Many propagandists have suggested that people contemplating the step of marriage should first acquaint themselves with the facts of life. What is generally recommended is that the intending person read some appropriate biology or sex technique book, the more to understand the peculiarities of the opposite sex. Sometimes the suggestions are altogether more thorough-going. For instance, Balzac (in his "Catechisme conjugal") suggests that "No man should marry before he has studied anatomy and dissected the body of a woman." Van de Velde speculates that careful study may obviate the need for actual dissection.