Back in the 1800s , there was craze over the disease spermatorrhea – the exuberant discharge of sperm due to illicit or excessive sexual activities – and there were some abrasive and utmost “ cure ” for this affliction . now , it is middling unlikely you would hear about this disease – is that because we have cure it ? No , it is because it never existed .

The origins of spermatorrhea

Spermatorrhea was more of acultural phenomenonduring the Victorian era – a disease it was not . The first mentions of this condition in the public and professional setting were back in the 1840s and the original influencer of the following movement was Claude Francois Lallema , whose study titled “ A pragmatic Treatise on the Causes , Symptoms , and Treatment of Spermatorrhea ” wastranslatedin 1847 .

It was originally retrieve of as a freestanding sexual disease with its own symptom , but was later on name as a symptom of excessiveseminaldischarge . Overall , it was thought to have two stages . The first was the excessive leakage ( from wet dream and premature ejaculation ) , and the 2nd was how the body reacted when discharge ( depression , impotence , shrinking bollock , and cum in the weewee ) .

The causes of disease varied very importantly and were sometimes associated with what people perceived at the time to be an " overly domesticize " lifestyle . Supposed causesincluded :

However , most of the ” experts ” at the time concluded that masturbation was the main movement .

What was especially foreign about this " disease " is that it principally affectedmiddle - division humanity . These people were often wealthy enough to afford medical charge , while also being prey to any sexual panic that ran rearing within mediate - course of instruction society . Men with spermatorrhea often had Job considered of gamey standing at the time , such as lawyer , military policeman , or even Dr. themselves .

What was the “cure”?

When it number to treating the stipulation , it was not necessarily mainstream doctors who took the helm , but surgeon . During this time , sawbones were not always seen as they are today and so with this disease , came an chance to make themselves the experts in the field and improve their social standing .

The cures varied , but some were eye - wateringly invasive compared to others . Some “ kinder ” therapeutic include anal retentive leeches , enemas , laxative , diuretics , and suppositories . One particularly torturous - sounding curative was the penis being pierced withmetal ringsthat were surface in chemical thorn . This meant that the patient was so sore that they would not want to wank , and unsurprisingly , this usually meant that the patient was unwilling to iterate the procedure .

Another common treatment was cauterisation , which aimed to deaden and destroy the nerve endings in the penis so they would not be susceptible to excitement anymore . The function involved take a slender metal instrument with a glob on the end ( called a bougie ) , coat with a caustic heart and soul like silver nitrate and pass along it through the urethra . This treatment was a bit controversial – some argued it was dependable and brave , whilst others tell that it caused horrendous side event like “ seeable torture ” , which is not all that surprising .

Success stories?

Despite the existence of torture - like cures , there was a small grouping that was able to raise some collection of sexual success stories . The participant in this corner of the story were Courtenay , Culverwell , Dawson , and Milton , all member of the Royal College of Surgeons . This group took a more holistic approach , where they discussed intimate experiences in the context of human relationship , with a limited interest in the psychological and aroused dimensions of titillating biography .

Their aim was to try and calm and counsel anxious manpower and facilitate them to take back to sexualpotency . They also utilized less shivery - sounding treatments than those heel above , prescribing tonics , regular exercise , cold baths , and “ restrained sexual carnal knowledge ” – which sound far closer to a night of lenient self - care in the New scope .

In this organic evolution of the disease , this grouping of surgeons begin the cognitive process of not condemning their patient , but comfort and minimizing patient anxiety . Despite the imaginary experimental condition , spermatorrhea did help some mathematical group of surgeons to start to sympathize that gender and psychology were very interrelated .

The end of an era

Along with the surgeons were , of course , the quack , who preyed on the men who were too despairing for help to interrogate their cognition ( or more importantly fees ) for fear of being “ come out ” as sex fiends .

As shortly as the quacks entered the line of business , however , surgeons live from stressing the prevalence of the disease and its grim aftermath to announce that it was , in fact , not common at all . In the later year , there was a call by surgeon that “ simulated spermatorrhoea ” was actually the true epidemic . Nevertheless , the phenomenon did serve some groups of sawbones to start to realise the interconnection between gender and psychological science .

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