Want your children to stop masturbating? Do as some 19th century extremists
did and put their genitalia in an uncomfortable, inhumane confinement. That will surly show them you care. One of the beliefs that was prevalent in the
19th century was that the sexual innocence of children should be
protected. Religious beliefs did not
condone masturbation. They thought that
it was only appropriate to express sexual desire in a marriage. [1]
Below are
two examples of the anti-masturbation devices uses. The one on the left is made from copper and
would be for a male. The chastity belt
on the right was for a woman. It would
not harm her, but would do unsightly damage to anything that was headed in the
direction of her no, no zone.
There was not a large amount of
research conducted on the penis or the vagina, however it was concluded that
sex or masturbation could be potentially detrimental to one’s health. The speculated health issues were both
physical and mental. A few were included insanity, involuntary discharge of
seminal fluid, damaged eyesight, epilepsy and heart pains.[2]
Sylvester Graham thought that
nutrition was in direct relation to sexual desire. Indulging yourself in a piece of cake was thought
to encourage someone give into their sexual urges. Thus the invention of the Graham
Cracker! When it was first created it
did not have all of the cinnamon-sugary flavor that the cracker now has today. It was bland and cardboard-like. Graham believed that this addition to a young
boys diet would lesson their sexual desire.
Kellogg’s corn flakes were created for the very same reason. [3]
What seems to be the most extreme
method of preventing masturbation is both male and female circumcision. Doctors believed that if they removed the
foreskin of the male penis that young boys would be discouraged from reaching
down there (however that is not accurate).[4] Female circumcision was initiated to treat
chronic masturbators and nymphomania.
The clitoris could either be burnt or cut off completely.
Has the trend of circumcision in
the 19th century affected the amount of circumcision we see
today? It could be considered to be an
influence because an estimated 75% of men are circumcised in the current United
States. However the purpose has gone
from masturbation prevention to pure cosmetic concern. Luckily there is not a trend in female
circumcision and it’s not something that you hear about occurring in the US.
Lydia Boinest
[1] Voll, Michael. Cracked, "5
Insane Ways Fear of Masturbation Shaped the Modern World Read more: http://www.cracked.com/article_19520_5-insane-ways-fear-masturbation-shaped-modern-world.html
[2] Robinson, B.A. Ontario
Consultants onReligious Tolerence, "Medical Beliefs in Past Centuries
." Last modified December 09, 2005. Accessed March 28, 2014. http://www.religioustolerance.org/masturba4.htm.
[3] Matt, Soniak. Mental_floss,
"Corn Flakes Were Invented as Part of an Anti-Masturbation Crusade."
Last modified December 28, 2012. Accessed March 28, 2014. http://mentalfloss.com/article/32042/corn-flakes-were-invented-part-anti-masturbation-crusade.
[4] Marsh, Jan. V&A, "Sex
& Sexuality in the 19th Century." Accessed March 28, 2014. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/sex-and-sexuality-19th-century/.
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