England has long been represented as the natural home of flagellation. Thus, "Perhaps it was the cold climate which originally aroused in Englishmen a desire for whipping." "Nowhere in the world do we find such a deep affection for the rod." (B. J. Hurwood "The Golden Age of Erotica") And again - "Flagellation-mania (the desire to beat and flog) and preference for the use of the rod may be described as a specifically English abuse; it was so widespread among all ranks and ages that it formed one of the most interesting features of their sexual life." (I. Bloch "Sexual Life in England") Many writers have suggested that flagellation is common in England as nowhere else. There is yet, I feel, a need for a cross cultural study in rigorous empirical terms.