WHEN All Woman cornered 10 men last week in an effort to find out the most treasured organ on their bodies, we weren't surprised that eight instantly declared this to be their penises. One said his organ was his brain, since if his penis should stop functioning, he wouldn't survive; another was unable to decide, but felt the penis would be high on his 'most important' list.

Many men have declared that if they should suffer from erectile dysfunction, it would be better that they were dead as they would be of no use to themselves or to women.

It was also universally acknowledged that even if their organs were two inches long and functional, it was better than having large ones that were not.

While there is still the unresolved issue of the importance of penis size, Dr Orlando Thomas, general practitioner, said the average penis size is five inches flaccid, six inches erect, and the typical girth or circumference is approximately 4.85 inches when fully erect.

"That is what has been scientifically documented. But the size varies across race," he said. "Example, Chinese men [have been reported to be] on the lower end with black men on the higher end."

A number of women, as well as men, feel that the bigger the penis, the more pleasure it will bring during intercourse, thus men with less-than-average sized organs are left embar****ed and even depressed, while those with large penises will boast about their prowess.

However, an experiment conducted in the United States where a prostitute was blindfolded and allowed to have intercourse with four men, whose organs ranged from two to eight inches found that at the end, the woman could not tell the difference in penis sizes. They all had the same effect.

All about size

Sex therapist Dr Sidney McGill said the size of a man's penis matters only if his partner has had prior experiences with multiple sexual partners of various penis sizes, and if pleasure is associated with size.

"Size is only one aspect of sexual fulfilment and it alone does not guarantee sexual satisfaction," he said. "Vaginal stimulation, via penile thrusting, is only one form of stimulation. Most women reach their orgasm by direct stimulation of the clitoris, in other words, sexual knowledge and performance plays a much greater role than penis size."

According to sex researchers, the most sensitive areas of the female genitals include the vulva, clitoris and the section of the vagina closest to the outside of a woman's body.

We note that the vagina is only about four inches long, and even a small penis can touch every square centimetre within the vagina. The secret to pleasing and impressing a woman sexually has nothing to do with penis size. Instead, concentrate on the movements and rhythms of your thrusts. Most women will agree that penis size is not enough to please them. Men should therefore concentrate on their technique.

The long, short and thin of it

There are many different types of penises some men are long and thin, while others are wide and short, and some are both long and large.

It is generally agreed among women that thicker is better, regardless of length. Those men with very thin ones are advised to employ other techniques.

Then there is the matter of the circumcised and uncircumcised penis.

According to sex therapists, when it comes to intercourse, whether he is circumcised or uncircumcised, does not make a difference. It will only be a factor depending on what his partner is accustomed to seeing. Whether or not the man is circumcised makes very little difference since most of the pleasure women experience during sex is due to three things - the woman's level of sexual arousal; the man's sexual technique and skill; and her emotional connection with the man.