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Historical Bibliography Updated: June 16, 2026

Sex efficiency through exercises. Special physical culture for women, with 480 cinematographic and 54 full-page illustrations.

Publication Details

London: William Heinemann, 1933 CE.

Includes a series of 12 "cinematographic" films on 480 flicker cards. In all the photographs frontal nudity of the female model is covered by clothing, though her buttocks are exposed in some views.

Having previously published a trilogy, Ideal marriage,  Sex hostility in marriage, and Fertility in marriage, Van de Velde explained in his preface that "the work to which [his] life is dedicated" was "the spread of knowledge and insight into the sphere of conjugal relationships and the increase of human happiness thereby." Through Sex efficiency Van de Velde intended to teach women a complete system of pelvic gymnastics that would assist them to take "appropriately active participation in the act of sexual congress and appropriate voluntary muscular action which assists the act of birth." When I checked in 2021 I found no record that this book was published in the United States.

Digital facsimile from wellcomecollection.org at this link.

Catalog MetadataReference Information
Entry Number#13200
Permanent Linkhttps://staging.historyofmedicine.com/entry/15461
Author Bio LinkWikipedia ↗
External URLsex-efficiency-through-exercises-special-physical-culture-for-women-with-480-cinematographic-and-54-fullpage-illustrations

Geographic Context

Publication place: London