Masturbation: why talk about it is considered outrageous
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Masturbation. Apparently, the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of our planet at least once in their life tended to this reception of the satisfaction of the main instinct, although it is considered outrageous to talk about it, except in a pejorative way.
The new book by Mels van Drew "With the Hand: The History of Masturbation" is a rare example of studying the forbidden topic. The author of the book made an attempt to cover all the nuances of masturbation: medical, religious, art, philosophical ...
Probably the most interesting part is the historical medical one. For example, the Swiss doctor Samuel August Tissot, influential in his 18th century, stated that semen is concentrated blood, so uncontrolled separation from seminal fluid is considered not only wasteful, but also unsafe for health. He compiled a whole list of diseases that can occur on the ground of masturbation, almost to blindness. In reality, according to advanced doctors, masturbation reduces the risk of prostate cancer and facilitates the clinical signs of restless legs syndrome. However, this does not have much influence on social opinion.
The work of Tisso had a very great influence on the development of medicine of the time. Ways of treatment of passion for masturbation were offered and cheerful, and terrible. One English medical journal proposed putting a bird cage on the genitals. Others recommended disfiguring and even removing genitals. To the fairer sex also.
It would be tempting to consider that the treatise Tissot and further insanity were inspired by one or another religious ravings, but no. The author of the book comes to the conclusion that the first masturbation was not anathematized by clergymen at all, but figures of the Enlightenment based on scientific research.
How not regrettable, beyond the history of medical and religious attitudes towards masturbation, Mr. Van der Drill "floats". But in general, his work (given the meager choice of monographs on this delicate topic), they say, deserves attention