The penis torture chambers of the Victorian age

 The penis torture chambers of the Victorian age.

In the Victorian era, doctors had serious concerns about masturbation. Young men with a wide variety of symptoms had to face very personal questions from physicians.

When they finally admitted that they had succumbed to the temptations of self-love now and then, the diagnosis was clear: spermatorrhoea.

The treatment for this disease was abstinence. Free will alone was apparently too weak to repress temptation. That’s why the market for anti-masturbation devices boomed. And the inventors’ creativity found no limits.

There is no other way to put it. They are basically small penis torture chambers. A very popular device was the Jugum Penis

The principle of this barbaric invention is simple. It is a metal ring with many sharp spikes. This ring is attached to the root of the penis. Should the man get an erection, his penis would enlarge to such an extent that the sharp-edged metal pieces would cut right into his flesh.

No erection, no masturbation.

Other inventors took advantage of this principle. The four-pointed urethral ring was a further development of the Jugum Penis. Instead of metal prongs, four pointed nails were used here.

Other devices were more like chastity belts for men. Here the penis was simply locked in a cage. However, some of these devices were also equipped with sharp spikes. Preventing masturbation entirely without pain was apparently not a satisfying thought for the Victorians.

There was nothing scientific about it, of course. Spermatorrhoea does exist. However, this is an unintentional leakage of seminal fluid, without sexual arousal.

The general misconception that masturbation would lead to mental and physical illness was widespread at the time. Between 1830 and 1860, spermatorrhoea was considered something of a fashionable diagnosis among physicians.

Many medical professionals were rock-solidly convinced that masturbation would lead to insanity, rob physical strength, and contribute to various other diseases. And even though many people shared this belief, it doesn’t mean that Victorians didn’t masturbate.

On the contrary. I may write about the disturbing world of Victorian porn some other time.