Body fluid
Note: More than you ever wanted to know on the subject. This is a work in process.Bodily fluids are fluids, which are generally excreted or secreted from the human body. These respective fluids would include:
- Urine
- Vomit
- Mucus (including snot and phlegm comprised of colloid, anti-septic enzymes, and immunogoblins)
- Saliva (amylase)
- Tears (water, mucin, lipids, lysozome, immunogoblins, glucose, urea, sodium, potassium)
- Milk
- Semen
- Vaginal secretion (including pyridine, squalene, urea, acetic acid, lactic acid, complex alcohols, glycols, ketones, and aldehydes)
- Female ejaculate
- Sebum (skin oil)
- Menses
- Sweat
- Blood
- amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus (which is released to the outside world in childbirth)
- cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord
- synovial fluid surrounding bone joints
Overview
Bodily fluids are regarded with varying levels of disgust among Western cultures, as well as many Middle Eastern cultures; the perception is that bodily fluids are unclean (which is not strictly true as urine is in most cases completely sterile until it exits the body). These perceptions are due largely to the influence of Judaism and the teachings of the Old Testament or Torah, and were carried over into Christianity and Islam, who regard these same writings as sacred.
Other religions do not share such beliefs. Some sects of Hindu regularly ingest their own urine for health reasons. Hindus, Khoikhoi, and Dinkas smear themselves with dung or dung ashes to atone. Persians once atoned by drinking cow urine.
Feces and urine have been used by religions on every continent for atonement, rites of passage, and funerary rites.
Attitudes concerning bodily fluids aside, there is a long human history of their use in religion, medicine, art, sex, and folklore. Some believe that the tradition of shaking hands with the right hand stems from using the left hand to clean up after defecation, as a result, shaking hands with the left hand is considered insulting in many cultures.
See also:
- Hygiene
- Ritual cleanliness
- Blood-borne diseases
Bibliography
- The RE/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids by Paul Spinrad (c) 1994
- Scatological Rites of All Nations by John Bourke, 1891
