Smegma
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This article defines smegma as the preputial lubricant found in both men and women, composed of sebaceous gland secretions and desquamated epithelial cells. It notes the presence of various microbes and discusses its role in facilitating coitus, as well as its potential to cause medical complications like preputial stones and balanitis when hygiene is poor or phimosis is present.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Smegma (smegma, sebum praeputii), preputial lubricant in men and women (smegma clitoridis), consists of the secretion of sebaceous glands (glandulae praeputiales, s. Tysoni) of various sizes, located on the inner surface of the foreskin and from epithelial cells desquamating from the surface of the foreskin and from the clitoral glans. Masses of smegma, sitting in the form of granules on the inner layer of the foreskin or on the glans of the penis, partly covering it in the form of a coating or filling the coronal sulcus, are encountered even in young children. Smegma contains about 25 species of partly pathogenic, partly saprophytic microbes. Smegma makes the glans penis greasy and facilitates coitus. With a narrow foreskin and phimosis, smegma contributes to the formation of so-called preputial stones (see Penis), inflammation of the foreskin (see Balanitis), and in children, it sometimes causes masturbation (see).
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“Smegma.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.com/article/smegma/