Modern Man’s horrible history of trying to prevent masturbation.

>To cure the evil of self-pollution, doctors tried everything from applying leeches to the genitals to applying powerful irritants to their patients, who were usually either mental patients or children. Sometimes they made the abusers sleep in a straightjacket or with their hands bound to the bed-posts. For females, one Chicago doctor recommended clitoral circumcision, while in 1896 an Ohio doctor recommended removing half an inch to an inch of the dorsal nerves of the penis in males. In 1886, the well-known German neurologist [Baron Richard von Krafft-Ebing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Richard_v._Krafft-Ebing.jpg) even reported that he applied a hot iron to a little girl’s clitoris to stop her from masturbating. It didn’t work. _____________________ **Source:** Stephens, John Richard. “Weird Literature.” *Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior*. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 219. Print. _____________________ **Further Reading:** [Richard Fridolin Joseph Freiherr Krafft von Festenberg auf Frohnberg, genannt von Ebing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_von_Krafft-Ebing) ___________________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**