Dissatisfaction with the penis as a sexual tool has led men to a variety of measures for its improvement. Some of these would seem to be rather hazardous.

The Malays of Borneo, for instance, are reported in F. Henriques' "Love in Action" as perforating the penis with brass wire spread out at the ends soley to aid titillation of the vagina. Sometimes bamboo, ivory, or silver rods, with metal balls at the ends, can be used in the same way (Norman Haire, "The Encyclopaedia of Sex Practice").

Among the Malays the device is known as ampallang, palang, untang, campion. The Bataks of Sumatra actually insert lumps of stone into wounds made in the penis. When the wounds heal, the penis is lumpy, thus supposedly giving more pleasure to the woman in coitus.