Sex and Hairloss; Honestly Please!
- Thread starter barryegan
- Start date
docj077
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bubka said:stnl: do you believe there is a supernatural power out there that causes the body harm then because of the masturbation???
plus, i don't know where you found that image of your "research" that we need to get a brain, because i cannot even find ONE of those so called "research" articles, i think the picture is likely made up and a joke
seriously, where did you find it? and did you even read any of them, because i don't think you did, otherwise you could at least provide some actual links or content, other than a freaking image of so called existing articles
where did you get this??? :roll:
He either got it from here or a website affiliated with the site:
http://www.herbolove.com/library/resour ... erence.asp
I think this is a classic example of - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatorrhea
stnl
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Why is everyone getting so pissed off at me when you guys don't even know of any studies or clinical trials that show -
1) masturbation = good health
2) daily masturbation = good health
3) no masturbation = bad health
And don't give me that Chinese research where testosterone levels went high 3 weeks after abstinence, because that was just 3 weeks... if someone is gonna be whacking off for 3 years and then stops for 3 weeks then testosterone is obviously going to go high because testes are in a habbit of producing it at a higher rate. What over an year.
FACTS-
1) Ayurveda - worlds oldest medicinal practice, suggests refraining from masturbation completely.
2) In the non-western world masturbation is not a common practice.
3) In the western world most surveys show that 70% of girls DO NOT MASTURBATE.
1) masturbation = good health
2) daily masturbation = good health
3) no masturbation = bad health
And don't give me that Chinese research where testosterone levels went high 3 weeks after abstinence, because that was just 3 weeks... if someone is gonna be whacking off for 3 years and then stops for 3 weeks then testosterone is obviously going to go high because testes are in a habbit of producing it at a higher rate. What over an year.
FACTS-
1) Ayurveda - worlds oldest medicinal practice, suggests refraining from masturbation completely.
2) In the non-western world masturbation is not a common practice.
3) In the western world most surveys show that 70% of girls DO NOT MASTURBATE.
Captain_Charisma
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stnl said:
now that's bullsh!t
girls just dont admit that they play with their nice lil fingers, not even to anonymous surveys
anyway, I posted an interesting link back on page 6
stnl
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NEURECTOMY A PREVENTIVE OF
MASTURBATION.
WITH REPORT ON THE OPERATION.
BY A. CAMPBELL CLARK, M.D. EDIN., F.F.P.S. GLA
THE practice of masturbation has come to be regarded as
an incurable evil and the discussion of so unsavoury a
subject is therefore tabooed. Still, the habit is prevalent
with a certain class of neurotics, and medical men when they
are brought face to face with such cases feel helplessly at sea.
In nineteen cases out of twenty moral suasion is utterly useless.
Mechanical means-some of them rather ingenioushave
been tried, but the fury of the patient has torn to pieces
all such restraints. In fact, these cases have hitherto seemed
hopeless. It has long been an unavailing regret that,
because of our impotence to deal with this habit, many
patients are sacrificed to it mind and body and their
characters ruined by it; and more than two years ago it
struck me (Dr. A. Campbell Clark) that only one means of
cure was possible-viz., a means which would not
exercise mechanical restraint but would prevent sensation
and therefore gratification. It occurred to me, when thinking
out the nervous mechanism of the act, that by division of
the afferent nerve of the reflex circuit not only would
erection be impossible but sensation would be prevented.
Erection by mental suggestion or prostatic irritation can be
excluded as beside the question. I therefore mentioned my
views to Mr. Henry E. Clark, an experienced anatomist and
surgeon, and having obtained the necessary consent he
agreed to perform the operation on a middle-aged man who
had been insane only about three years and had not shown
any sign of early neuro-mental degeneracy. The operation
was successful, but the man was very much depressed for
some time after. He has quite given up masturbation and
has for over a year been very much improved mentally.
Whether the nerve is now intact I am unable to say, but if so
it does not yet perform its functions, for the patient says that
the only distinct sensation he has occurs when he is
micturating. He admits that he is not so energetic as he
was before the operation. His age is now 49 years. It may
be contended that this operation is not desirable in the
majority of cases. That is a question for the family medical
adviser and the friends of the patient, but undoubtedly, if
the operation is of any value, it must be in early cases before
the habit has become a second nature and before nervous
degeneration is too far advanced. The experience of this
case has taught us that for a man in middle life less than
half an inch should be resected as so far distinct sensation
has not returned. One thing, however, is certain-that the
mental result in this case justified the operation The man
is no longer the degraded creature he was. So far there is
no atrophy of the testicles.
report by il’I’!’. Henry E. Clark.-The details of the operation
were simple. Success depends much on the care with
which antisepsis is carried out, and I therefore had the
pubes, the root of the penis, and the scrotum closely shaved,
and the parts were then well washed with soap and water
and cleaned with turpentine and spirits of wine. Thereafter
a dressing of lint steeped in carbolic solution (1 per cent.)
was applied and was kept on for four hours before the operation.
The incision was transverse and was placed across
the dorsal surface about half an inch from the root of the
penis. The skin here being elastic and flaccid it can be
drawn into a longitudinal fold and this is easily transfixed
transversely by a sharp narrow-bladed knife without injury
to the dorsal vein. The nerves, two in number, are not easy to
identify or isolate, being intimately wrapped up in the loose
superficial fascia. They must be sought for on the lateral
margins of the dorsum of the penis and they are in close
relation to the dorsal arteries, generally to the outer side of
these. Fortunately, the arteries are more closely attached
to the capsule of the corpus cavernosum and they are not,
therefore, liable to be injured. The nerves were raised by
means of a blunt hook and about half an inch of each nerve
was resected. The wound was closed by a continuous catgut
suture, and being made thoroughly dry by washing with
ether a layer of thin gauze was made to cover it by means of
collodion. The healing process took ten days and the patient
made a satisfactory recovery.
Glasgow.
MASTURBATION.
WITH REPORT ON THE OPERATION.
BY A. CAMPBELL CLARK, M.D. EDIN., F.F.P.S. GLA
THE practice of masturbation has come to be regarded as
an incurable evil and the discussion of so unsavoury a
subject is therefore tabooed. Still, the habit is prevalent
with a certain class of neurotics, and medical men when they
are brought face to face with such cases feel helplessly at sea.
In nineteen cases out of twenty moral suasion is utterly useless.
Mechanical means-some of them rather ingenioushave
been tried, but the fury of the patient has torn to pieces
all such restraints. In fact, these cases have hitherto seemed
hopeless. It has long been an unavailing regret that,
because of our impotence to deal with this habit, many
patients are sacrificed to it mind and body and their
characters ruined by it; and more than two years ago it
struck me (Dr. A. Campbell Clark) that only one means of
cure was possible-viz., a means which would not
exercise mechanical restraint but would prevent sensation
and therefore gratification. It occurred to me, when thinking
out the nervous mechanism of the act, that by division of
the afferent nerve of the reflex circuit not only would
erection be impossible but sensation would be prevented.
Erection by mental suggestion or prostatic irritation can be
excluded as beside the question. I therefore mentioned my
views to Mr. Henry E. Clark, an experienced anatomist and
surgeon, and having obtained the necessary consent he
agreed to perform the operation on a middle-aged man who
had been insane only about three years and had not shown
any sign of early neuro-mental degeneracy. The operation
was successful, but the man was very much depressed for
some time after. He has quite given up masturbation and
has for over a year been very much improved mentally.
Whether the nerve is now intact I am unable to say, but if so
it does not yet perform its functions, for the patient says that
the only distinct sensation he has occurs when he is
micturating. He admits that he is not so energetic as he
was before the operation. His age is now 49 years. It may
be contended that this operation is not desirable in the
majority of cases. That is a question for the family medical
adviser and the friends of the patient, but undoubtedly, if
the operation is of any value, it must be in early cases before
the habit has become a second nature and before nervous
degeneration is too far advanced. The experience of this
case has taught us that for a man in middle life less than
half an inch should be resected as so far distinct sensation
has not returned. One thing, however, is certain-that the
mental result in this case justified the operation The man
is no longer the degraded creature he was. So far there is
no atrophy of the testicles.
report by il’I’!’. Henry E. Clark.-The details of the operation
were simple. Success depends much on the care with
which antisepsis is carried out, and I therefore had the
pubes, the root of the penis, and the scrotum closely shaved,
and the parts were then well washed with soap and water
and cleaned with turpentine and spirits of wine. Thereafter
a dressing of lint steeped in carbolic solution (1 per cent.)
was applied and was kept on for four hours before the operation.
The incision was transverse and was placed across
the dorsal surface about half an inch from the root of the
penis. The skin here being elastic and flaccid it can be
drawn into a longitudinal fold and this is easily transfixed
transversely by a sharp narrow-bladed knife without injury
to the dorsal vein. The nerves, two in number, are not easy to
identify or isolate, being intimately wrapped up in the loose
superficial fascia. They must be sought for on the lateral
margins of the dorsum of the penis and they are in close
relation to the dorsal arteries, generally to the outer side of
these. Fortunately, the arteries are more closely attached
to the capsule of the corpus cavernosum and they are not,
therefore, liable to be injured. The nerves were raised by
means of a blunt hook and about half an inch of each nerve
was resected. The wound was closed by a continuous catgut
suture, and being made thoroughly dry by washing with
ether a layer of thin gauze was made to cover it by means of
collodion. The healing process took ten days and the patient
made a satisfactory recovery.
Glasgow.
stnl
Established Member
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ATROPHY OF THE TESTICLE
FROM
EXCESSIVE MASTURBATION.
By R. H. ALLNATT, M.D., A.M., F.S.A.
A FEW months ago a young man, about
twenty-two years of age, called upon me for
advice. He entered the room with a timid
and suspicious air, and appeared to quail
like an irresolute maniac when the eye was
fixed steadily upon him. In stature he was
tall, and he had been evidently well proportioned,
but he was now emaciated, and his
hollow eye and shrunken cheek, and
dwindled frame, told the tale which he was
desirous to withhold. After questioning and
cross-questioning him in a variety of ways,
and eliciting only indirect replies, I plainly
told him my suspicions, when he suddenly
started from his seat and exclaimed, " You
see before you, Sir, a madman, a wretch,
who as has completely committed an act of
self-destruction as he who strikes the dagger
to his own heart !" I intreated him to be
composed and to relate calmly the whole history
of his case. He then assured me that
from a boy of fourteen he had been addicted
to self-pollution, and, according to his account,
to an almost incredible extent. The
first symptom he noticed was a slight
confusion of intellect, which had latterly
amounted to a total inability to maintain a
connected chain of reasoning. There was
dull persistent pain over the brow, pain
and weakness in the loins, and a disinclination
to the most trivial bodily exertion. He
was rapidly approaching a state of complete
marasmus.
As I was pondering over the case, endeavouring
to fix upon some mild unirritating
tonic, he told me, in addition to the ailments
he had enumerated, that he was " organically
diseased ;" and upon asking the nature
and situation of this organic lesion he said
his left testicle had wasted away, and that
his penis had totally lost its erectile power.
Upoa examination I found that such was
literally the fact. The parts were pendulous
and flaccid, their virile powers were evidently
destroyed, and the left testicle was
dwindled to its mere foetal rudiments, and
was almost as yielding to gentle pressure as
a piece of moist sponge. Superadded to all,
he told me he was " engaged to a very
amiable young lady," and he wished my
advice how to act under the circumstances I
have detailed.
Now, this I call a lamentable picture of
human misery, and misery brought about by
a species of self-infatuation, an unconquerable
propensity, which it scarcely lies within
the province of the medical practitioner to
alleviate ; for I believe that this wretched
young man (and so I told him) on the
slightest manifestation of returning power
would revert to his vile and solitary habits
as surely as the " sow to her wallowing in
the mire," and so he thought himself, for so
firmly was the vice rooted in him that I
could merely extort a hesitating and reluc.
tant assent to a solemn pledge which I en.
treated him to give of " total abstinence" for
the future.
The case, which I have so imperfectly
dpscribed, was altogether one of the worst
and most hopeless instances of self abuse I
have witnessed, and the progressive stages
were detailed by the unhappy sufferer with
a facility which experience alone could pro.
duce. At first there were merely transient
aberrations of the intellectual functions,
which at a subsequent period degenerated
into a settled gloom and imbecility. The
physical energies, at the onset impaired, be.
came weaker by degrees, and permanently
prostrate. The vital affinities of the ot-gaii
so long subject to unnatural excitement,
were destroyed, the molecules entering into
its composition were removed by the process
of absorption, and, finally, the organ itself,
with its elementary tissues, became atrophied
in all its constituents.
FROM
EXCESSIVE MASTURBATION.
By R. H. ALLNATT, M.D., A.M., F.S.A.
A FEW months ago a young man, about
twenty-two years of age, called upon me for
advice. He entered the room with a timid
and suspicious air, and appeared to quail
like an irresolute maniac when the eye was
fixed steadily upon him. In stature he was
tall, and he had been evidently well proportioned,
but he was now emaciated, and his
hollow eye and shrunken cheek, and
dwindled frame, told the tale which he was
desirous to withhold. After questioning and
cross-questioning him in a variety of ways,
and eliciting only indirect replies, I plainly
told him my suspicions, when he suddenly
started from his seat and exclaimed, " You
see before you, Sir, a madman, a wretch,
who as has completely committed an act of
self-destruction as he who strikes the dagger
to his own heart !" I intreated him to be
composed and to relate calmly the whole history
of his case. He then assured me that
from a boy of fourteen he had been addicted
to self-pollution, and, according to his account,
to an almost incredible extent. The
first symptom he noticed was a slight
confusion of intellect, which had latterly
amounted to a total inability to maintain a
connected chain of reasoning. There was
dull persistent pain over the brow, pain
and weakness in the loins, and a disinclination
to the most trivial bodily exertion. He
was rapidly approaching a state of complete
marasmus.
As I was pondering over the case, endeavouring
to fix upon some mild unirritating
tonic, he told me, in addition to the ailments
he had enumerated, that he was " organically
diseased ;" and upon asking the nature
and situation of this organic lesion he said
his left testicle had wasted away, and that
his penis had totally lost its erectile power.
Upoa examination I found that such was
literally the fact. The parts were pendulous
and flaccid, their virile powers were evidently
destroyed, and the left testicle was
dwindled to its mere foetal rudiments, and
was almost as yielding to gentle pressure as
a piece of moist sponge. Superadded to all,
he told me he was " engaged to a very
amiable young lady," and he wished my
advice how to act under the circumstances I
have detailed.
Now, this I call a lamentable picture of
human misery, and misery brought about by
a species of self-infatuation, an unconquerable
propensity, which it scarcely lies within
the province of the medical practitioner to
alleviate ; for I believe that this wretched
young man (and so I told him) on the
slightest manifestation of returning power
would revert to his vile and solitary habits
as surely as the " sow to her wallowing in
the mire," and so he thought himself, for so
firmly was the vice rooted in him that I
could merely extort a hesitating and reluc.
tant assent to a solemn pledge which I en.
treated him to give of " total abstinence" for
the future.
The case, which I have so imperfectly
dpscribed, was altogether one of the worst
and most hopeless instances of self abuse I
have witnessed, and the progressive stages
were detailed by the unhappy sufferer with
a facility which experience alone could pro.
duce. At first there were merely transient
aberrations of the intellectual functions,
which at a subsequent period degenerated
into a settled gloom and imbecility. The
physical energies, at the onset impaired, be.
came weaker by degrees, and permanently
prostrate. The vital affinities of the ot-gaii
so long subject to unnatural excitement,
were destroyed, the molecules entering into
its composition were removed by the process
of absorption, and, finally, the organ itself,
with its elementary tissues, became atrophied
in all its constituents.
stnl
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 0
Involuntary Masturbation as a Manifestation of Stroke-Related Alien Hand Syndrome
[Case Report: Alien Hand Syndrome]
Hai, Benson G. Ong MD; Odderson, Ib R. MD, PhD
Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a perplexing and uncommon clinical diagnosis. It was first described in 1908 by Goldstein 1 in a woman who believed her left hand had a will of its own and experienced involuntary movements such as grabbing and self-choking. Postmortem examination revealed multiple vascular brain lesions involving the right hemisphere and the corpus callosum.1, 2
AHS has been defined as denial of hand ownership and the inability to transfer functions between hemispheres in three patients with corpus callosum tumors.3 Its hallmark is the patient's perception of alienation and loss of control over one or both upper limbs coincident with observable complex goal-directed involuntary movements.4
AHS has been associated with various conditions commonly affecting the corpus callosum, such as contralateral frontal strokes, corpus callosum infarction, anterior communicating artery rupture, corpus callosectomy, combination of a posterior corpus callosum lesion and contralateral thalamic sensory lesion, bifrontal penetrating cerebral injury, callosal tumors,4 and seizures.5 More recently, it has also been described in patients with Alzheimer's disease,6 corticobasal ganglionic degeneration,4 and Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease.7
We report an unusual case in which a patient with a right hemispheric stroke experienced embarrassing manifestations of AHS in the form of masturbating behaviors, and in which we quantitated side-to-side differences in hand function.
CASE REPORT
A 73-yr-old, right-handed man was accompanied by his wife to the emergency room because of sudden onset of left-sided weakness. He had poor balance, slurred speech, and mild left facial droop, as well as a history of a right occipital infarct without any residual deficits. His physical examination was remarkable for a left neglect. He had a crural paresis on the left side with less than antigravity strength of the left leg and a left-sided pronator drift. Deep tendon reflexes were normal throughout and plantar responses were flexor in both feet. He did not have any cerebellar ataxia or dysmetria. He was able to stand with maximum assistance, but unable to initiate walking.
A head CT scan showed no hemorrhage or acute infarct; however, it did show an old right occipital lobe infarct. His stroke work-up included a transthoracic echocardiogram and a carotid Doppler that were unremarkable. He was started on aspirin for stroke prophylaxis.
When transferred to the rehabilitation service 4 days later, he was noted to have left upper limb apraxia with involuntary movements. He stated, "my left hand has a mind of his own." He developed a tonic grasp reflex with inability to release. He also had a tendency to reach and grasp onto objects with the left hand, such as the telephone cord or the remote control for the television, and was unable to release despite verbal commands. He would persistently grab his comb or fix the collar of his shirt. He also demonstrated difficulty performing bimanual activities, such as eating. The patient's wife also expressed deep concern when her husband's left hand would publicly expose his genitals and begin masturbating. This occurred on many occasions when the patient was conversing with his caregivers and was confirmed by the authors on their daily rounds. The behavior was never seen to occur through the action of the right hand. The patient also denies any history of excessive self-stimulation, sexual dysfunction, or exhibitionism. During his hospital stay, the patient expressed frustration and dismay when he realized that he was masturbating publicly and with his inability to voluntarily release his grasp of objects in the left hand.
A clinical impression of AHS was made, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an acute infarct in the medial right frontal lobe in the anterior cerebral artery distribution involving the right anterior cingulate gyrus and the corpus callosum (Figs. 1 and 2). The Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test demonstrated a greater impairment of the left hand (Table 1). For the left hand, only one of seven hand tasks was within 2 SD of the mean, compared with three of seven tasks for the right hand.
Graphic
[Help with image viewing]
[Email Jumpstart To Image] Figure 1: Horizontal, transverse view. T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain showed increased signal intensity over the right medial frontal lobe and anterior corpus callosum area (see arrow). There is also increased signal intensity over the periventricular areas consistent with small vessel ischemic disease.
Graphic
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] Figure 2: Coronal view. T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain showed increased signal intensity over the right medial frontal lobe and anterior corpus callosum area (see arrow). There is also increased signal intensity over the periventricular areas consistent with small vessel ischemic disease.
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 1 Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function test
A Modified Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test for both hands and an eye-hand coordination test (model VK1200, Eye-Hand Coordinator, Vision Kinetics, Kirkland, WA) also showed that the left hand was significantly slower than the right hand (Tables 2 and 3).
Graphic
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 2 Modified Minnesota rate of Manipulation test
Graphic
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 3 Eye-hand coordination test (points)
After 3 wk of acute inpatient rehabilitation, the patient was able to walk with a standard walker and negotiate stairs with rails with contact guard assist. He also began to use his left hand for bimanual activities. He was subsequently discharged to home with his family.
One month after discharge, his visual neglect and astereognosis had resolved, but he continued to demonstrate mild agraphesthesia of the left hand. He walked independently without any assistive device. He stated that his left hand "still has a mind of his own and won't turn things loose." The patient's wife reported several occasions when his left hand would still act on its own. The patient once adjusted the thermostat with his left hand without realizing it. Another time, at a bingo game, his left hand unknowingly grabbed a chair and pulled it along as he walked to the bathroom. He was able to release the chair when his wife asked him to open his hand. The patient demonstrated evidence of intermanual conflict. For example, the patient tended to simultaneously bring both hands to his mouth when eating, one holding a piece of chicken and the other holding the fork. However, the patient had ceased performing involuntary public masturbation activities with the left hand.
DISCUSSION
We have reported a rare case of AHS in a patient with a right anterior cerebral artery infarct primarily affecting the right medial frontal lobe and the anterior portion of the corpus callosum. This patient had an unusual and disturbing manifestation of uncontrolled involuntary genital fondling with the nondominant, apraxic hand and with mirroring hand movements during eating. We have quantitated side-to-side differences of hand function using the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, the eye-hand coordination test, and the Modified Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test. However, the significant slowing of the affected limb during voluntary, timed, test-related tasks was not noticeable during automated tasks, such as eating and genital self-fondling. A similar prolonged reaction time on the affected side was demonstrated in a recent motor control study of wrist movements in a patient with AHS. These findings suggest the possibility of the presence of a dexterous "alien" mode of control that can be distinguished from a more clumsy and slow "voluntary" mode of control.
Although alien hand signs vary according to the anatomical location of the lesion, the hallmark of AHS is the patient's perception of alienation from, and loss of control over, one or both upper limbs coincident with observable complex involuntary movements.4 So far, at least two types of AHS have been described. The callosal type, as seen in our patient (lesion involving the corpus callosum with or without frontal damage), is characterized by frequent intermanual conflict and apraxia of the affected limb. The frontal type (lesion involving the left mediofrontal and callosal) is associated with dominant hand grasp reflex, compulsive movements (such as groping), restraining actions, and compulsive manipulation of tools.8
Through the years, AHS has been associated with various diseases, but most commonly with stroke. More recently, it has been reported in patients with corticobasal ganglionic degeneration,4 and Alzheimer's disease,6 and as a postictal manifestation of seizures.5 The anatomical basis of AHS continues to be as fascinating and controversial as when it was first described by Goldstein in 1908.1 Several hypotheses have been suggested, but the most accepted anatomical explanation seems to be a lesion in the medial frontal lobe and surrounding structures-namely, the supplementary motor area (SMA), anterior cingulate gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, and anterior corpus callosum. The SMA is involved in the control of motor planning and initiation, as well as motor inhibition. In addition to direct projections to the primary motor cortex, the SMA has extensive cortical and subcortical connections, particularly to areas subserving motor control, and is reciprocally connected with the contralateral SMA and primary motor cortex. The left SMA exerts only a unilateral inhibition of the primary cortex, whereas the right SMA exerts both an ipsilateral as well as a contralateral inhibiton of the primary cortices. A lesion involving both the left SMA, as well as the anterior corpus callosum, as seen in patients with frontal type AHS, releases the left primary cortex from both ipsilateral and contralateral inhibition leading to excessive hand grasp reflex, compulsive movements, and manipulation of tools of the right, dominant hand. On the other hand, lesion involving the corpus callosum with or without right frontal damage, as seen in patients with callosal type of AHS, presents with frequent intermanual conflict and apraxia of the left, nondominant hand.8, 9
Having a lesion over the right SMA secondary to an infarct of the medial right frontal lobe, our patient demonstrated alienation and loss of voluntary control of the left hand, which is consistent with the above anatomical explanation. Regional cerebral blood flow studies in normal subjects performing a sequence of finger movements with one hand showed an increase in blood flow in the SMA bilaterally, even when the subject imagined the unilateral movement sequence without actually making any movement.9 However, this hypothesis cannot completely explain the alien hand signs seen in patients with corticobasal ganglionic degeneration.
Masturbation has been associated with temporal lobe epilepsy: however, we are not aware of any reports on stroke precipitating this behavior.10, 11
CONCLUSIONS
Although AHS is a rare phenomenon, this condition should be considered in patients who present with a feeling of alienation of one or both upper limbs accompanied by complex purposeful involuntary movement. It must be differentiated from limb neglect and anosognosia, which present with dissociation from the limb as perceived object (i.e., where the limb is not perceived as a part of the "self"), but without involuntary movement and without dissociation from control over purposeful complex action of the affected limb (i.e., where the actions of the limb are perceived as self-generated). Further studies are required to elucidate a definite anatomical explanation that can lead to accurate diagnosis, specific treatment, and rehabilitation of these patients.
[Case Report: Alien Hand Syndrome]
Hai, Benson G. Ong MD; Odderson, Ib R. MD, PhD
Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a perplexing and uncommon clinical diagnosis. It was first described in 1908 by Goldstein 1 in a woman who believed her left hand had a will of its own and experienced involuntary movements such as grabbing and self-choking. Postmortem examination revealed multiple vascular brain lesions involving the right hemisphere and the corpus callosum.1, 2
AHS has been defined as denial of hand ownership and the inability to transfer functions between hemispheres in three patients with corpus callosum tumors.3 Its hallmark is the patient's perception of alienation and loss of control over one or both upper limbs coincident with observable complex goal-directed involuntary movements.4
AHS has been associated with various conditions commonly affecting the corpus callosum, such as contralateral frontal strokes, corpus callosum infarction, anterior communicating artery rupture, corpus callosectomy, combination of a posterior corpus callosum lesion and contralateral thalamic sensory lesion, bifrontal penetrating cerebral injury, callosal tumors,4 and seizures.5 More recently, it has also been described in patients with Alzheimer's disease,6 corticobasal ganglionic degeneration,4 and Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease.7
We report an unusual case in which a patient with a right hemispheric stroke experienced embarrassing manifestations of AHS in the form of masturbating behaviors, and in which we quantitated side-to-side differences in hand function.
CASE REPORT
A 73-yr-old, right-handed man was accompanied by his wife to the emergency room because of sudden onset of left-sided weakness. He had poor balance, slurred speech, and mild left facial droop, as well as a history of a right occipital infarct without any residual deficits. His physical examination was remarkable for a left neglect. He had a crural paresis on the left side with less than antigravity strength of the left leg and a left-sided pronator drift. Deep tendon reflexes were normal throughout and plantar responses were flexor in both feet. He did not have any cerebellar ataxia or dysmetria. He was able to stand with maximum assistance, but unable to initiate walking.
A head CT scan showed no hemorrhage or acute infarct; however, it did show an old right occipital lobe infarct. His stroke work-up included a transthoracic echocardiogram and a carotid Doppler that were unremarkable. He was started on aspirin for stroke prophylaxis.
When transferred to the rehabilitation service 4 days later, he was noted to have left upper limb apraxia with involuntary movements. He stated, "my left hand has a mind of his own." He developed a tonic grasp reflex with inability to release. He also had a tendency to reach and grasp onto objects with the left hand, such as the telephone cord or the remote control for the television, and was unable to release despite verbal commands. He would persistently grab his comb or fix the collar of his shirt. He also demonstrated difficulty performing bimanual activities, such as eating. The patient's wife also expressed deep concern when her husband's left hand would publicly expose his genitals and begin masturbating. This occurred on many occasions when the patient was conversing with his caregivers and was confirmed by the authors on their daily rounds. The behavior was never seen to occur through the action of the right hand. The patient also denies any history of excessive self-stimulation, sexual dysfunction, or exhibitionism. During his hospital stay, the patient expressed frustration and dismay when he realized that he was masturbating publicly and with his inability to voluntarily release his grasp of objects in the left hand.
A clinical impression of AHS was made, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an acute infarct in the medial right frontal lobe in the anterior cerebral artery distribution involving the right anterior cingulate gyrus and the corpus callosum (Figs. 1 and 2). The Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test demonstrated a greater impairment of the left hand (Table 1). For the left hand, only one of seven hand tasks was within 2 SD of the mean, compared with three of seven tasks for the right hand.
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] Figure 1: Horizontal, transverse view. T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain showed increased signal intensity over the right medial frontal lobe and anterior corpus callosum area (see arrow). There is also increased signal intensity over the periventricular areas consistent with small vessel ischemic disease.
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] Figure 2: Coronal view. T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain showed increased signal intensity over the right medial frontal lobe and anterior corpus callosum area (see arrow). There is also increased signal intensity over the periventricular areas consistent with small vessel ischemic disease.
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 1 Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function test
A Modified Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test for both hands and an eye-hand coordination test (model VK1200, Eye-Hand Coordinator, Vision Kinetics, Kirkland, WA) also showed that the left hand was significantly slower than the right hand (Tables 2 and 3).
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 2 Modified Minnesota rate of Manipulation test
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[Email Jumpstart To Image] TABLE 3 Eye-hand coordination test (points)
After 3 wk of acute inpatient rehabilitation, the patient was able to walk with a standard walker and negotiate stairs with rails with contact guard assist. He also began to use his left hand for bimanual activities. He was subsequently discharged to home with his family.
One month after discharge, his visual neglect and astereognosis had resolved, but he continued to demonstrate mild agraphesthesia of the left hand. He walked independently without any assistive device. He stated that his left hand "still has a mind of his own and won't turn things loose." The patient's wife reported several occasions when his left hand would still act on its own. The patient once adjusted the thermostat with his left hand without realizing it. Another time, at a bingo game, his left hand unknowingly grabbed a chair and pulled it along as he walked to the bathroom. He was able to release the chair when his wife asked him to open his hand. The patient demonstrated evidence of intermanual conflict. For example, the patient tended to simultaneously bring both hands to his mouth when eating, one holding a piece of chicken and the other holding the fork. However, the patient had ceased performing involuntary public masturbation activities with the left hand.
DISCUSSION
We have reported a rare case of AHS in a patient with a right anterior cerebral artery infarct primarily affecting the right medial frontal lobe and the anterior portion of the corpus callosum. This patient had an unusual and disturbing manifestation of uncontrolled involuntary genital fondling with the nondominant, apraxic hand and with mirroring hand movements during eating. We have quantitated side-to-side differences of hand function using the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, the eye-hand coordination test, and the Modified Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test. However, the significant slowing of the affected limb during voluntary, timed, test-related tasks was not noticeable during automated tasks, such as eating and genital self-fondling. A similar prolonged reaction time on the affected side was demonstrated in a recent motor control study of wrist movements in a patient with AHS. These findings suggest the possibility of the presence of a dexterous "alien" mode of control that can be distinguished from a more clumsy and slow "voluntary" mode of control.
Although alien hand signs vary according to the anatomical location of the lesion, the hallmark of AHS is the patient's perception of alienation from, and loss of control over, one or both upper limbs coincident with observable complex involuntary movements.4 So far, at least two types of AHS have been described. The callosal type, as seen in our patient (lesion involving the corpus callosum with or without frontal damage), is characterized by frequent intermanual conflict and apraxia of the affected limb. The frontal type (lesion involving the left mediofrontal and callosal) is associated with dominant hand grasp reflex, compulsive movements (such as groping), restraining actions, and compulsive manipulation of tools.8
Through the years, AHS has been associated with various diseases, but most commonly with stroke. More recently, it has been reported in patients with corticobasal ganglionic degeneration,4 and Alzheimer's disease,6 and as a postictal manifestation of seizures.5 The anatomical basis of AHS continues to be as fascinating and controversial as when it was first described by Goldstein in 1908.1 Several hypotheses have been suggested, but the most accepted anatomical explanation seems to be a lesion in the medial frontal lobe and surrounding structures-namely, the supplementary motor area (SMA), anterior cingulate gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, and anterior corpus callosum. The SMA is involved in the control of motor planning and initiation, as well as motor inhibition. In addition to direct projections to the primary motor cortex, the SMA has extensive cortical and subcortical connections, particularly to areas subserving motor control, and is reciprocally connected with the contralateral SMA and primary motor cortex. The left SMA exerts only a unilateral inhibition of the primary cortex, whereas the right SMA exerts both an ipsilateral as well as a contralateral inhibiton of the primary cortices. A lesion involving both the left SMA, as well as the anterior corpus callosum, as seen in patients with frontal type AHS, releases the left primary cortex from both ipsilateral and contralateral inhibition leading to excessive hand grasp reflex, compulsive movements, and manipulation of tools of the right, dominant hand. On the other hand, lesion involving the corpus callosum with or without right frontal damage, as seen in patients with callosal type of AHS, presents with frequent intermanual conflict and apraxia of the left, nondominant hand.8, 9
Having a lesion over the right SMA secondary to an infarct of the medial right frontal lobe, our patient demonstrated alienation and loss of voluntary control of the left hand, which is consistent with the above anatomical explanation. Regional cerebral blood flow studies in normal subjects performing a sequence of finger movements with one hand showed an increase in blood flow in the SMA bilaterally, even when the subject imagined the unilateral movement sequence without actually making any movement.9 However, this hypothesis cannot completely explain the alien hand signs seen in patients with corticobasal ganglionic degeneration.
Masturbation has been associated with temporal lobe epilepsy: however, we are not aware of any reports on stroke precipitating this behavior.10, 11
CONCLUSIONS
Although AHS is a rare phenomenon, this condition should be considered in patients who present with a feeling of alienation of one or both upper limbs accompanied by complex purposeful involuntary movement. It must be differentiated from limb neglect and anosognosia, which present with dissociation from the limb as perceived object (i.e., where the limb is not perceived as a part of the "self"), but without involuntary movement and without dissociation from control over purposeful complex action of the affected limb (i.e., where the actions of the limb are perceived as self-generated). Further studies are required to elucidate a definite anatomical explanation that can lead to accurate diagnosis, specific treatment, and rehabilitation of these patients.
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Masturbation: Vice or Virtue?
WILLIAM E. PHIPPS
The Kinsey research team has clearly defined masturbation as "deliberate selfstimulation
which effects sexual arousal. ,,1 This term is commonly used by social
scientists in spite of its etymology. According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
"masturbate" is a compound from the Latin roots manus (hand) and stuprare (to
defile). Accordingly it is defined in that standard work as '~to practice selfabuse."
That was certainly the meaning of the term when it was first used two
centuries ago. Social scientists who are sensitive to etymology realize that the
word "masturbation" carries too much manual association to be fully descriptive
and, of more concern, has traditionally carried a negative moral judgment.
Consequently, neologisms have been created for the phenomenon in recent
years. But they also have their limitations and have not been accorded full
acceptance. "Automanipulation" is too mechanical and vague; "autoerotism" is
too broad, for it can also describe, for example, one's response to sensuous works
of art; and "auto-orgasm" incorrectly assumes that orgasm is always the aim of
this endeavor. Even though masturbation has a value-loaded etymology, it will
be presumed that its original connotation can be disregarded-even as "manufacturing"
is no longer associated with making by hand.
It is often wrongly stated that masturbation is dealt with in the Bible. Kinsey,
for example, claims that it is there treated as a greater sin than engaging in
coitus outside of marriage. 2 Also, the Catholic-edited Dictionary of Moral Theology
pronounced: "Direct voluntary pollution is properly called masturbation
. . . . In the Holy Scriptures it is condemned as a sin which excludes a
person from the Kingdom of Heaven. ''3 Actually masturbation is not mentioned
in the Jewish Scriptures or in the New Testament. Why is it that that nonprudish
literature, which frankly refers to zoSphilia, homosexuality, and other
sexual variations, does not discuss masturbation? It is safe to assume that its
omission displays that its practice was of no moral or cultic concern to the many
writers of books now called the Bible.
In this essay I shall first review in historical sequence the treatments of
masturbation as a vice in the postbiblical Judaeo-Christian tradition. Then I
shall focus attention on some benefits that can result from masturbation.
In medieval Judaism, masturbation came to be regarded as a grave offense. In
the Talmud it is associated with Onan who, according to Genesis, was slain by
God for spilling his semen on the ground. 40nan's sin was actually coitus
interruptus, which resulted in his failure to fulfill his levirate responsibilities.
In more recent centuries, the Jewish strictures against masturbation have
continued. This is reflected in the modern Hebrew term onan, which means
"masturbate." Louis Epstein has written: ~'The ethical literature of post-talmudic
days, down to the latest centuries, endlessly harps on the severity of this
sin, exhorts its avoidance, points out its danger to health, and pleads for
penitence and expiation. ''5 A case in point is the Code of Jewish Law, which is
still regarded as binding in Orthodox Judaism. It states:
It is forbidden to cause in vain the effusion of semen, and this crime is severer than any of
the violations mentioned in the Torah. Those who commit fornication with their
hands.., violate a grave prohibition, but they are also to be banned; and concerning
them it is said: "Your hands are full with blood" (Isaiah 1:15); it is analogous to the killing
of a person. See what Rashi wrote concerning Er and Onan . . . . Occasionally as a
punishment for this children die while young. A man should be very careful to avoid
hardening himself. Therefore it is forbidden to sleep on one's back with his face upward
. . . . It is forbidden to hold the penis while urinating. If he is married and his wife is
in town and she is clean, it may be permitted, for since he has the possibility, he will not
think of intercourse, neither will he become heated up2
This last prohibition has caused much anxiety in the devout Jewish family.
~' 'Without hands' is the admonitory cry of a parent seeing his or her son
attempting to pass water with digital aid. Better a bad aim than a bad habit! ''7
In medieval Christianity, masturbation was also identified with the act of
Onan and was accordingly condemned, s That sin of emission was one of the
cardinal sins of commission, as can be illustrated by statements in several
seventh-century handbooks on penance. The Irish penitential of Columban
required two years' penance for a layman who masturbates and three years for a
clerical masturbator2 Three years' penance was also prescribed for female
masturbation by the influential Anglo-Saxon penitential of Theodore. l~ A
Frankish penitential decreed: "A man who practices masturbation by himself,
for the first offense, one hundred days penance; if he repeats it, a year." By
comparison, seven days' penance were expected of a person who violated the
Decalogue's commandment against stealing. 1~ In the eleventh century, Pope Leo
IX held that masturbators should not be admitted to sacred orders.12
Thomas Aquinas, the most distinguished theologian of the late Middle Ages,
classified sexual sins as either natural or unnatural. Rape, incest, and adultery
were deemed natural because procreation was a possibility. These were not as
grave as the unnatural vice of "procuring pollution, without any copulation, for
the sake of venereal pleasure. ''~3 Masturbation was, for Aquinas, not a "venial"
or minor wrong, but a "mortal sin" meriting damnation. In his hierarchy of sins
he ranks "every emission of semen in such a way that generation cannot follow"
as nearly as serious as homicide. 14
Following Augustine, Aquinas advocated that prostitution be permitted in
order to drain off lust that might otherwise stimulate more serious sexual sins.
He wrote: "Those who are in authority rightly tolerate certain evils
l e s t . . , certain greater evils be incurred. Thus Augustine says, 'If you do away
with prostitutes the world will be convulsed with lust.' ,,15 Elsewhere the Angelic
Doctor compared prostitution to a sewer system. Just as a palace would be
foul without a sewer, so a city without a brothel would be polluted by unnatural
lusts. 18 Apparently Aquinas thought it was less wicked to use a wh*** as an
instrument for relieving genital pressure than to use one's own hand.
As long as theophobia was a prime factor in culture, churchmen could be
confident that religious threats would provide sufficient sanction to curb masturbation.
However, after the Renaissance, Europeans tended to turn their
attention away from church-certified punishments in the life after death and
became more concerned with matters that affected the quality of life this side of
the grave. Accordingly, the fear of the loss of health in the here and now came to
be a more effective enforcing agent for proper conduct than the threat of hell
fire. It is understandable, therefore, that over the past several centuries many
have been alarmed by the eighteenth-century claims that masturbation provokes
mental illness as a prelude to eternal punishment. The distinguished
neurologist Samuel Tissot came to this conclusion by combining inadequate
observation with his religious tradition. 17 That Swiss physician claimed that
masturbation causes an excessive blood flow to the brain that can result in
impotence and insanity, is Tissot was a devout Catholic and an advisor to the
Vatican on epidemic control. 19 He acknowledged that he was influenced by a
book written around 1717 by an anonymous English zealot entitled Onania, or
the Heinous Sin of Self-pollution, and all its Frightful Consequences in both
Sexes. Tissot's treatise, also entitled Onania, was originally published in Latin
in 1758. Soon it was translated into French and English and passed through
eighty editions.
Medical researcher E. H. Hare attributes the popularity of Tissot's theory of
masturbatory insanity in part to the fact that the prevailing beliefs for the cause
of madness were no longer acceptable. Witches and the moon had been discredited
as explanations of lunacy, but no more satisfactory hypothesis had been
presented. 2~ A fallacy in inductive reasoning is also responsible for the easy
acceptance of Tissot's theory of insanity. Since the insane are less inhibited with
respect to open practice of what is not in conformity with social standards,
attendants of the insane observe with comparative ease that most of them
masturbate during periods when they are institutionalized and deprived of sex
partners. However, there are few opportunities for observing whether or not
most of the sane indulge in masturbation in similar circumstances. In the
absence of sociological studies on secretive practices, it was easy to isolate
masturbation as the common factor in nearly all cases of insanity and therefore
the likely cause. It would be no more invalid to conclude that right-handedness
causes insanity since most insane people have that trait.
The first molder of the modern mind to accept Tissot's pseudoscientific judgment
was Immanuel Kant. In the late eighteenth century, that German philosopher
combined medieval theological strictures with the current medical opinion.
Kant shares Aquinas's outlook when he makes this declaration: "Uses of sexuality
which are contrary to natural instinct and to animal nature are crimina
carnis contra naturam. First amongst them we have onanism . . . . By it man
sets aside his person and degrades himself below the level of animals . . . . He no
longer deserves to be a person. ''2' Kant urged educators to confront a youth who
masturbates with the horribleness of his act, "telling him that in this way he
will become useless for the propagation of the race, that his bodily strength will
be ruined by this vice more than by anything else, that he will bring on himself
premature old age, and that his intellect will be very much weakened, and so
on." After this prognosis, Kant offers this cure: ~'We may escape from these
impulses by constant occupation, and by devoting no more time to bed and sleep
than is necessary. ''22
Tissot's views were spread in English-speaking areas during the nineteenth
century by William Acton, 23 an eminent London urologist, and by Benjamin
Rush, the famous Philadelphia professor. In the first psychiatric text published
in the U.S.A., mania, seminal weakness, dimness of sight, epilepsy, loss of
memory, and even death were ascribed by Rush to masturbationY 4
The hysteria over masturbation in the Victorian era resulted in sadistic
inventions. Yankee cleverness devised a chastity belt that could be locked onto a
boy's pelvic area to prevent him from masturbating. Also barbed rings were
manufactured for encircling the penis when in bed. An erection not only caused
sharp pain but closed the circuit on an electric bell that rang in the parents'
room. 25
At the beginning of the twentieth century, many boys were terrorized by a
book entitled What a Young Boy Ought to Know. Clergyman Sylvanus Stall, its
author, made this dreadful claim:
The consequences which result from masturbation do not stop with the boy who practices
it . . . . If he marries, and should become a father, his children after him must suffer to
some measurable degree the results of his sin . . . . As in grain so in human life, if the
quality of the grain which is sown in the field is poor, the grain that grows from it will be
inferior. When a boy injures his reproductive powers, so that when a man his sexual
secretion shall be of an inferior quality, his offspring will show it in their physical,
mental, and moral natures. 26
In 1907 a minister confessed that after reading Dr. Stall's book as a boy, he
had suffered severe depression and suicidal thoughts brought on by selfhatredY
7 There have subsequently been recorded a number of cases showing
that torment over the anticipated terrible results of masturbation has caused
attempted or accomplished suicide. 28
Sigmund Freud was, to a surprising extent, a defender of the dominant
outlook of his age with respect to masturbation. He warned that it "vitiates the
character through indulgence" and that it might result in "diminished potency
in marriage. ''29 Masturbation was the cause of what he termed neurasthenia, a
neurosis characterized by fatigue, worry, and lack of physical and mental
alertness. 3~ Kinsey writes that Freud regarded masturbation as "a personality
defect which merits psychiatric attention when it occurs in an adult." He points
out that this father of psychoanalysis was, on this subject, a perpetuator of the
talmudic tradition. 31
Robert Mortimer, an Anglican bishop, in 1947 stated a position on masturbation
similar to that of Freud:
Those who practice this vice.., lose mental vigor and alertness. Their lives become
centered on trivialities, their thirst for pleasure and excitement grows, they become
selfish, luxurious, and unable to bear discomfort or to overcome difficulties. And when
the time for marriage comes they are unprepared and unable to bear its responsibilities
or to abide by its loyalties. They are unfit for adult life. The prime root cause of their
softness lies in the selfish pursuit of pleasure for its own sake22
In recent years some other Protestant scholars, now without physiological
sanctions against masturbation, have focused on its being nonaltruistic and
therefore wrong. The influential Lutheran theologian Helmut Thielicke describes
masturbation as an inversion and then asserts that "all acts which are
centered not upon God and my neighbor but upon my own self are actualization
of sin. ''33 Logically Thielicke's catalogue of sin should include such activities as
the intake of food and elimination of waste! Mennonite theologian John W.
Miller finds masturbation repulsive because it is a "private pleasure." He
presumes, without citing evidence, that even Jesus was against it: "Measured
then against the standard of God's purpose in human sexuality as revealed both
in the teaching of Jesus and in nature itself, masturbation must be judged an
abnormality."a4
The contemporary Roman Catholic position is that masturbation is a "gravely
sinful matter. ''35 Bernard H~iring, a renowned moral theologian, holds that it is
wrong because of the pleasure accompanying it. a~ Recently Father Richard
Ginder observed that "the conscientious Catholic who takes his training seriously
is convinced that he is committing a mortal sin every time he 'plays with
himself.' -37 At a symposium for young couples in 1970, Catholic Doug Hughes
testified: "When we were growing up, the most sinful thing wasn't intercourse.
Not for a boy, anyway. What you really felt guilty about was masturbation
. . . . Once you're married, you know it's all right to enjoy sex . . . . But
masturbation is still a no-no. ''3s
These positions echo current Vatican pronouncements on masturbation. It is
not even permitted for the purpose of obtaining a semen specimen for medical
diagnosis. 39 In 1975, Pope Paul mandated a "Declaration of Some Questions of
Sexual Ethics" that "unhesitatingly asserted that masturbation is an intrinsically
and seriously disordered act. ''4~ Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, president of
the American Bishops Conference, welcomed the document as a fundamental
proclamation of values. 41 The declaration claims that masturbation is "condemned
in the New Testament when the latter speaks of 'uncleanness' or
'unchasteness.' "Presumably reference is made here to Jesus' criticism of Pharisees
who are externally like whitewashed tombs "but within they are full of
dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). It is ludicrous to hold
that one reason Jesus objected to the Pharisees was because they masturbated.
'~Uncleanness" for both Jesus and Paul pertains to a broad range of practices
that they deemed unethical.
I conclude this review of the tradition of treating masturbation as a vice with
personal testimony. "Billy, take your hand off your bottom" was a frequent
parental admonition, even though there was no objection to my scratching other
places that itched. On reaching the age of puberty, I was disturbed by the
paragraph on "sex fluid conservation" in my Boy Scouts' handbook. It read: "Any
habit which a boy has that causes this fluid to be discharged from the body tends
to weaken his strength, to make him less able to resist disease. ''42 That book,
rivalled only by the Bible in circulation among boys, suggested that masturbation
was a dirty habit that could result in the sacrifice of one's manliness. Then I
enrolled in a church-related men's college where a religion professor occasionally
thundered against those idolatrous self-pleasers who indulged in solitary
sin on their beds. Another professor only half-facetiously announced at a urinal,
"If you shake it more than once you are playing with it." Formally and informally
it was taught that private enjoyment was wrong if it pertained to
stimulating one's genitals but right if it pertained to reading in the library. It
was with some qualms of conscience that I flouted the exhortations of home
and school.
Later, after falling in love, I felt that I could share with my girl my inmost
feelings. Hence when, separated from her for some months, I wrote her that my
recollections of her attractiveness gave me pelvic discomfort, which was relieved
by masturbation. That disclosure ended the romance. She wrote that after the
initial shock of my confession wore off she had consulted some books but had
been unable to find any cure for my sickness. That experience was so traumatic
that, till now, I have not mentioned it to anyone for the past quarter century.
A decade ago, social scientist Clellan Ford described the contemporary outlook
on masturbation in this way: "American society generally condemns selfstimulation
of the genitals. Most adults in our society consider the deliberate
excitation of one's own genitals as a perversion on a par with homosexual
relations and seek to prevent such activity on the part of their children."4~ More
recently Richard Hettlinger has made this comment on sex education in our
culture:
One of the most profound sources of difficulty in reaching a positive and coherent
understanding of one's sexuality continues to be our society's irrational condemnation of
masturbation . . . . Masturbation remains an even more sensitive subject for discussion
between parents and children than intercourse. Mothers still usually make it very plain
to small children that, while other bodily pleasures of all kinds are to be enjoyed, the
genitals are to be left alone. 44
II
Having traced the way in which religiously oriented people in the Judaeo-
Christian tradition for the past thirteen centuries have treated masturbation as
a sin and a sickness, I shall now turn to the possible benefits of masturbation. In
our culture, attention has rarely been directed to the broad range of positive
effects. For purposes of discussion, I shall differentiate between the psychophysical,
educational, moral, and theological aspects.
What are the facts about the psychophysical effects of masturbation? Only in
the past generation have there been conclusive sociological and medical studies
showing the harmlessness of masturbation. The Kinsey researchers have shown
Americans how widely masturbation is practiced among youths and adults,
males and females, singles and married persons. They show that approximately
60% of the women and 90% of the men have experienced masturbation and that
apparently it is frequently practiced by the majority of the total population. 45
Masturbation statistics for European and Middle Eastern peoples are about the
same. 46 The naturalness of this behavior is also attested to by its being found
among some other mammals, with greater incidence among males. 47 If the past
hypothesizing of a causal relation between masturbation and serious illness had
been true, then the latter should be at plague frequency.
Some have retreated from claiming that occasional masturbation is harmful
but still champion the bogey that "excessive" masturbation can cause one's
health to deteriorate. 48 Masters and Johnson say of this: "There is no established
medical evidence that masturbation, regardless of frequency, leads to mental
illness. Certainly there is no accepted medical standard defining excessive
masturbation.'49 Several decades ago an experiment requiring men to masturbate
every several hours over a two-year period was conducted in Germany,
There was no evidence of any physical or mental disorders in the subjects as a
result. 5~ Psychiatrist Wilhelm Stekel, who has devoted attention to patients who
masturbate daily, claims that he has never encountered a case of excessive
masturbation. 51 The physiological system has its own controls, so there is as
little point in warning about the dangers of excessive masturbation as about the
dangers of excessive sneezing. Both are usually orgasmic experiences in which
tensions are relieved. With respect to masturbation the data prompt the generalization
that never has a more harmless activity provoked more harmful
anxiety.
To demonstrate that an activity is medically benign is not equivalent to
claiming that is is beneficial. What, if any, positive psychophysical effects can
be found? Masturbation can be compared to solitary singing. The mouth evolved
in animals as an orifice for receiving food, but for human beings it also has
acquired the important function of forming sounds for communication. Although
words are usually uttered in interpersonal situations, it is also normal
for people to express exuberance by singing to themselves. Such singing is often
viewed as having no intrinsic value but is thought of as practice for harmonious
singing at a later time. Likewise, the genitals evolved as a means for species
reproduction, but for human beings they often become a delightful means for
communicating affection. So pleasurable is the release that is generally concomitant
with the linking of loins that human beings strive to attain some of that
experience through masturbation in the absence of a partner.
Masturbation is sometimes used as a therapy for tense persons. Some women
find it a relief for menstrual cramps. Masters has provided this information: "We
know that many women will masturbate with the onset of their menstrual cycle
if they are having dysmenorrhea-severe cramps. An orgasmic experience
frequently will relieve the spasm of the uterus and the cramps will disappear. ''~2
For men as well as for women masturbation can transform a restless night into
quiet sleep. Rather than draining off vital potency, it can be an aid to restoring
physical energy. Stekel, in striking contrast to his mentor Freud, has presented
case studies illustrating that neurosis, far from being caused by masturbation,
can be caused by attempting to live without masturbation. 53
In earlier times it was wrongly believed that masturbation is generally
detrimental to establishing satisfying coital relations in marriage. The influential
sexologist Havelock Ellis, who wrote before extensive sexual research was
begun, thought that masturbation was frequently a cause of frigidity in marriage/
4 The leading researchers of the past generation have shown that this is
not at all the case. The Kinsey researchers, on the basis of several thousand sex
histories, state that "pre-marital experience in masturbation may actually
contribute to the female's capacity to respond in her coital relations in marriage
. . . . Having learned what it means to suppress inhibitions, and to abandon
herself to the spontaneous physical reactions which represent orgasm in
masturbation, she may become more capable of responding in the same way in
coitus. ''5~ The fact that female masturbation increases throughout the years of
greatest coital activity shows that the two sexual expressions are compatible/6
More recently Masters and Johnson discovered that "female orgasmic experience
usually is developed more easily and is physiologically more intense
(although not necessarily as satisfying) when induced by automanipulation as
opposed to coition. ''57 From these studies Edward Brecher concludes that "the
most probable cause of female frigiditiy in marriage is the repression of sexual
responsiveness, and especially the repression of masturbation, in girls and
young women before marriage. ''Ss
Even when orgasmic sexuality is no problem, it is frequently the case that
there is a disparity between the sexual drives of partners. Masturbation can
help to ease this situation so that unpleasant heavy demands need not be made.
Masters and Johnson explain: "Partners have different sexual tension levels.
This difference in levels is found in an incredible number of cases and is often
balanced by masturbation, which permits the partner with the higher tension
level to relieve that tension occasionally, and ease up a bit. It may be the
husband who needs relief; it may be the wife. ''59
Let us now examine the ways in which masturbation can be integrated into
wholesome sex education. The most widespread of all sexual activities for youth
is masturbation, and therefore society's attitude toward it may determine the
outlook of the boy or girl toward all sexual expressions. Out of awareness of this
momentous significance, the United Presbyterians in 1970 issued a paper on
"Sexuality and the Human Community" containing a section on masturbation.
With respect to sex education it states: "Since masturbation is often one of the
earliest pleasurable sexual experiences which is identifiably genital, we consider
it essential that the church, through its teachings and through the atti
tudes it encourages in Christian homes, contribute to a healthy understanding
of this experience which will be free of guilt and shame. ''6~ If authority figures
treat masturbation as repulsive and dirty-not to say pathological-the youth
may extrapolate that sexual expressions of any kind should be similarly evaluated.
Brecher observes: '~The taboo against masturbation.. , is the chief means
by which the message is transmitted to the next generation that sex is a
loathsome disease. The Victorians were shrewd enough to make enforcement of
the masturbation taboo the foundation of their sexual doctrines. ''61 It would be
impossible to estimate the great permanent damage to sexual development that
has been done by judgmental writings and parental proscriptions on masturbation.
Over against the antisexual training of the past, Brecher holds that
masturbation has "an essential phase in the normal, healthy blossoming of
mature sexual responses." It is important, he thinks, to establish an environment
in which children "can develop self-confidence, self-esteem, and selfacceptance-
including an acceptance of their own bodies and of their sexual
feelings. ''6~ Cyril Bibby, an authority on sex education, gives reinforcement to
"this opinion: "Masturbation may lead to the discovery that one's body is capable
of yielding richly satisfying sensations, and fortunate are those who are allowed
to make this discovery without the accompaniment of guilt or fear. ''~
The adolescent, who is absorbed in establishing his or her psychosexual
identity, is curious about erogenous areas, sensitive swellings, and seminal
emissions. If she or he is encouraged to appreciate these things, many lasting
difficulties can be avoided. Autogenital manipulation provides a laboratory
situation in which bodily functions and pleasures can be learned about under
controlled circumstances. In that situation there is no need for anxieties over
venereal infection, maternal conception, and social detection. Out of these
experiences the youth can understand better that sex has both recreational and
procreational purposes. By becoming aware that semen is a vital natural
resource that is forever overabundant in supply, youth may learn that it is of
benefit to the world to waste it for fun.
The fantasy that usually accompanies masturbation is also healthy. Children
learn to cope with the real world and gain self-control by dealing with the
tension and release that fantasy affords. The youth who becomes absorbed in
stories of daring sportsmen or medical missionaries develops some mastery over
otherwise fearful situations. The same is true of the youth who has, when
masturbating, fantastic images of sexual relations.
What moral defense can be given of masturbation? Exploitative and violent
sexuality is not sanctioned in any culture2 4 Moreover, it is generally assumed
that the most intimate of physical acts between people should be an outward
sign of a loving personal relationship. Thus it is destructive to humanistic ethics
to opt for promiscuous copulation rather than masturbation. Consider, for
example, the position of the celebrated writer Norman Mailer. He has expressed
his machismo in this way:
I think masturbation cripples people . . . . Anybody who spends his adolescence masturbating,
generally enters his young manhood with no sense of being a man . . . . No
adolescent would ever masturbate, presumably, if he could have sex with a girl . . . . If
you have more sexual liberty, why the hell defend masturbation?... It's better to
commit rape than masturbate . . . . If one masturbates.., one hasn't tested hims
e l f . . . . All you know is that you can violate in your brain . . . . The ultimate direction of
masturbation always has to be insanity. 6'~
Mailer is right in assuming that the realistic alternative for most men is not
between having or not having deliberate genital activity. Also, he is correct in
showing that coercive sexuality is a consequence of utilizing another person
whenever one feels a strong urge for sexual relief. However, Mailer blends an
ignorant understanding of the psychophysical results of masturbation with an
inhumane outlook on male-female relationships. He unwittingly demonstrates
that masturbation is a social protection. Apropos is David Gordon's judgment:
"Many of our sexual crimes are committed by [the psychopath] who refuses to
resort to masturbation because he regards it [as] unmanly. ''~6 Stekel hypothesizes
that sex crimes would increase enormously if masturbation were wholly
repressed. G7 Masturbation is a cathartic safety valve in that it releases pent-up
emotions in a manner that causes no social damage. In light of this a finding of
Kinsey's makes sense: "Masturbation sometimes shows a complementary relationship
with premarital coitus: Where the one is high, the other is likely to be
lower. ''~s Rustum and Della Roy see masturbation as a way to ~'help prevent
escalation of heterosexual expression beyond the point desirable at a particular
stage of a relationship. ''69
In addition to the proper place masturbation has for the unmarried, it also
should be sanctioned for temporarily separated married couples. A considerable
amount of brothel patronage comes from those who, in the absence of a spouse,
are driven to use other persons as impersonal receptacles. A higher morality is
expressed in a slogan attributed to combat troops: "If your wife can't be at your
right hand, let your right hand be your wife." This means for resolving frustration
is also appropriate for those confined in institutions such as a prison or a
hospital and those sleeping with their spouses but abstaining from coitus
because of sickness, menstruation, or pregnancy.
Among the variety of other appropriate uses of masturbation, several may be
mentioned. There are some handicapped people who find it difficult, if not
impossible, to find a sexual partner because of their physical deformity or
mental retardation. Masturbation may be their only orgasmic sexual outlet.
Reuben points out that it is one of the few sources of sexual satisfaction for the
blind. 7~ That noted psychiatrist also states that ~most homosexuals find their
man-to-man sex unfulfilling so they masturbate a lot. ''71 Moreover, there are
many latent homosexuals who opt for solo stimulation rather than open expression
because of fear of social stigma if detected, or repugnance over the usual
unesthetic places for liaison, or anxiety over contracting venereal disease.
Consider also the advantages of masturbation for the older widows and widowers
who, on the one hand, are upset because their accustomed pattern of coital
sexuality has ceased, yet on the other hand have little opportunity for finding
another desirable sex companion. Without genital stimulation, older men lose
their sexual desire more rapidly. 72I shall conclude this study with a look at the theological significance of
treating masturbation as a virtue. Two clergymen of the past generation who
had a special interest in psychology helped to halt the crusade against masturbation.
Oskar Pfister criticized a fellow Swiss minister who wrote a pamplet
alleging that masturbation caused premature old age. 73 Stekel commends Pfister
for rising above the deplorable ignorance about masturbation and for replacing
"a threatening God" with ~an understanding God. ''74 Englishman Leslie
Weatherhead believed that masturbation was sinless if "the picture on the
screen of the mind at the time could be shown to our Lord without shame. ''r5 It
can be assumed that the Lord would approve of these biblical words of a groom to
his naked bride: "Your figure is like a palm tree and your breasts are like its
clusters. I said: I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its clusters" (Song of
Songs 7:7-8). Judging from this and other sensuous biblical imagery, one should
be willing to share with the Creater of sexuality a wide range of fantasies
without embarrassment.
From the standpoint of the prevailing biblical outlook on sexuality, masturbation
can be given a comparative evaluation: it belongs to both the better-than
and the not-so-good-as categories. To paraphrase the advice of the apostle Paul,
it may be said that it is better to masturbate than to use prostitutes as an outlet
for the "fire" of passion (I Cor., 6:15; 7:9). Yet it has been generally acknowledged
from at least as early as the time when the Garden of Eden story was
composed that sex has the more fundamental purpose of expressing a depth of
relationship between companions. Paul Gebhard, a specialist in sex research,
succinctly states the prevailing comparative judgment on solo versus duo sex:
"While solitary masturbation does provide pleasure and relief from the tension
of sexual excitement, it does not have the same psychological gratification that
interaction with another person provides. Thus extremely few people prefer
masturbation to socio-sexual activity. ''7G Even as composing poetry for one's own
reading is usually not as enjoyable as its use as a means of communicating one's
intimate feelings to others, so masturbation is a lesser good than sexual intercourse
by spouses.
The persistent disdainful attitude toward masturbation held by some religious
people in our culture has caused improper ties to be made between
normative Judaeo-Christian morality and the entire range of pleasures. Youth
who become aware that masturbation is a harmless pleasure regardless of what
kill-joy religionists say, might understandably but wrongly conclude that the
Western religious tradition generally frowns upon indulging in any sensuous
fun, no matter how innocent. Or they might wrongly reason that since there is
no rational basis for giving masturbation a negative valuation, there is probably
little basis for accepting as sinful other sexual behavior-such as promiscuity,
prostitution, adultery, and rape- that has traditionally been condemned. In his
book entitled Whatever Became of Sin?, psychiatrist Karl Menninger laments
that people who become enlightened about the past frantic and foolish attempts
to treat masturbation as a sin tend to assume that all of the sexual standards
imposed by society have been discredited. 77 It is Menninger's hope that we will
become better informed psychologically before making ethical and theologicaljudgments. As a result we should be able to perceive more clearly what constitutes
truly sinful sexual behavior and reject with more conviction conduct that
causes personal relationships to deteriorate.
It has been shown that biblical people had an attitude toward masturbation
that was literally laissez faire, meaning not hands off by human beings but let
nature act without the legal restrictions. This outlook is in accord with a basic
biblical sexual affirmation contained in this sentence from the New Testament:
"Everything that God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving." (I Tim. 4:4).
WILLIAM E. PHIPPS
The Kinsey research team has clearly defined masturbation as "deliberate selfstimulation
which effects sexual arousal. ,,1 This term is commonly used by social
scientists in spite of its etymology. According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
"masturbate" is a compound from the Latin roots manus (hand) and stuprare (to
defile). Accordingly it is defined in that standard work as '~to practice selfabuse."
That was certainly the meaning of the term when it was first used two
centuries ago. Social scientists who are sensitive to etymology realize that the
word "masturbation" carries too much manual association to be fully descriptive
and, of more concern, has traditionally carried a negative moral judgment.
Consequently, neologisms have been created for the phenomenon in recent
years. But they also have their limitations and have not been accorded full
acceptance. "Automanipulation" is too mechanical and vague; "autoerotism" is
too broad, for it can also describe, for example, one's response to sensuous works
of art; and "auto-orgasm" incorrectly assumes that orgasm is always the aim of
this endeavor. Even though masturbation has a value-loaded etymology, it will
be presumed that its original connotation can be disregarded-even as "manufacturing"
is no longer associated with making by hand.
It is often wrongly stated that masturbation is dealt with in the Bible. Kinsey,
for example, claims that it is there treated as a greater sin than engaging in
coitus outside of marriage. 2 Also, the Catholic-edited Dictionary of Moral Theology
pronounced: "Direct voluntary pollution is properly called masturbation
. . . . In the Holy Scriptures it is condemned as a sin which excludes a
person from the Kingdom of Heaven. ''3 Actually masturbation is not mentioned
in the Jewish Scriptures or in the New Testament. Why is it that that nonprudish
literature, which frankly refers to zoSphilia, homosexuality, and other
sexual variations, does not discuss masturbation? It is safe to assume that its
omission displays that its practice was of no moral or cultic concern to the many
writers of books now called the Bible.
In this essay I shall first review in historical sequence the treatments of
masturbation as a vice in the postbiblical Judaeo-Christian tradition. Then I
shall focus attention on some benefits that can result from masturbation.
In medieval Judaism, masturbation came to be regarded as a grave offense. In
the Talmud it is associated with Onan who, according to Genesis, was slain by
God for spilling his semen on the ground. 40nan's sin was actually coitus
interruptus, which resulted in his failure to fulfill his levirate responsibilities.
In more recent centuries, the Jewish strictures against masturbation have
continued. This is reflected in the modern Hebrew term onan, which means
"masturbate." Louis Epstein has written: ~'The ethical literature of post-talmudic
days, down to the latest centuries, endlessly harps on the severity of this
sin, exhorts its avoidance, points out its danger to health, and pleads for
penitence and expiation. ''5 A case in point is the Code of Jewish Law, which is
still regarded as binding in Orthodox Judaism. It states:
It is forbidden to cause in vain the effusion of semen, and this crime is severer than any of
the violations mentioned in the Torah. Those who commit fornication with their
hands.., violate a grave prohibition, but they are also to be banned; and concerning
them it is said: "Your hands are full with blood" (Isaiah 1:15); it is analogous to the killing
of a person. See what Rashi wrote concerning Er and Onan . . . . Occasionally as a
punishment for this children die while young. A man should be very careful to avoid
hardening himself. Therefore it is forbidden to sleep on one's back with his face upward
. . . . It is forbidden to hold the penis while urinating. If he is married and his wife is
in town and she is clean, it may be permitted, for since he has the possibility, he will not
think of intercourse, neither will he become heated up2
This last prohibition has caused much anxiety in the devout Jewish family.
~' 'Without hands' is the admonitory cry of a parent seeing his or her son
attempting to pass water with digital aid. Better a bad aim than a bad habit! ''7
In medieval Christianity, masturbation was also identified with the act of
Onan and was accordingly condemned, s That sin of emission was one of the
cardinal sins of commission, as can be illustrated by statements in several
seventh-century handbooks on penance. The Irish penitential of Columban
required two years' penance for a layman who masturbates and three years for a
clerical masturbator2 Three years' penance was also prescribed for female
masturbation by the influential Anglo-Saxon penitential of Theodore. l~ A
Frankish penitential decreed: "A man who practices masturbation by himself,
for the first offense, one hundred days penance; if he repeats it, a year." By
comparison, seven days' penance were expected of a person who violated the
Decalogue's commandment against stealing. 1~ In the eleventh century, Pope Leo
IX held that masturbators should not be admitted to sacred orders.12
Thomas Aquinas, the most distinguished theologian of the late Middle Ages,
classified sexual sins as either natural or unnatural. Rape, incest, and adultery
were deemed natural because procreation was a possibility. These were not as
grave as the unnatural vice of "procuring pollution, without any copulation, for
the sake of venereal pleasure. ''~3 Masturbation was, for Aquinas, not a "venial"
or minor wrong, but a "mortal sin" meriting damnation. In his hierarchy of sins
he ranks "every emission of semen in such a way that generation cannot follow"
as nearly as serious as homicide. 14
Following Augustine, Aquinas advocated that prostitution be permitted in
order to drain off lust that might otherwise stimulate more serious sexual sins.
He wrote: "Those who are in authority rightly tolerate certain evils
l e s t . . , certain greater evils be incurred. Thus Augustine says, 'If you do away
with prostitutes the world will be convulsed with lust.' ,,15 Elsewhere the Angelic
Doctor compared prostitution to a sewer system. Just as a palace would be
foul without a sewer, so a city without a brothel would be polluted by unnatural
lusts. 18 Apparently Aquinas thought it was less wicked to use a wh*** as an
instrument for relieving genital pressure than to use one's own hand.
As long as theophobia was a prime factor in culture, churchmen could be
confident that religious threats would provide sufficient sanction to curb masturbation.
However, after the Renaissance, Europeans tended to turn their
attention away from church-certified punishments in the life after death and
became more concerned with matters that affected the quality of life this side of
the grave. Accordingly, the fear of the loss of health in the here and now came to
be a more effective enforcing agent for proper conduct than the threat of hell
fire. It is understandable, therefore, that over the past several centuries many
have been alarmed by the eighteenth-century claims that masturbation provokes
mental illness as a prelude to eternal punishment. The distinguished
neurologist Samuel Tissot came to this conclusion by combining inadequate
observation with his religious tradition. 17 That Swiss physician claimed that
masturbation causes an excessive blood flow to the brain that can result in
impotence and insanity, is Tissot was a devout Catholic and an advisor to the
Vatican on epidemic control. 19 He acknowledged that he was influenced by a
book written around 1717 by an anonymous English zealot entitled Onania, or
the Heinous Sin of Self-pollution, and all its Frightful Consequences in both
Sexes. Tissot's treatise, also entitled Onania, was originally published in Latin
in 1758. Soon it was translated into French and English and passed through
eighty editions.
Medical researcher E. H. Hare attributes the popularity of Tissot's theory of
masturbatory insanity in part to the fact that the prevailing beliefs for the cause
of madness were no longer acceptable. Witches and the moon had been discredited
as explanations of lunacy, but no more satisfactory hypothesis had been
presented. 2~ A fallacy in inductive reasoning is also responsible for the easy
acceptance of Tissot's theory of insanity. Since the insane are less inhibited with
respect to open practice of what is not in conformity with social standards,
attendants of the insane observe with comparative ease that most of them
masturbate during periods when they are institutionalized and deprived of sex
partners. However, there are few opportunities for observing whether or not
most of the sane indulge in masturbation in similar circumstances. In the
absence of sociological studies on secretive practices, it was easy to isolate
masturbation as the common factor in nearly all cases of insanity and therefore
the likely cause. It would be no more invalid to conclude that right-handedness
causes insanity since most insane people have that trait.
The first molder of the modern mind to accept Tissot's pseudoscientific judgment
was Immanuel Kant. In the late eighteenth century, that German philosopher
combined medieval theological strictures with the current medical opinion.
Kant shares Aquinas's outlook when he makes this declaration: "Uses of sexuality
which are contrary to natural instinct and to animal nature are crimina
carnis contra naturam. First amongst them we have onanism . . . . By it man
sets aside his person and degrades himself below the level of animals . . . . He no
longer deserves to be a person. ''2' Kant urged educators to confront a youth who
masturbates with the horribleness of his act, "telling him that in this way he
will become useless for the propagation of the race, that his bodily strength will
be ruined by this vice more than by anything else, that he will bring on himself
premature old age, and that his intellect will be very much weakened, and so
on." After this prognosis, Kant offers this cure: ~'We may escape from these
impulses by constant occupation, and by devoting no more time to bed and sleep
than is necessary. ''22
Tissot's views were spread in English-speaking areas during the nineteenth
century by William Acton, 23 an eminent London urologist, and by Benjamin
Rush, the famous Philadelphia professor. In the first psychiatric text published
in the U.S.A., mania, seminal weakness, dimness of sight, epilepsy, loss of
memory, and even death were ascribed by Rush to masturbationY 4
The hysteria over masturbation in the Victorian era resulted in sadistic
inventions. Yankee cleverness devised a chastity belt that could be locked onto a
boy's pelvic area to prevent him from masturbating. Also barbed rings were
manufactured for encircling the penis when in bed. An erection not only caused
sharp pain but closed the circuit on an electric bell that rang in the parents'
room. 25
At the beginning of the twentieth century, many boys were terrorized by a
book entitled What a Young Boy Ought to Know. Clergyman Sylvanus Stall, its
author, made this dreadful claim:
The consequences which result from masturbation do not stop with the boy who practices
it . . . . If he marries, and should become a father, his children after him must suffer to
some measurable degree the results of his sin . . . . As in grain so in human life, if the
quality of the grain which is sown in the field is poor, the grain that grows from it will be
inferior. When a boy injures his reproductive powers, so that when a man his sexual
secretion shall be of an inferior quality, his offspring will show it in their physical,
mental, and moral natures. 26
In 1907 a minister confessed that after reading Dr. Stall's book as a boy, he
had suffered severe depression and suicidal thoughts brought on by selfhatredY
7 There have subsequently been recorded a number of cases showing
that torment over the anticipated terrible results of masturbation has caused
attempted or accomplished suicide. 28
Sigmund Freud was, to a surprising extent, a defender of the dominant
outlook of his age with respect to masturbation. He warned that it "vitiates the
character through indulgence" and that it might result in "diminished potency
in marriage. ''29 Masturbation was the cause of what he termed neurasthenia, a
neurosis characterized by fatigue, worry, and lack of physical and mental
alertness. 3~ Kinsey writes that Freud regarded masturbation as "a personality
defect which merits psychiatric attention when it occurs in an adult." He points
out that this father of psychoanalysis was, on this subject, a perpetuator of the
talmudic tradition. 31
Robert Mortimer, an Anglican bishop, in 1947 stated a position on masturbation
similar to that of Freud:
Those who practice this vice.., lose mental vigor and alertness. Their lives become
centered on trivialities, their thirst for pleasure and excitement grows, they become
selfish, luxurious, and unable to bear discomfort or to overcome difficulties. And when
the time for marriage comes they are unprepared and unable to bear its responsibilities
or to abide by its loyalties. They are unfit for adult life. The prime root cause of their
softness lies in the selfish pursuit of pleasure for its own sake22
In recent years some other Protestant scholars, now without physiological
sanctions against masturbation, have focused on its being nonaltruistic and
therefore wrong. The influential Lutheran theologian Helmut Thielicke describes
masturbation as an inversion and then asserts that "all acts which are
centered not upon God and my neighbor but upon my own self are actualization
of sin. ''33 Logically Thielicke's catalogue of sin should include such activities as
the intake of food and elimination of waste! Mennonite theologian John W.
Miller finds masturbation repulsive because it is a "private pleasure." He
presumes, without citing evidence, that even Jesus was against it: "Measured
then against the standard of God's purpose in human sexuality as revealed both
in the teaching of Jesus and in nature itself, masturbation must be judged an
abnormality."a4
The contemporary Roman Catholic position is that masturbation is a "gravely
sinful matter. ''35 Bernard H~iring, a renowned moral theologian, holds that it is
wrong because of the pleasure accompanying it. a~ Recently Father Richard
Ginder observed that "the conscientious Catholic who takes his training seriously
is convinced that he is committing a mortal sin every time he 'plays with
himself.' -37 At a symposium for young couples in 1970, Catholic Doug Hughes
testified: "When we were growing up, the most sinful thing wasn't intercourse.
Not for a boy, anyway. What you really felt guilty about was masturbation
. . . . Once you're married, you know it's all right to enjoy sex . . . . But
masturbation is still a no-no. ''3s
These positions echo current Vatican pronouncements on masturbation. It is
not even permitted for the purpose of obtaining a semen specimen for medical
diagnosis. 39 In 1975, Pope Paul mandated a "Declaration of Some Questions of
Sexual Ethics" that "unhesitatingly asserted that masturbation is an intrinsically
and seriously disordered act. ''4~ Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, president of
the American Bishops Conference, welcomed the document as a fundamental
proclamation of values. 41 The declaration claims that masturbation is "condemned
in the New Testament when the latter speaks of 'uncleanness' or
'unchasteness.' "Presumably reference is made here to Jesus' criticism of Pharisees
who are externally like whitewashed tombs "but within they are full of
dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). It is ludicrous to hold
that one reason Jesus objected to the Pharisees was because they masturbated.
'~Uncleanness" for both Jesus and Paul pertains to a broad range of practices
that they deemed unethical.
I conclude this review of the tradition of treating masturbation as a vice with
personal testimony. "Billy, take your hand off your bottom" was a frequent
parental admonition, even though there was no objection to my scratching other
places that itched. On reaching the age of puberty, I was disturbed by the
paragraph on "sex fluid conservation" in my Boy Scouts' handbook. It read: "Any
habit which a boy has that causes this fluid to be discharged from the body tends
to weaken his strength, to make him less able to resist disease. ''42 That book,
rivalled only by the Bible in circulation among boys, suggested that masturbation
was a dirty habit that could result in the sacrifice of one's manliness. Then I
enrolled in a church-related men's college where a religion professor occasionally
thundered against those idolatrous self-pleasers who indulged in solitary
sin on their beds. Another professor only half-facetiously announced at a urinal,
"If you shake it more than once you are playing with it." Formally and informally
it was taught that private enjoyment was wrong if it pertained to
stimulating one's genitals but right if it pertained to reading in the library. It
was with some qualms of conscience that I flouted the exhortations of home
and school.
Later, after falling in love, I felt that I could share with my girl my inmost
feelings. Hence when, separated from her for some months, I wrote her that my
recollections of her attractiveness gave me pelvic discomfort, which was relieved
by masturbation. That disclosure ended the romance. She wrote that after the
initial shock of my confession wore off she had consulted some books but had
been unable to find any cure for my sickness. That experience was so traumatic
that, till now, I have not mentioned it to anyone for the past quarter century.
A decade ago, social scientist Clellan Ford described the contemporary outlook
on masturbation in this way: "American society generally condemns selfstimulation
of the genitals. Most adults in our society consider the deliberate
excitation of one's own genitals as a perversion on a par with homosexual
relations and seek to prevent such activity on the part of their children."4~ More
recently Richard Hettlinger has made this comment on sex education in our
culture:
One of the most profound sources of difficulty in reaching a positive and coherent
understanding of one's sexuality continues to be our society's irrational condemnation of
masturbation . . . . Masturbation remains an even more sensitive subject for discussion
between parents and children than intercourse. Mothers still usually make it very plain
to small children that, while other bodily pleasures of all kinds are to be enjoyed, the
genitals are to be left alone. 44
II
Having traced the way in which religiously oriented people in the Judaeo-
Christian tradition for the past thirteen centuries have treated masturbation as
a sin and a sickness, I shall now turn to the possible benefits of masturbation. In
our culture, attention has rarely been directed to the broad range of positive
effects. For purposes of discussion, I shall differentiate between the psychophysical,
educational, moral, and theological aspects.
What are the facts about the psychophysical effects of masturbation? Only in
the past generation have there been conclusive sociological and medical studies
showing the harmlessness of masturbation. The Kinsey researchers have shown
Americans how widely masturbation is practiced among youths and adults,
males and females, singles and married persons. They show that approximately
60% of the women and 90% of the men have experienced masturbation and that
apparently it is frequently practiced by the majority of the total population. 45
Masturbation statistics for European and Middle Eastern peoples are about the
same. 46 The naturalness of this behavior is also attested to by its being found
among some other mammals, with greater incidence among males. 47 If the past
hypothesizing of a causal relation between masturbation and serious illness had
been true, then the latter should be at plague frequency.
Some have retreated from claiming that occasional masturbation is harmful
but still champion the bogey that "excessive" masturbation can cause one's
health to deteriorate. 48 Masters and Johnson say of this: "There is no established
medical evidence that masturbation, regardless of frequency, leads to mental
illness. Certainly there is no accepted medical standard defining excessive
masturbation.'49 Several decades ago an experiment requiring men to masturbate
every several hours over a two-year period was conducted in Germany,
There was no evidence of any physical or mental disorders in the subjects as a
result. 5~ Psychiatrist Wilhelm Stekel, who has devoted attention to patients who
masturbate daily, claims that he has never encountered a case of excessive
masturbation. 51 The physiological system has its own controls, so there is as
little point in warning about the dangers of excessive masturbation as about the
dangers of excessive sneezing. Both are usually orgasmic experiences in which
tensions are relieved. With respect to masturbation the data prompt the generalization
that never has a more harmless activity provoked more harmful
anxiety.
To demonstrate that an activity is medically benign is not equivalent to
claiming that is is beneficial. What, if any, positive psychophysical effects can
be found? Masturbation can be compared to solitary singing. The mouth evolved
in animals as an orifice for receiving food, but for human beings it also has
acquired the important function of forming sounds for communication. Although
words are usually uttered in interpersonal situations, it is also normal
for people to express exuberance by singing to themselves. Such singing is often
viewed as having no intrinsic value but is thought of as practice for harmonious
singing at a later time. Likewise, the genitals evolved as a means for species
reproduction, but for human beings they often become a delightful means for
communicating affection. So pleasurable is the release that is generally concomitant
with the linking of loins that human beings strive to attain some of that
experience through masturbation in the absence of a partner.
Masturbation is sometimes used as a therapy for tense persons. Some women
find it a relief for menstrual cramps. Masters has provided this information: "We
know that many women will masturbate with the onset of their menstrual cycle
if they are having dysmenorrhea-severe cramps. An orgasmic experience
frequently will relieve the spasm of the uterus and the cramps will disappear. ''~2
For men as well as for women masturbation can transform a restless night into
quiet sleep. Rather than draining off vital potency, it can be an aid to restoring
physical energy. Stekel, in striking contrast to his mentor Freud, has presented
case studies illustrating that neurosis, far from being caused by masturbation,
can be caused by attempting to live without masturbation. 53
In earlier times it was wrongly believed that masturbation is generally
detrimental to establishing satisfying coital relations in marriage. The influential
sexologist Havelock Ellis, who wrote before extensive sexual research was
begun, thought that masturbation was frequently a cause of frigidity in marriage/
4 The leading researchers of the past generation have shown that this is
not at all the case. The Kinsey researchers, on the basis of several thousand sex
histories, state that "pre-marital experience in masturbation may actually
contribute to the female's capacity to respond in her coital relations in marriage
. . . . Having learned what it means to suppress inhibitions, and to abandon
herself to the spontaneous physical reactions which represent orgasm in
masturbation, she may become more capable of responding in the same way in
coitus. ''5~ The fact that female masturbation increases throughout the years of
greatest coital activity shows that the two sexual expressions are compatible/6
More recently Masters and Johnson discovered that "female orgasmic experience
usually is developed more easily and is physiologically more intense
(although not necessarily as satisfying) when induced by automanipulation as
opposed to coition. ''57 From these studies Edward Brecher concludes that "the
most probable cause of female frigiditiy in marriage is the repression of sexual
responsiveness, and especially the repression of masturbation, in girls and
young women before marriage. ''Ss
Even when orgasmic sexuality is no problem, it is frequently the case that
there is a disparity between the sexual drives of partners. Masturbation can
help to ease this situation so that unpleasant heavy demands need not be made.
Masters and Johnson explain: "Partners have different sexual tension levels.
This difference in levels is found in an incredible number of cases and is often
balanced by masturbation, which permits the partner with the higher tension
level to relieve that tension occasionally, and ease up a bit. It may be the
husband who needs relief; it may be the wife. ''59
Let us now examine the ways in which masturbation can be integrated into
wholesome sex education. The most widespread of all sexual activities for youth
is masturbation, and therefore society's attitude toward it may determine the
outlook of the boy or girl toward all sexual expressions. Out of awareness of this
momentous significance, the United Presbyterians in 1970 issued a paper on
"Sexuality and the Human Community" containing a section on masturbation.
With respect to sex education it states: "Since masturbation is often one of the
earliest pleasurable sexual experiences which is identifiably genital, we consider
it essential that the church, through its teachings and through the atti
tudes it encourages in Christian homes, contribute to a healthy understanding
of this experience which will be free of guilt and shame. ''6~ If authority figures
treat masturbation as repulsive and dirty-not to say pathological-the youth
may extrapolate that sexual expressions of any kind should be similarly evaluated.
Brecher observes: '~The taboo against masturbation.. , is the chief means
by which the message is transmitted to the next generation that sex is a
loathsome disease. The Victorians were shrewd enough to make enforcement of
the masturbation taboo the foundation of their sexual doctrines. ''61 It would be
impossible to estimate the great permanent damage to sexual development that
has been done by judgmental writings and parental proscriptions on masturbation.
Over against the antisexual training of the past, Brecher holds that
masturbation has "an essential phase in the normal, healthy blossoming of
mature sexual responses." It is important, he thinks, to establish an environment
in which children "can develop self-confidence, self-esteem, and selfacceptance-
including an acceptance of their own bodies and of their sexual
feelings. ''6~ Cyril Bibby, an authority on sex education, gives reinforcement to
"this opinion: "Masturbation may lead to the discovery that one's body is capable
of yielding richly satisfying sensations, and fortunate are those who are allowed
to make this discovery without the accompaniment of guilt or fear. ''~
The adolescent, who is absorbed in establishing his or her psychosexual
identity, is curious about erogenous areas, sensitive swellings, and seminal
emissions. If she or he is encouraged to appreciate these things, many lasting
difficulties can be avoided. Autogenital manipulation provides a laboratory
situation in which bodily functions and pleasures can be learned about under
controlled circumstances. In that situation there is no need for anxieties over
venereal infection, maternal conception, and social detection. Out of these
experiences the youth can understand better that sex has both recreational and
procreational purposes. By becoming aware that semen is a vital natural
resource that is forever overabundant in supply, youth may learn that it is of
benefit to the world to waste it for fun.
The fantasy that usually accompanies masturbation is also healthy. Children
learn to cope with the real world and gain self-control by dealing with the
tension and release that fantasy affords. The youth who becomes absorbed in
stories of daring sportsmen or medical missionaries develops some mastery over
otherwise fearful situations. The same is true of the youth who has, when
masturbating, fantastic images of sexual relations.
What moral defense can be given of masturbation? Exploitative and violent
sexuality is not sanctioned in any culture2 4 Moreover, it is generally assumed
that the most intimate of physical acts between people should be an outward
sign of a loving personal relationship. Thus it is destructive to humanistic ethics
to opt for promiscuous copulation rather than masturbation. Consider, for
example, the position of the celebrated writer Norman Mailer. He has expressed
his machismo in this way:
I think masturbation cripples people . . . . Anybody who spends his adolescence masturbating,
generally enters his young manhood with no sense of being a man . . . . No
adolescent would ever masturbate, presumably, if he could have sex with a girl . . . . If
you have more sexual liberty, why the hell defend masturbation?... It's better to
commit rape than masturbate . . . . If one masturbates.., one hasn't tested hims
e l f . . . . All you know is that you can violate in your brain . . . . The ultimate direction of
masturbation always has to be insanity. 6'~
Mailer is right in assuming that the realistic alternative for most men is not
between having or not having deliberate genital activity. Also, he is correct in
showing that coercive sexuality is a consequence of utilizing another person
whenever one feels a strong urge for sexual relief. However, Mailer blends an
ignorant understanding of the psychophysical results of masturbation with an
inhumane outlook on male-female relationships. He unwittingly demonstrates
that masturbation is a social protection. Apropos is David Gordon's judgment:
"Many of our sexual crimes are committed by [the psychopath] who refuses to
resort to masturbation because he regards it [as] unmanly. ''~6 Stekel hypothesizes
that sex crimes would increase enormously if masturbation were wholly
repressed. G7 Masturbation is a cathartic safety valve in that it releases pent-up
emotions in a manner that causes no social damage. In light of this a finding of
Kinsey's makes sense: "Masturbation sometimes shows a complementary relationship
with premarital coitus: Where the one is high, the other is likely to be
lower. ''~s Rustum and Della Roy see masturbation as a way to ~'help prevent
escalation of heterosexual expression beyond the point desirable at a particular
stage of a relationship. ''69
In addition to the proper place masturbation has for the unmarried, it also
should be sanctioned for temporarily separated married couples. A considerable
amount of brothel patronage comes from those who, in the absence of a spouse,
are driven to use other persons as impersonal receptacles. A higher morality is
expressed in a slogan attributed to combat troops: "If your wife can't be at your
right hand, let your right hand be your wife." This means for resolving frustration
is also appropriate for those confined in institutions such as a prison or a
hospital and those sleeping with their spouses but abstaining from coitus
because of sickness, menstruation, or pregnancy.
Among the variety of other appropriate uses of masturbation, several may be
mentioned. There are some handicapped people who find it difficult, if not
impossible, to find a sexual partner because of their physical deformity or
mental retardation. Masturbation may be their only orgasmic sexual outlet.
Reuben points out that it is one of the few sources of sexual satisfaction for the
blind. 7~ That noted psychiatrist also states that ~most homosexuals find their
man-to-man sex unfulfilling so they masturbate a lot. ''71 Moreover, there are
many latent homosexuals who opt for solo stimulation rather than open expression
because of fear of social stigma if detected, or repugnance over the usual
unesthetic places for liaison, or anxiety over contracting venereal disease.
Consider also the advantages of masturbation for the older widows and widowers
who, on the one hand, are upset because their accustomed pattern of coital
sexuality has ceased, yet on the other hand have little opportunity for finding
another desirable sex companion. Without genital stimulation, older men lose
their sexual desire more rapidly. 72I shall conclude this study with a look at the theological significance of
treating masturbation as a virtue. Two clergymen of the past generation who
had a special interest in psychology helped to halt the crusade against masturbation.
Oskar Pfister criticized a fellow Swiss minister who wrote a pamplet
alleging that masturbation caused premature old age. 73 Stekel commends Pfister
for rising above the deplorable ignorance about masturbation and for replacing
"a threatening God" with ~an understanding God. ''74 Englishman Leslie
Weatherhead believed that masturbation was sinless if "the picture on the
screen of the mind at the time could be shown to our Lord without shame. ''r5 It
can be assumed that the Lord would approve of these biblical words of a groom to
his naked bride: "Your figure is like a palm tree and your breasts are like its
clusters. I said: I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its clusters" (Song of
Songs 7:7-8). Judging from this and other sensuous biblical imagery, one should
be willing to share with the Creater of sexuality a wide range of fantasies
without embarrassment.
From the standpoint of the prevailing biblical outlook on sexuality, masturbation
can be given a comparative evaluation: it belongs to both the better-than
and the not-so-good-as categories. To paraphrase the advice of the apostle Paul,
it may be said that it is better to masturbate than to use prostitutes as an outlet
for the "fire" of passion (I Cor., 6:15; 7:9). Yet it has been generally acknowledged
from at least as early as the time when the Garden of Eden story was
composed that sex has the more fundamental purpose of expressing a depth of
relationship between companions. Paul Gebhard, a specialist in sex research,
succinctly states the prevailing comparative judgment on solo versus duo sex:
"While solitary masturbation does provide pleasure and relief from the tension
of sexual excitement, it does not have the same psychological gratification that
interaction with another person provides. Thus extremely few people prefer
masturbation to socio-sexual activity. ''7G Even as composing poetry for one's own
reading is usually not as enjoyable as its use as a means of communicating one's
intimate feelings to others, so masturbation is a lesser good than sexual intercourse
by spouses.
The persistent disdainful attitude toward masturbation held by some religious
people in our culture has caused improper ties to be made between
normative Judaeo-Christian morality and the entire range of pleasures. Youth
who become aware that masturbation is a harmless pleasure regardless of what
kill-joy religionists say, might understandably but wrongly conclude that the
Western religious tradition generally frowns upon indulging in any sensuous
fun, no matter how innocent. Or they might wrongly reason that since there is
no rational basis for giving masturbation a negative valuation, there is probably
little basis for accepting as sinful other sexual behavior-such as promiscuity,
prostitution, adultery, and rape- that has traditionally been condemned. In his
book entitled Whatever Became of Sin?, psychiatrist Karl Menninger laments
that people who become enlightened about the past frantic and foolish attempts
to treat masturbation as a sin tend to assume that all of the sexual standards
imposed by society have been discredited. 77 It is Menninger's hope that we will
become better informed psychologically before making ethical and theologicaljudgments. As a result we should be able to perceive more clearly what constitutes
truly sinful sexual behavior and reject with more conviction conduct that
causes personal relationships to deteriorate.
It has been shown that biblical people had an attitude toward masturbation
that was literally laissez faire, meaning not hands off by human beings but let
nature act without the legal restrictions. This outlook is in accord with a basic
biblical sexual affirmation contained in this sentence from the New Testament:
"Everything that God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving." (I Tim. 4:4).
docj077
Senior Member
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Wow Stnl!
You're really good at wasting precious internet bandwidth with your posting of complete crap.
Masturbation as a source of physical disease is impossible without pre-existing neurological disease. The process happening in reverse is simply not a truism of nature.
The simple act of masturbation is a very good preventitive when it comes to the development of prostatitis and prostate cancer. Not only is the previously mentioned true, but it offers males and females a chance to explore their sexuality and develop a sense of self that can be translated into confidence once those individuals enter long lasting relationships.
Since you do not answer the spiritual questions that have been asked of you, then I can either assume that you lack proper scientific knowledge when it comes to the physiology of the process, because you sure are not quick to openly admit to belief in any given deity or you have been blinded both spiritually and mentally.
You're really good at wasting precious internet bandwidth with your posting of complete crap.
Masturbation as a source of physical disease is impossible without pre-existing neurological disease. The process happening in reverse is simply not a truism of nature.
The simple act of masturbation is a very good preventitive when it comes to the development of prostatitis and prostate cancer. Not only is the previously mentioned true, but it offers males and females a chance to explore their sexuality and develop a sense of self that can be translated into confidence once those individuals enter long lasting relationships.
Since you do not answer the spiritual questions that have been asked of you, then I can either assume that you lack proper scientific knowledge when it comes to the physiology of the process, because you sure are not quick to openly admit to belief in any given deity or you have been blinded both spiritually and mentally.
Wash n' Gone
Established Member
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The fact that the 'research' is filled with language which indicates bias (self pollution?) and uses a narrative rather than medical prose indicates to me this is just bunk put up by people to provide 'evidence' that their wacky ideas have some credibility. I won't even start on the completely irrelevant AHS article (where the masturbation was cited as symptom not cause). Trying to persuade vulnerable young men that they can cure their hair loss by stopping masturbating is just plain wrong. I think Doctor may have something on your motivation.
stnl
Established Member
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i just masturbated after 10 days and all the symptoms came back. and im not joking in dead serious all of the symptoms - itching on scalp, diahrea (straight away i had to go to the toilet), heart palpitations (really weird and irregular even after an hour), joint stiffness (straight after it i got my right knee is sore. like within 10 mins and i was fine before), body shivers and hands and legs are trembling again like involuntary movements, and concentration has gone - i have like a brain fog, I have tailbone pain acute and it started straight after it and i have lower back pain again and neck is hurting really bad even after an hour.
All these werent present for a week because i didnt masturbate at all during that time but its here now. im not some kind of a hypercondriach , im not stupid ,im not dumb , i know what im talkign about , for me atleast.
I thought these could be because i worry too much about masturbation and the guilt related to it but i ddint even worry about it this time and i wasnt stressing or guilty and im not worrying right now either. Its not psychological its physiological.
Sorry guys you can believe whatever you want but maybe IM TOO SENSITIVE TO IT or something.
It might not be the case for most of you guys but for me thats just the way it is.
I dont need to prove anything to anyone anymore and i wont be discussing this topic further. Im not f*****g masturbating ever again. Good luck with everything to everyone.
All these werent present for a week because i didnt masturbate at all during that time but its here now. im not some kind of a hypercondriach , im not stupid ,im not dumb , i know what im talkign about , for me atleast.
I thought these could be because i worry too much about masturbation and the guilt related to it but i ddint even worry about it this time and i wasnt stressing or guilty and im not worrying right now either. Its not psychological its physiological.
Sorry guys you can believe whatever you want but maybe IM TOO SENSITIVE TO IT or something.
It might not be the case for most of you guys but for me thats just the way it is.
I dont need to prove anything to anyone anymore and i wont be discussing this topic further. Im not f*****g masturbating ever again. Good luck with everything to everyone.
G
Guest
Guest
stnl said:
i just masturbated for the 10th time in the past 2 days. and my hair isn't falling out and my scalp feels fine and i feel great. masturbation is healthy
now shut up
docj077
Senior Member
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stnl said:
Somatization disorder. Underlying psychological disorder manifesting with physical symptoms.
Symptoms
Some of the numerous symptoms that can occur with somatization disorder include:
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Bloating
Diarrhea
Pain in the legs or arms
Back pain
Joint pain
Pain during urination
Headaches
Shortness of breath
Palpitations
Chest pain
Dizziness
Amnesia
Difficulty swallowing
Vision changes
Paralysis or muscle weakness
Sexual apathy
Pain during intercourse
Impotence
Painful menstruation
Irregular menstruation
Excessive menstrual bleeding
Time to see a psychiatrist.
flimflam
Experienced Member
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he's right guys. i masturbated yesterday and this morning i couldn't find matching socks, my eyes have changed colour (again!), i didn't enjoy my latte, the bus was late and I think i'm growing a large, single breast in the middle of my chest.
troll troll troll troll troll
troll troll troll troll troll