The anonymous author of The Sensuous Woman, a recent best seller, admits that anal sex may at first be difficult to imagine, due to the taboos and superstitions surrounding the act, but she goes on to point out that “once you have let your sphincter muscle relax, you will find yourself enjoying some quite remarkable sensations and, if you encourage your partner to play with your clitoris while he is making anal love to you, you are capable of having quite an orgasm. He may choose to come to climax at this time or withdraw and finish the lovemaking vaginally. Either way is very nice.” (The Sensuous Woman, p. 130.) She also points out that “Anal sex opens up to you a whole new area of pleasurable sensations to be relished by you and used to increase your personal sexual satisfaction.” (Ibid., p. 131.) Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld, M. D., author of a syndicated column of medical advice And known for his readiness to give straightforward answers to unorthodox questions, noted a wide interest among his readers in anal sexuality. The nature of Dr. Schoenfeld’s column is such that it would probably cater to the younger generation -he writes under the pen name of “Dr. Hip Pocrates”-and this interest may indicate that the young are more curious about anal sex than was their parents’ generation. This is to be expected. If anal sexuality is tabooed by society, and if the young feel a strong need to flaunt society’s rules, the taboo against sodomy would be a likely candidate for violation. In answering several questions about the feasibility and safety of anal sexual intercourse, he came to the cautious and tentative conclusion that the practice seemed medically permissible if performed in moderation. (Schoenfeld, Dear Dr. Hip Pocrates, pp. 6-8.) There is a widely held fear that indulgence in anal sexual intercourse will result in physical damage to the individual being sodomized. Hemorrhoids, for example, are commonly held to be a direct consequence of this act, though there is not enough medical evidence to support such a claim. Many individuals suffering from hemorrhoids have never experienced any kind of anal sex play and many practicing male homosexuals, devoted to anal sex, exhibit no hemorrhoids.