon have been written by Robert Bartholomew. The following books are highly recommended for extensive references and an excellent critique of our understanding of Koro (and other strange beliefs and social panics). The first is perhaps a little easier for the non-academic reader.

Bartolomew, R.E. (2001) Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-hunting Panics: A study of mass psychogenic illness and social delusion. North Carolina: McFarland Publishers.

Bartholomew, R.E. (2000) Exotic Deviance: Medicalizing cultural idioms from strangeness to illness. Colorado: University of Colorado Press.

References to medical reports of Koro can be obtained by searching PubMed using the keyword `koro'
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/

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Related Links
o escaped a recent lynching
o The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine
o analysis of the incident
o Similar outbreaks
o fatal consequences
o Nigeria
o Benin
o Ghana
o recent study
o one medical case study
o Body Dysmorphic Disorder
o several widespread panics
o Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-hunting Panics: A study of mass psychogenic illness and social delusion
o Exotic Deviance: Medicalizing cultural idioms from strangeness to illness
o PubMed
o http://www .ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
o Also by Vaughan


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Koro: A Natural History of Penis Panics | 55 comments (47 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden)
A Bouquet (1.50 / 8) (#6)
by r00t on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 09:15:10 AM EST

Bouquet

-It's not so much what you have to learn if you accept weird theories, it's what you have to unlearn. - Isaac Asimov

+1 FP (1.66 / 3) (#8)
by dvchaos on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 09:29:06 AM EST

Purely because it's something light and entertaining .. all that other bullshit is usually grossley incorrect anyway.

You've been exposed! (4.85 / 7) (#10)
by IHCOYC on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 09:58:36 AM EST

The great thing about koro, as a disease, is that not only is it apparently highly contagious; you risk being infected just by knowing what it is.

Oh well. Better koro than kuru, anyways.

GraySkull is home to the anima, the all-knowing woman who gives power to the otherwise ineffectual man. -- Jeff Coleman

-1 racist (1.22 / 31) (#11)
by turmeric on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 10:19:24 AM EST

the western world has plenty of fucked up practices

Interesting beliefs across the world (4.75 / 16) (#14)
by the on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 10:58:33 AM EST

This would suggest that society is great shaper of our beliefs
Most of the population of the US believe the creator of the universe (with whom many believe themselves to be in direct communication) fathered a son, by a virgin who remained a virgin even after the process, whom he subsequently allowed to be killed through his inaction despite his omnipotence, and that this was a morally perfect action. This belief is far less popular across Europe and almost non-existent in most societies of the Middle East.

You don't have to look much beyond your own nose to conclude that society is a shaper of one's beliefs!

--
The Definite Article

Comparison to animals (4.40 / 5) (#16)
by chemista on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 11:33:43 AM EST

One thing not mentioned so far is the fact that in many other mammal species, the male's penis does in fact 'contract' completely into the body when the animal is not pheromonally aroused. It is an interesting question whether this observation may in fact be the origin of some of these stories.
Stop reminding people about the overvalued stock market! I'm depending on that overvalued stock market to retire some day! - porkchop_d_clown
Female version ? (5.00 / 3) (#18)
by salsaman on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 11:50:12 AM EST

Is there anything like a female version of Koro ? For example, women who imagine that their breasts are increasing in size each day ?

I guess that since most women seem to worry more about their bodies anyway, and since womens' bodies change through pregnancy and menopause, that such things would be relatively rare.

Belief in Koro (4.60 / 5) (#19)
by CodeWright on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 12:46:58 PM EST

A guaranteed indicator of impotence and stupidity since 300BC!

--
"Humanity's combination of reckless stupidity and disrespect for the mistakes of others is, I think, what makes us great." --
Koro? (4.50 / 2) (#23)
by ch3ryl on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 01:41:48 PM EST

Tortoise in Malaysian is Kura-kura

  • Yup by SteelX, 09/18/2002 06:59:49 PM EST (none / 0)
Burden of Proof (5.00 / 3) (#25)
by hatshepsut on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 01:44:43 PM EST

Let's all just place the burden of proof on the person who wants to make the accusation. Before they publicly accuse anyone, they have to demonstrate, to impartial witnesses, that the penis has shrunk or disappeared....

Hmmm, considering that this would involve altogether too much flashing, forget I said anything.

Anyone else find any indication of exactly how the penis-stealing miscreants are supposed to be making off with the "goods", or is that sort of skepticism going to result in becoming the co-accused?

I also wonder if most/all of the accused are women, as in this case. Is this a body-image thing, or a phobia regarding women?

That explains it (4.33 / 3) (#29)
by Eccles on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 03:52:16 PM EST

So that Nigerian spam scam must be people trying to raise money for penis enlargement surgery after a bewitchment...

Another interesting aspect (2.00 / 5) (#32)
by medham on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 04:46:03 PM EST

Is the koro disease in New Guinea, closely related to BSE, and caused by prions, which are indestructible, short of kryptonic fusion.

The real 'medham' has userid 6831.

  • You mean Kuru by TheOnlyCoolTim, 09/16/2002 06:11:36 PM EST (3.00 / 1)
    • Some cheek by medham, 09/17/2002 03:46:29 AM EST (2.00 / 2)
      • That's true by CodeWright, 09/17/2002 09:12:10 AM EST (5.00 / 1)
        • Humors by medham, 09/17/2002 05:30:06 PM EST (5.00 / 1)
Marijuana can cause an estrogen increase in men. (4.00 / 2) (#33)
by confrontationman on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 05:18:22 PM EST

The results are mixed but a search on google for marijuana and estrogen makes me want to limit my dube intake, just in case.

Apparently heavy usage can result in serious shrinkage. If that's true and you're a weed dealer, I guess you could rightly be accused of Koro.



This is prevalent in America too... (2.42 / 7) (#39)
by faustus on Mon Sep 16, 2002 at 08:48:55 PM EST

...however it is more sublimated than in other, less "modern" countries like Nigera, which still clings to a form of Islamic law. In the United States, suffering Koro is generally subconscious, causing for a subsequent, subconscious "reafirmation" of the phallic member.

The general sufferer is a sexually repressed, God-fearing conservative, who makes up for his American "Koro" by buying more guns than he will ever need.

  • Better than by CodeWright, 09/17/2002 09:13:12 AM EST (none / 0)
    • Oh, But ... by icastel, 09/18/2002 03:38:42 PM EST (none / 0)
This is but one special case of mass hysteria (none / 0) (#41)
by annenk38 on Tue Sep 17, 2002 at 12:30:33 AM EST

There are many documented cases of mass hysteria, as well as psychosomatic illnesses. Of the more recent domestic cases is "the itch" reported by the schoolchildren in several U.S. states. Among the better-known cases is the Gulf War Syndrome.

And if my left hand causes me to stumble as well -- what do I cut it off with? -- Harry, Prince of Wales (The Blackadder)
Grow your own (none / 0) (#48)
by GavinWheeler on Tue Sep 17, 2002 at 09:18:08 AM EST

At least the poor victims of these nasty willy-thiefs can now grow a replacement. Even if it only has the strength of a ninety-year-old's.

See this article

From the CNN article on Ghana: (none / 0) (#54)
by unDees on Wed Sep 18, 2002 at 05:22:02 PM EST

Police and government officials dismiss the stories as the work of thieves, who... pick people's pockets.
Wait a minute. A bunch of thieves make up stories about stealing things from your pants, so that they can... steal things from your pants.

I don't get it.

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Koro: A Natural History of Penis Panics | 55 comments (47 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden)
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