Masturbation In The Victorian Era

Jamye Waxman explores the history of masturbation in the Victorian Era, and the different practices utilized by individuals in this time period that prevent the practice of masturbation. The theories and experiments of several physicians, psychiatrists, and ministers are explored. Masturbation is a practice that can be traced back as early as the ancient Egyptians, and is even depicted in the Egyptian and Greek hieroglyphics. Through the following years, masturbation had become a taboo issue that carried a negative stigmatism associated with it. Religious groups implied that self-pleasure was a sin and individuals who practiced these acts were punished.
Physicians and other authority figures would restrict females from any activities (horseback riding, bicycling) to ensure that they would not be exposed to acts that illicit the same feelings as masturbation. Several different methods were utilized to prevent that person from practicing the art of self-love. One particular method for males was a round metal ring that would be placed around the shaft of the penis, if the penis became erect, the contraption would clamp down on the penis.
Some physicians had linked masturbatory practices with illnesses such as epilepsy. …show more content…
John Harvey Kellogg believed that one’s sexual appetite was directly related to the nutritional diet. He promoted a strict diet of bland foods and rigorous daily exercise as a method to eliminate the need to practice ‘Self-Abuse”. While researching this strategy, he had explored alternate approaches to deter the practice of masturbation. In males, he had suggested tying their hands together, or having them circumcised without the use of anesthesia. The hope was that males would remember the feelings or shame and pain and associate those feelings with masturbation. For females, carbolic acid (phenol) would be poured onto the clitoris creating a painful burning sensation, again eliciting a painful memory associated with the touching of the