SEX PROBLEMS OF MAN IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
A Popular Study in Sex Knowledge
_By_
MOSES SCHOLTZ, M. D.,
_Chief of Clinic and Clinical Instructor in Dermatology and Syphilology,
Medical Department University of Cincinnati; Fellow of American Medical
Association, Ohio State Medical Society, Medical Academy of Cincinnati,
Society of Moral and Sanitary Prophylaxis, etc._
[Illustration: [❦]]
CINCINNATI:
STEWART & KIDD COMPANY
1916
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY
MOSES SCHOLTZ, M. D.
_All Rights Reserved_
COPYRIGHT IN ENGLAND
PREFACE
The scourge of the social evil and its baneful and disintegrating
influences on the moral and physical structure of modern society has
come to be recognized more and more by the public opinion as one of the
most burning social problems of to-day. A new battle cry of social
purity and conservation of manhood and womanhood has resounded on the
battlefield of social endeavor, and a new crusade, under the banner of a
young but vigorous movement of eugenics, has been started for a morally
pure and physically strong young generation.
The most effective method of waging this campaign against evil forces of
vice and moral contamination would be to start an aggressive movement in
two different directions of social endeavor. One is the campaign of
social legislation and reforms for the purpose of eradicating
deeply-lying causes of economic, social, or political character, which
originate and foster various manifestations and forms of the social
evil, to change gradually the underground from which all evil forces are
arising, and to raise the moral tone of society as a whole.
The other way is to attack the monster of social evil by reaching the
individual offender and by protecting him from the pitfalls and dangers,
through moral persuasion and by arming him with the necessary knowledge
of sex life in health and disease.
It is agreed on all sides that the keynote of this educational movement
should be a campaign of sex education and moral prophylaxis. The young
generation, both boys and girls alike, should be taught from an early
age the proper biological and social function of sex, and trained in an
open and healthy attitude toward sex problems. The prudish and
hypocritical attitude of society is universally regarded as the main
cause of all-pervading diffusion of the social evil, furthered by a most
flagrant ignorance on one hand and a morbid curiosity produced by this
attitude on the other.
A discussion as to which weapon at our command in this propaganda should
be considered most effective, and which particular of the stock
arguments commonly used in the campaign for sexual morality is to be
preferred, seems to the writer perfectly irrelevant and non-essential.
Whether we appeal to the nobler and higher instincts of manhood, or to
the reason and intelligence of the man by enlightening him on the
biological function and significance of sex, or try to instill the fear
of the evil consequences of sexual transgression, none of these
arguments should be emphasized more than another, but all should be
presented with equal force and emphasis. The degree of influence which
any of these motives, single or combined, may exert on a man varies not
only with the different type of man, but even in the same individual the
force of these appeals will vary in different moods and under different
circumstances.
One essential condition for the success and effectiveness of the
propaganda of sexual hygiene and morality is a concrete, practical, and
natural presentation of the subject, without abstract theorizing or
ill-disguised sermonizing, which bores and rather repels an
unsophisticated and untrained in intellectual reasoning average street
man or boy—the real would-be beneficiaries of this crusade.
It is the writer’s firm conviction, based on many years of
genito-urinary practice and mingling with men and boys of different
classes, that each one of them is only too eager for sex knowledge; but
this knowledge has to be presented in a concrete, matter-of-fact
fashion, comprising and explaining various problems and facts of sexual
life in health and disease as they arise daily in the life of the
average man or boy. In this way, and in this way only, in the writer’s
opinion, a man of the masses can be reached.
MOSES SCHOLTZ, M. D.
_Cincinnati, 1916._
Table of Contents.
INTRODUCTION—IMPORTANCE OF SEX IN THE LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL, 11
SEX IN HEALTH.
1. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS, 19
2. SEXUAL CONTINENCE AND ITS NATURAL SELF-REGULATION, 25
3. CONTROL OF SEXUAL INSTINCT, 27
4. PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, 29
5. PHYSIOLOGICAL BASES OF SEX, 34
6. INFLUENCE OF MIND ON SEXUAL INSTINCT, 40
SEX IN DISEASE (Sex Pathology).
1. NON-VENEREAL INBORN DISEASES OF SEX ORGANS, 46
2. NON-VENEREAL ACQUIRED DISEASES OF SEX ORGANS, 47
3. MASTURBATION (SELF-ABUSE), 50
VENEREAL DISEASES.
_General Part_:
1. DOUBLE STANDARD OF MORALS, 59
2. THE DANGERS OF IGNORANCE, 64
3. SELF-DOCTORING AND MEDICAL QUACKS, 67
4. PROSTITUTION, 71
5. PRACTICAL PREVENTION (PROPHYLAXIS) OF VENEREAL INFECTION, 76
_Special Part_:
1. GONORRHEA, 80
_a._ ITS IMPORTANCE, 81
_b._ DIAGNOSIS-RECOGNITION, 82
_c._ CLINICAL COURSE, 84
_d._ COMPLICATIONS, 86
2. CHRONIC GONORRHEA-GLEET, 90
_a._ GONORRHEA OF THE PROSTATE GLAND, 91
_b._ GONORRHEAL STRICTURES, 94
_c._ GONORRHEAL RHEUMATISM, 96
3. TREATMENT OF GONORRHEA, 97
4. TREATMENT OF GONORRHEAL COMPLICATIONS, 102
5. GONORRHEA AND MARRIAGE, 106
6. TESTS FOR THE FINAL CURE OF GONORRHEA, 108
FUNCTIONAL SEXUAL DISEASES.
1. IMPOTENCE—LOSS OF MANHOOD, 115
_a._ PSYCHIC IMPOTENCE, 115
_b._ IRRITATIVE IMPOTENCE, 117
_c._ PARALYTIC IMPOTENCE, 119
2. STERILITY—INABILITY TO HAVE CHILDREN. ITS RELATIONSHIP TO
GONORRHEA AND SYPHILIS, 121
3. SEXUAL NEURASTHENIA—NERVOUS WEAKNESS AND IRRITABILITY, 125
CHANCROID.
ITS COURSE AND COMPLICATIONS, 129
SYPHILIS.
1. DIAGNOSIS-RECOGNITION, 134
2. CLINICAL COURSE, 136
3. HEREDITARY SYPHILIS, 144
4. TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS, 146
5. SYPHILIS AND MARRIAGE, 150
6. TESTS OF THE CURE OF SYPHILIS, 152
CONCLUSION, 155
QUESTIONNAIRE, 157
INTRODUCTION
No greater and more sacred ambition can stir the heart of a boy or youth
than to grow up into a perfect manhood, to become strong enough
physically and mentally to meet any demands on his strength that life
may put upon him. Equally so, no more important nor more sacred duty
lies on a grown-up, fully developed man than to keep this treasure of
physical and mental equipment bestowed upon him by generous Nature
intact and unimpaired.
Unfortunately, while most men and boys have good intentions and right
ambitions, many of them, by weakness of character, light-mindedness, but
mostly thru ignorance, yield to evil temptations, to ugly and morbid
habits, to self-destructive practices, only to find themselves, after a
few years of “sowing wild oats,” as “damaged goods,” physical and mental
wrecks, without strength or ambition to live, worn out and sapped by
chronic diseases. It can be truly said that no other scourge blights as
many happy homes, destroys as many brilliant careers, undermines as much
vitality of body and spirit as does abuse of the sexual system. If it
were possible to express in figures and money value the total amount of
loss of money, time, physical suffering, mental anguish, blighted
happiness, and permanent invalidism; if it were possible to summarize
all the misery and suffering, all the decay and waste of human bodies
and souls, caused directly or indirectly by diseases of sexual origin,
the world would be staggered and shocked by the immense sacrifice it
brings to the Moloch of sex ignorance.
What does sex mean to the average man and youth? What idea does he have
of the function of sex in the human body and its significance in human
life? To a youth, sex means a mysterious force that makes itself felt by
vague desires and impulses, by an irresistible attraction toward the
opposite sex, by its undefinable impulses in his whole being—his body,
his mind, his feelings. But before he has time to clear up the mystery
of his body, some companions more experienced in life’s vulgarities
initiate him almost by force in the physical mysteries of the sexual
relationship, ordinarily under the most vicious and vile surroundings,
which initiation leaves in him invariably a lasting and intense
aftertaste of shame and disgust. More sensitive and refined natures
instinctively recoil after this harrowing experience, and exert their
best and sincerest efforts to avoid temptations and keep their bodies
and feelings fresh and clean. Others yield again to the stronger will of
the older debased companions, and gradually develop a habit of
indulgence in brutal and degrading passions, with the subsequent train
of venereal diseases, impairment of physical and mental strength, and
gradual withering of all moral noble features of manly character. And
yet under proper instructions and the right attitude of mind, no man or
boy should fail to realize that sex is the most precious treasure he
possesses, the squandering and abuse of which is sheer madness and
self-destruction.
Think of a boy fourteen to sixteen years old on the threshold of
manhood, and watch the changes going on in his whole being at this
period of transition. Watch this most wonderful transformation, how a
frail, little, helpless skeleton shoots into a large-boned frame with
powerful muscles; how his squealing, girlish voice deepens into a low,
manly, vibrating tone, and the smooth skin of the face and genital
organs begins to show a hairy growth. Equally great changes take place
in the boy’s mentality and feelings. A childish helplessness and
insecurity gives place to self-assurance and assertiveness, coming from
the inner feeling of growing power and ability to protect himself.
Childish, care-free, everlasting joy gives way to a new feeling of
growing responsibilities and duties, to plans and ambitions to strive
for glory and success in life. The feeling of inner force and energy
stirs him to ever-new activities, spurs him to ever-new achievements.
Nothing is too hard for a youth standing on the threshold of manhood, no
job is too big for him, no ambition is too high to realize. This is the
time when the character and personality of a boy assume their permanent
shape that forecasts the success or failure of his whole future life.
And then comes the last and crowning change in growing manhood. He
begins to feel an indefinite longing, vague and dreamy romantic
impulses, and rapid changes of mood begin to disturb his repose. A new
attitude toward the opposite sex gradually makes itself felt, and a
woman acquires in his mind and feelings a new meaning and a new light.
Womanly beauty and perfection, of which he has been unaware and
unconscious, begins to exert on him all-powerful and irresistible
attraction, and with further bodily and mental growth, he gradually
reaches full maturity and enters the stage of highest consummation of
normal manhood—love, marriage, and happy family life.
What magic power has brought about these changes from a helpless child
to a strong, able-bodied man, ready for an active and happy life? This
wonderful power is sex. Sex is the magic source of life, which not only
reproduces life, but also keeps up the divine spark of vitality in the
human body and controls and stimulates its growth and healthy
development. _Sexual glands that every healthy child gets from its very
inception, thru their internal secretions, act as a source of life and
energy in the body, stimulating its growth and influencing its general
condition._ And just as killing frost or withering heat stunts and
dwarfs a young plant, so any abuse or lack of care of the sexual system
will dwarf and stunt the growing boy, physically, mentally, and morally.
But even after a man has reached a full state of physical development,
his sexual system exerts the same all-powerful influence over his body
and mind. His own health and happiness, as well as the happiness of his
wife and children, are most intimately and deeply dependent on the
healthy and normal condition of his sexual system.
So it can readily be seen that sex is the greatest treasure Nature has
bestowed upon men, and that the sexual organs are just as important for
health and happiness as are any other organs of the body. For this
reason every boy and man should know how to take care of these most
vital organs in health and disease. In a word, he should have all
necessary knowledge to protect and to keep intact his priceless
heritage—healthy and noble manhood.
Anatomy and Physiology (Structure and Function) of the Male Generative
Organs
To get a clear idea of the sexual system of a man, it is necessary first
to learn the structure and function of sexual organs; that is, to get a
brief acquaintance with their anatomy and physiology.
This is just the very purpose of this book, to give to intelligent and
self-conscious boys and men this necessary knowledge, to give them
guidance and information, which they need on different occasions, to
solve and clear up their many doubts and questions that come up in the
intimate recesses of their minds and which arise on different
experiences of sexual life.
The sexual system of a man consists of the _penis_, two _testicles_ with
two _seminal ducts_, two _seminal vesicles_, and one _prostate gland_.
The _penis_ is a composite structure, as it has a double function of
sexual and urinary organ. It consists of _three cavernous, erectile
elastic bodies_ capped in front by a head part—two of them on the sides
and one underneath. These bodies contain numerous spaces, collapsible in
the time of quiescence, but in time of sexual excitement, in the state
of _erection_, those spaces fill up with blood and render the penis
turgid and hard. Underneath the side cavernous bodies, piercing thru the
lower cavernous body, goes the _urethral canal_, which starts from the
bladder and reaches the external opening. The _urethra_ has a double
function: it carries urine from the bladder out of the body and it
serves as a carrier for natural sexual secretions. The _testicles_ are
the most important sexual glands, as they produce human living
cells—embryos—so-called _spermatozoa_. The testicles, two in number, are
pigeon egg sized bodies, suspended by the spermatic cord in a sac called
the scrotum.
The natural seminal secretion, semen, or _sperma_, after its production
in the testicle, is carried out thru a _long seminal duct_, which, when
unraveled, measures about twenty feet long, but in a natural condition
is twisted and folded on itself many hundred times, forming a
bundle-like swelling in the back of the testicle—_epididymis_. This
detail is good to remember, as epididymis plays a very important part in
venereal diseases.
The seminal duct goes thru the spermatic cord a long way and passes thru
the _inguinal_ canal, located in the groin and enters the seminal
vesicles, which are located in the rear of the base of the urinary
bladder. The _seminal vesicles_ are the reservoir tanks for the _seminal
fluid_, which resemble small pouch pockets, where it is stored up and
accumulated before it is _ejected thru the ejaculatory duct_ into the
deep part of the urethral canal and then carried outward, spontaneously
in a _wet dream_ or actively in sexual intercourse. The seminal vesicles
also produce their own viscid fluid-secretion, which probably preserves
the spermatozoa in time of storage.
The _spermatic cord_ serves as a cable connecting the testicles with the
rest of the body, and contains the _seminal duct_, nerves, and blood
vessels that give vitality and blood supply to the testicles.
Last, but not least in importance among organs of the male sexual
system, is the _Prostatic Gland_. The prostatic gland resembles in form
a chestnut, and is located deep under the urinary bladder, right between
the seminal vesicles. This gland is very rich in muscles, which surround
the deep part of the urethral canal, where it starts from the bladder,
and takes an active part in closing up and opening the bladder in time
of urination. The Prostate Gland is also very rich in nerves, which
connect it with almost every part of the body. For this reason, as will
be seen in the chapter on sexual diseases, the healthy condition of the
Prostate Gland is absolutely necessary for a normal and happy life. The
Prostate Gland also produces a very important sexual secretion well
familiar to all—a grayish white milky emulsion with characteristic
sweetish odor and alkaline reaction. This secretion is very important,
as it preserves and stimulates the vitality of the _sperma__tozoa_
before they reach the female embryo _ovum_ for the purpose of
_fertilization_.
Thus it can be seen that the _seminal secretion_ a man loses, either
during a wet dream or in sexual intercourse, is not a simple, but a
composite fluid, consisting of secretions of the testicles, prostatic
gland, seminal vesicles, and also numerous mucous glands of the urethral
canal.
The most important element of the seminal fluid is the secretion
produced by the testicles and containing spermatozoa. _Spermatozoa_, or
human embryos, are microscopically small living cells, which resemble
very much in appearance tadpoles. They consist of a pear-like head,
thread-like tapering neck and tail, and thousands of them can be seen in
a drop of sperma under a microscope, as rapidly moving and swarming
around little worms.
Let us consider now briefly the function of sexual organs. The structure
and mutual adjustment of the parts in time of function clearly indicate
that the main purpose and vital function intended by Nature for these
organs is procreation and transmission of life. Every single organ of
the sexual system is constructed and provided with wonderful creative
power and natural appliances, all to one purpose—to preserve and to
facilitate the transmission of the living spermatozoa to a meeting place
of its mate of fertilization and conception—the female embryo—ovum. This
is the reason why sexual organs are also called _generative_ organs.
This must also be the reason why Nature has timed the awakening of the
sexual impulse with the period of the greatest development of all the
faculties of the human body and mind, so as to render a man mature and
prepared to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of husband and father.
Unfortunately, under modern economic and social conditions the physical
and mental maturity does not coincide with the _economic_ and social
readiness to take up the obligations of family life, and marriage is
often forcibly deferred to many years after the physical age of
maturity. This brings under discussion the most important practical
question of sex continence.
SEXUAL CONTINENCE.
The question whether sexual relationship is a natural necessity and
whether a man can abstain from sexual indulgence and remain in perfect
health is commonly debated in bachelors’ quarters, and seems to have
been decided by popular opinion in the negative. But a glance at the
scientific bases of this problem and every-day experience of every
unbiased man is sufficient to show that nothing could be further from
the truth.
Sex is a _biological_, not a _physical_ function; that is, the
evacuation of the seminal fluid out of the body is intended by Nature
for the purpose of fertilization only, and is not necessary for the
physical well-being of the individual. The general stimulating and
vitalizing effect of the internal secretions of the sexual glands is
best obtained and subserved by retaining these fluids in the body; that
is, by abstaining from free sexual intercourse. That this is so can be
readily substantiated by practical observation; whenever a man
undertakes to perform some mental or physical task, he has to lead an
abstinent and moderate life to get out the maximum of his efficiency.
POLLUTION (_Night Emission—Wet Dream_).
Nature has wisely provided man with a wonderful self-regulating
appliance, which fact explodes the popular belief about danger to health
in overaccumulation of the seminal secretions in the body. Whenever such
accumulation of the seminal fluid takes place in a healthy man, and he
begins to feel a certain nervous tension and blood-flushes, Nature opens
her safety valve and the overdistended seminal vesicles by pressure
bring in motion the nervous muscular apparatus of the sexual organs, and
this accumulated surplus comes out at night in sleep as a “wet dream”
night emission, medically called “pollution.” The best proof that this
phenomenon is normal, natural, and purposeful can be seen in the fact
that the morning after it the man loses all the disturbing sensations of
nervous tension and at once regains his freshness and vigor. _A man may
have these emissions once or twice a month, even once a week, and he
does not have to worry about it in the least_, provided that after each
night emission he feels fresher and more vigorous than before it.
CONTROLLING FACTORS OF SEXUAL INSTINCT.
In discussing sexual abstinence and its possible injurious effect on
health, some very important facts bearing on the question should be
brought out.
First, the popular idea that sex is as much a physical necessity as are
other instincts of self-preservation, such as hunger, thirst, or sleep,
is fundamentally wrong. Hunger, thirst, etc., are imperative at all ages
and under all circumstances. The lack of their satisfaction for a very
few days leads to wasting, destruction of the body, and physical
suffering. The sexual impulse awakens only at a certain age, lasts a
certain period of time, and gradually goes down, leaving the physical
welfare of the body undisturbed.
_Individual Variations._—Another extremely important difference is that
hunger, thirst, sleep, and other bodily instincts are implanted in every
human being, and individual natural differences in regard to these
instincts are so insignificant as to be negligible. (We wish to
emphasize the word “natural” in its true sense, as in actual life many
people develop so many different habits as to the quality and quantity
of food and drink and in their ignorance call them their “nature.”) How
different it is with the sex function. People are so different as to
their sexual capacity and preferences, commonly called “temperament,”
that no hard or fast rules can be enjoined on the average man or woman,
and not even approximate limits can be given in an individual case.
There are many so-called _frigid_ natures, particularly among women, who
feel not the slightest attraction for the members of the opposite sex,
and are able to go for years and even thruout life without any active
desire for sexual relationship. On the other hand, there are some
individuals who, either thru heredity or thru personal unbridled
indulgence, are so obsessed by sexual passion that their mind remains
shut off to every refined and moral influence, and they turn into low,
beastly slaves of their brutal passions. What is sexually exciting and
attractive to one man, leaves another man perfectly indifferent, and may
be disgusting and repulsive to a third. Surely an instinct that is so
changeable and so widely differs with different people is not a physical
necessity of our body, and can be held in abeyance for a long period of
time.
PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX.
It has been pointed out above that besides its primary and main
biological function of the transmission of life, sex also has a powerful
stimulating and vitalizing influence on the development of the
individual, which is particularly conspicuous in time of adolescence and
approaching puberty. But the influence of sex is not only limited to the
physical sphere; in fact, its influence on the psychology and mentality
of the individual is equally powerful, far-reaching, and lasting thru
the greater part of life. Sex unquestionably is the greatest emotional
power in human life, the greatest and strongest single factor
controlling human feelings and emotions. From a mere physical animal
instinct of procreation as it is manifested in the animal world, in the
man Nature has transformed and has exalted sex into the highest
all-pervading function of human life, has spiritualized and beautified
this physical impulse into a most ennobling and ecstatic passion of the
human soul—the passion of love.
Love between a man and woman and its consummation in marriage and
formation of the unit, the family, is the highest expression and
development of the primitive sex instinct; it is the only form of
expression of the sexual impulse intended by Nature and sanctioned by
religion and the social code of morals. Sex, in its spiritualized and
purified form of love, has ever been the dominating and controlling
factor in the history of the human race. Love has furnished more to the
content of the emotional life of human kind than any other emotional
force. Love has been at all times the source of inspiration to the
greatest creative geniuses of all arts, be it music, literature, drama,
pictures, etc. Nothing thrills an average man or woman as much, nothing
strikes a vibrating response of a human heart as quickly as an
artistically presented romance of love. The only instinct that rivals in
intensity the love between man and woman is mother’s love, which is also
based on the sex impulse, tho of a wider import. Mother love is, as it
were, a continuation of the biological function of sex, a Nature’s
provision to protect and to raise the offspring begotten in love.
The power of sex for good or evil in human life is unlimited. A
spiritualized sex impulse—love—ennobles the man and renders him
responsive to the best and highest sentiments, inspires him to noblest
deeds of devotion and self-sacrifice. The sex impulse, not exalted by
the divine touch of love, and left unbridled in its primitive form,
becomes a destructive and brutalizing force, that not only inflicts the
physical punishment of disease and loss of sexual power, but also
destroys the best and noblest elements of manhood.
The fact that every man and boy suffering from a venereal disease or a
disorder resulting from bad sexual habits feels ashamed, degraded, and
deeply disgusted with himself, is due not only to the fear of public
disgrace and ridicule, but it is essentially a feeling of guilt against
his own physical and moral self.
Besides the emotional sphere, _sex exerts an equally far-reaching
influence on the sphere of mentality_. The faculties of intellect and
reasoning are not affected directly by the sexual impulse, but
indirectly the intellectual capacity is greatly dependent upon sexual
characteristics of the man. A man leading a normal sexual life, that is,
being continent if he is below the age of full sexual maturity, and,
being married, if he is above the age, commands the best conditions of
intellectual efficiency. His mind being undisturbed and unshaken by
periodical waves of sexual excitement, of casual indulgences and nervous
exhaustions following sexual excesses or abuses, remains steadily in a
state of perfect repose and continual freshness, which renders him
capable of the greatest mental concentration and vigorous sustained
mental effort.
In the case of a married man, the state of mental energy and efficiency
is still more increased by a powerful incentive and stimulation felt by
every normal man to exert his best efforts and to strive to the best of
his ability for the welfare and good name of his family. Strange as it
may seem to some, the sexual impulse and feeling has had the greatest
influence on the development of morals and social ethics. The popular
old-time idea that the sexual organs and feeling are something shameful,
disgusting, and loathsome is based on a gross ignorance and on a crude,
vulgar, and narrow-minded interpretation of the great natural provision.
Whatever shameful, immoral, or degrading there may be about the sexual
feeling and function is put into it by the ignorant, vicious, and vulgar
mental attitude and unclean thoughts of man.
Surely the impulse and organs of the human body, designed by the Great
Creator for the highest function of human life—that of transmission of
life—cannot be shameful, nor vulgar, nor immoral. The broad and
intelligent interpretation of sex raises it above a mere animal
instinct, ennobles and purifies it from any element of low and brutal
passions, and by instilling in the man a feeling of sacredness and moral
obligation on his part towards the future family, renders the sex
problem a subject worthy of reverence and earnest study.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASES OF SEX IMPULSE.
For a clear understanding of the natural mechanism by which a sexual
impulse is originated, set in motion, and brought to its natural
climax—_ejaculation_ (emission of the seminal fluid)—it is necessary to
explain briefly the nervous apparatus controlling this sexual function.
The main nervous center directly controlling and setting in motion every
successive step in the sexual act is located in the lumbar (loin) part
of the spinal cord. This is the center of _erection_. This center can
operate under certain circumstances spontaneously, without active
control of the will or consciousness, but ordinarily it is under full
and absolute control of the brain centers forming sexual ideas and
impulses. The center of erection can be stimulated or excited either by
_impulses from the sexual brain center_, which is by far the most
frequent way of the two of forming sexual desire, or it can be
stimulated by _impulses from the genital organs_. The most common causes
producing erection thru impulses from the genital organs are: a
mechanical friction or tickling of the genital organs (intentional, as
in self-abuse, or accidental and spontaneous); irritative influences in
various diseases of the genital organs; pressure on the nerves by the
bladder distended with urine (particularly on awakening in the morning);
the seminal vesicles overfilled with seminal fluid, or even the blood
congestion caused by lying on the back. All these causes, with the
exception of a deliberate masturbation (self-abuse), can produce an
erection without active participation of the consciousness or will
power: they belong to the realm of subconscious acts, but their
intensity never grows sufficiently strong to bring about a natural
resolution of the sexual reflex thru the ejaculation of the seminal
fluid. The only exception is the sexual irritation produced by the
seminal vesicles overdistended with secretion; in this case it comes to
a resolution thru a “wet dream,” or night emission. The very fact that a
_healthy, normal man never has wet dreams in the daytime in a waking
state_ conclusively shows that under normal circumstances a natural
sexual feeling is never so intense or imperative as to consider it as a
natural necessity, calling for gratification. The _ordinary active state
of mind and concentration of attention on the regular pursuits of life
is sufficient to keep vague sexual impulses in the realm of the
subconscious._ It is only the active participation of mind and the
concentration of attention on these impulses that brings them out on the
surface of consciousness. Once this vague impulse or idea is perceived
by the mind as a sexual idea or emotion, if the will power of the man is
not strong enough to push it back again and to submerge the impulse in
the realm of the subconscious, the imagination steps in and, by
conjuring up various lascivious and sensual images and dreams,
stimulates and fans up the flickering light of the original impulse into
a mighty, all-devouring, irresistible flame of sexual passion,
overpowering all reasoning and self-control of the man. Once it has
yielded and has permitted the sexual subconscious impulse into the field
of consciousness and attention, the mind becomes less resistent, more
sensitive and susceptible to all sexual stimulation, the imagination
runs riot, and every sensual impression is not only not resisted, but
eagerly sought for. The slightest stimulating impression that leaves a
man with normal acting mind perfectly indifferent and cold, or even
evokes a feeling of disgust, such as vulgar, indecently-dressed women,
suggestive stories, ribald songs, etc., sets such a man on fire and
renders him a helpless slave to an animal passion.
And yet how easy it would have been to stem this tide of passion in the
beginning, just with the slightest effort of will power, by not allowing
these vague impulses to come into the realm of consciousness, and by
concentrating the attention on some purposeful occupation or healthy
pleasure.
Thus it can be readily seen that the sexual impulse can never
spontaneously intrude itself into the consciousness of a man, and that
the _sexual desire grows in intensity and becomes overwhelming only with
the active participation of the man’s mind and the connivance of his
will power._ This fact is of tremendous practical importance for the
problem of sexual continence and its solution.
When the mind is clean, and the attention is purposefully occupied, all
danger of temptation and sexual missteps is eliminated. The _main center
of the sexual desire lies in the brain and in the mind, and not in the
body._ No “natural physical necessity” will be felt if one has full
control of his mind. _A mere abstinence from the physical act of sexual
intercourse does not make a man moral, nor is it physically healthy or
worthy of his great effort of self-control._ His mind is torn asunder by
a constant internal struggle between wildly-running imagination and will
power, his mental repose is disturbed, his mental or physical efficiency
is impaired. _There is only one rational, scientifically correct
effective way to control a sexual instinct; that is, to control the body
by controlling the mind first._ The easiest and most certain manner of
obtaining this control of the mind is by keeping the mind busy and
engaged by active, purposeful, and healthy interests. These interests by
themselves, as it were, automatically, will keep the attention and all
the faculties of the mind engaged, and thus in a natural way, without
any special effort, the sexual impulses will be kept in the realm of the
subconscious, as inner vague feelings, not interfering with the man’s
comfort and efficiency nor disturbing his mental repose.
These theoretical contentions are fully borne out by practical
observations in regard to the influence of the mind on the sexual
instinct.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE MIND ON THE SEXUAL INSTINCT.
Practical experience shows that no other function of the body is so
absolutely controlled by the nervous system and more dependent on the
state of the mind than the function of sex. All other instincts and
functions of the body, like hunger, sleep, digestion, breathing, etc.,
are controlled to some extent by mind influences. Different feelings and
emotions, like fright, worry, sorrow, etc., check and retard all
functions for a while, but they cannot retard them for a long time, and
surely cannot stop them altogether. How different it is with the sexual
impulse. Different mental states can not only subdue the sexual impulse
for many, many months, but they can completely check it for an
indefinite period of time. The every-day experience of any man will show
that when a man’s mind is occupied by any healthy and normal interest,
when he is absorbed by mental or physical work, when his energy and
attention are used up in a purposeful and productive occupation, no
lascivious thought enters his mind, no sexual impulse disturbs his
repose. It is only when the mind is idle, and the body did not work off
its surplus of energy, that the fancy runs riot and a man is bent on
mischief. Take one hundred cases, when a man or boy breaks loose and
takes a plunge into the quagmire of prostitution, analyze the
circumstances and influences that bring about this misstep, and you will
find that in ninety-nine of these hundred cases the hero of this
adventure is more of a victim than an active, deliberate perpetrator.
Usually it is first a case of overeating rich, stimulating food that
heats the blood and clouds clear judgment, the imbibing of sweet wine or
alcoholic liquors still more excites and intoxicates our hero; heavy
smoking adds its effects to ever-increasing dulling of intellect and
checks the normal feeling of self-control and discrimination; vulgar
jokes and smutty stories still more stir up sensuality; add to it
vicious and stupefying influence of low-grade dancing halls, and as a
last and finishing touch, the powerful effect of “gang-spirit”—the hue
and cry of the crowd of “boys,” and you will easily see how our hero is
swept away like a frail vessel by a mighty tide into the abyss of
prostitution. This picture of every-day life plainly shows that under
ordinary circumstances boys and men do not get into mischief unless
their minds are idle and their judgment is clouded, unless their nerves
are high-strung and their senses are inflamed by intoxicating and
stimulating influences. This fact carries in itself a very valuable and
encouraging lesson to those clean-minded and refined boys who make
sincere and earnest efforts to overcome all possible temptations and to
carry securely the treasure of their untainted manhood thru the trying
and stormy period for a happy family life in the future.
In a nutshell, this lesson reads: Keep your mind busy and your body
working; do not overeat; avoid alcoholic and stimulating liquors; be a
moderate smoker; avoid vulgar and vicious company; keep away from
degrading and low temptations that you know will drag you down into the
abyss of vice and shame, and you will find that it is not so hard to
keep in the straight path, _if only you do not take any chances from the
very start._ There is _no better antidote for a young man against the
annoyance of sexual excitement than athletic work and an athletic mode
of life._ Any and all physical sports and games, particularly outdoor in
the fresh air, moderate eating and sleeping in a hard bed in a cool
room, active and busy life and avoidance of narcotic, stimulating or
body-weakening habits and drinks will make you physically strong and
will render the problem of sexual continence an easy and natural task
for a _long period of time_.
Such is in brief words the structure and function of the sexual system
of a man, and such are the practical conclusions and advices based on
these theoretical facts. It is the writer’s hope that his words of
enlightenment and counsel may keep some of the boys away from the
“danger zone.” Yet it is natural to expect that in spite of the best
warnings and the best intentions of the boys themselves, there will
always be such, who, thru lack of will power, light-mindedness, or
vicious influences of the older companions, will succumb to the impulse
of the moment and will trespass the forbidden territory of “sowing wild
oats.”
Mainly for these victims of their own indiscretions the writer devotes
the second part of this book—“The Pathology of the Sexual System.” Let
them know the dangers they are courting, let them know the possible
influence it may have on their own health and the health and happiness
of their future family. Should they be unfortunate enough to contract a
venereal disease, it is to their own interest to know all the possible
complications and developments of these diseases; to prevent, thru
intelligent handling of their cases, all the evil consequences and to
protect themselves from a damage that so often follows ignorance,
neglect, and indifference to the sickness.
Pathology (Diseases) of the Sexual System
Before entering into detailed consideration of the pathology, i. e.,
diseases of the sexual organs, it should be stated that while the bulk
of these diseases is of venereal character—that is, acquired thru some
abuse of the sexual function or thru unclean intercourse—there is a
large number of diseases that may develop on and affect the sexual
organs without any fault or indiscretion on the part of the patient.
First, the sexual organs, like any other part of the body, can be the
seat of different inflammations, tumors, accidental injuries, etc., and
in the case of any grave general sickness the sexual system is naturally
involved and suffers to a greater or smaller degree. Second, the sexual
organs present very often congenital (inborn) defects of development,
varying to an enormous degree in individual cases. There are also
several non-venereal acquired diseases. Most of these conditions are
practically unknown to the public, and quite often the afflicted victims
are terror-stricken and driven to despair thru ignorance of the true
nature of their case, laboring under the idea that their condition is
due to a venereal infection or some indiscretion on their part. For this
reason, we shall briefly consider these conditions.
CONGENITAL (INBORN) NON-VENEREAL DISEASES OF SEXUAL ORGANS.
Among congenital non-venereal abnormal conditions possibly the most
common is the _long and tight prepuce_, which in a good many cases gives
rise to many nervous complaints and minor disorders. It is relieved
usually by operation or _circumcision_, which has been adopted by the
Jews and Mohammedans as a religious procedure. As to the sanitary
advantages of circumcision, discussed so often, it must be admitted that
while it is not necessary in all cases, in general it is undoubtedly a
useful procedure. It does not lessen any chances of venereal infection,
which can be seen from the fact that the Jews proportionately contract
Gonorrhea as often as the Gentiles; but it does undoubtedly lessen the
chances of infection with Chancre, soft or hard, and in cases where
Chancre is contracted, the treatment in a circumcised case is a good
deal easier than in the non-circumcised.
Another congenital abnormality of practical interest is an “_undescended
testicle_.” It is not known commonly that the testicles are not formed
in the scrotum, that they descend there before the birth of the child
from the abdominal cavity. But in some cases the testicle does not
descend until later years of childhood, or does not descend at all. In
these cases the retention of the testicle takes place either in the
abdominal cavity or in the groin (inguinal canal). In this location
particularly it is likely to cause pain and distress, and it can even
atrophy and dry up from pressure of the tissues, if not relieved by
operation.
NON-VENEREAL ACQUIRED DISEASES.
There are a number of non-venereal acquired diseases that may occur on
sexual organs. Among these should be mentioned, first, _Varicocele_.
Varicocele is a very common condition in young men, and is manifested by
dilation and enlargement of the veins that go thru the earlier described
spermatic cord to the testicle. It occurs mostly on the left side, and
is felt like a snake-like cord twisted on itself, producing an
unpleasant, dragging-down, heavy sensation, and occasionally real
_neuralgic pains in the testicles_.
Varicocele is usually a harmless condition, passes away by itself as a
man grows older, and, if annoying, can be relieved by a snugly-fitting
suspensory bandage.
Another very common condition which occurs in the sexual organs is
_Herpes_. Herpes occurs as grouped in a circle, small superficial
vesicles or blisters on any part of the sexual organs. It is perfectly
harmless and dries by itself in a few days, but it has a peculiar
tendency to recur again and again, particularly after an intercourse,
even a clean one. The cause of its appearance is to be sought in a
certain nervous debility, local or general, but different local
conditions, like a long and tight prepuce, predispose a man toward its
outbreak.
Herpes very often affects men who have had some venereal disease in the
past, particularly Gonorrhea, and naturally those men become very uneasy
and worried by breaking out of Herpes, fearing this may be a relapse or
some after development of the old disease. It is true, tho, that a man
afflicted with herpes is very much predisposed to Chancroidal infection,
and as herpes often resembles the beginning of Chancroid, the opinion of
a competent physician should be secured to make proper diagnosis.
It is also of practical interest to know that a number of various skin
diseases can start from and be limited to the sexual organs, appearing
as red spots, patches, warts, etc. These cases, by being mistaken for
venereal infection, often give rise to unnecessary worry and wrong
treatment.
MASTURBATION (SELF-ABUSE).
Before entering into a consideration of the venereal diseases proper, we
shall consider a sexual disorder which is extremely important on account
of its widespread character, but the origin of which is just the
opposite to venereal diseases, as it is due not to sexual intemperance,
but to sexual continence. This disorder is masturbation or self-abuse,
and it is rather a sexual vice or bad habit than a disease. Self-abuse
is so widespread that some medical writers claim that every man has been
masturbating at some time or other in his life. The chief danger of the
masturbation habit lies in the fact that its victims are not only
adults, but children as well; in fact, children constitute the main bulk
of its victims. The habit of masturbation takes its roots ordinarily
very early in childhood, even babyhood. It is a well-known fact that
babies and small children, in their search for amusement and through
innocent curiosity as to different parts of their own body, like to
handle their sexual organs. They easily detect a very vague and pleasant
sensation resulting from it. This gives them the impulse and stimulation
to repeat this action, and thus is formed the first link of the chain of
the habit that may prove later to be a curse of the child’s life. This
is the reason why mothers should watch any tendency to bad habits in
children from a very early age, at the time when the formation of the
habit can be checked more easily. Should the child escape the danger of
masturbation habit early in life, the second equally dangerous period of
temptation is the school time. It is a peculiar and most dangerous
feature of the masturbation habit that its victim feels a strong impulse
and gloats in a beastly satisfaction if he succeeds in initiating a
younger and innocent boy into his habit. This is why one or two vicious
boys in a class can demoralize and mislead in their vice the whole class
of younger boys. The school age up to adolescence and puberty is the
time when the masturbation vice rages in its greatest fury, and then it
gradually begins to abate. Getting older, the boys learn in some way,
mostly from quack literature, how destructive and dangerous is this
habit, and most of them gradually drop it, never to resume. But some of
them become so enslaved to the habit that they cannot resist its lure,
and this is the class to which mostly belong the adult masturbators.
Masturbation has been extensively exploited by the quack medical
literature, which claims that the habit inevitably leads to most
terrible and destructive diseases, such as paralysis, insanity,
tuberculosis, loss of sexual power, etc. These statements are far too
sweeping and exaggerated. Discussing the dangers and evil consequences
of the masturbation habit, we have to consider separately the effects of
it on children on one hand, and on adolescents or adults on the other.