Comments on: An "extremely rare anti-masturbation device"

By: Halloween_Jack

Halloween_Jack — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Yes, but that’s the sort of thing that can’t be undone. Most of the locks on these sorts of devices seem to be of the sort that could be undone by someone with a bent hairpin.

By: Thad

Thad — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:55:00 +0000

The good news is …it’s extremely rare!

By: Matthew Ivan Hardinger

Matthew Ivan Hardinger — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:56:00 +0000

The blacksmith that that made this was whispering “Oh dear, oh my” and giggling to himself.

By: Ray Perkins

Ray Perkins — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:02:00 +0000

There’s a row of small holes at the top for attaching to a belt. Strange looking colander, though.

By: SmokingHeartDesigns

SmokingHeartDesigns — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 06:16:00 +0000

That will conduct like crazy.

By: Palomino

Palomino — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 22:18:00 +0000

Looks like a strap-on to me. And copper is good birth control

By: voiceinthedistance

voiceinthedistance — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 22:15:00 +0000

I’ve heard of brass balls before, but this is ridiculous.

BTW: I wonder how this was secured at the top? And where do the electrodes attach?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:59:00 +0000

I had always imagined that Lord Humungus would be more, well, humungus.

By: Ladyfingers

Ladyfingers — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:40:00 +0000

America never seemed to fully recover from Kellogg and his ilk.

By: jerwin

jerwin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:14:00 +0000

Ouch

By: BrotherPower

BrotherPower — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:05:00 +0000

…and both things will be true.

By: TheMudshark

TheMudshark — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:59:00 +0000

It does bear a certain likeness to Lord Humungus.

By: jerwin

jerwin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:49:00 +0000

I don't think Plain Facts for Old and Young deserves to be called a medical text, but it's pretty horrific.

By: pduggie

pduggie — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:40:00 +0000

In 150 years we’ll have the waterboard from the dad who waterboarded his daughter sold as a antique “extremely rare” disciplinary board from the early 21st century and think it says something about the general culture of the USA.

By: pduggie

pduggie — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:37:00 +0000

helicopter parenting vs the free range parenting

By: blueelm

blueelm — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Yeah, but then you read medical texts describing the process of curing female children of the urge to masturbate by burning their clitoris off with a hot iron.

By: jerwin

jerwin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:09:00 +0000

The definitive article on this sort of quackery is ^ Bullough, Vern (1987). “Technology for the Prevention of ‘les maladies produites par la masturbation”. Technology and Culture (Johns Hopkins University Press) 28 (4): 828–832. doi:10.2307/3105184. JSTOR 3105184.PMID 11612372

By: Joseph Francis

Joseph Francis — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Wow. Seems like a lot of trouble. Couldn’t they just use Graham crackers?

By: jandrese

jandrese — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:45:00 +0000

I think this device was designed for 7 year old choirboys.

There is a dark irony when the priest then sexually abuses the boy.

By: thecleaninglady

thecleaninglady — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:37:00 +0000

Remember, the people writing your laws were subjected to shaming and often pain in relationship to their sexuality. Also, regular beatings and humiliation.

Explains why they are acting as they are acting.

Fun fact: research shows that widespread changes in society are preceded by widespread adoption of new parenting practices (Robin Grille’s Parenting for a Peaceful World).

By: Halloween_Jack

Halloween_Jack — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:29:00 +0000

I’m still of the opinion that most objects like this were meant entirely for the same purpose as their modern counterparts–addressing a particular sexual fetish–and that the whole “Oh, no! They totally used to use these!” modern assertion that they were in more or less common use is part of the fantasy.

By: mobobo

mobobo — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:02:00 +0000

where there’s a will there’s a…device to frustrate it.

By: Erik Denning

Erik Denning — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:50:00 +0000

So unfair.

By: vonbobo

vonbobo — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:39:00 +0000

“Every sperm is sacred”

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:35:00 +0000

It would make for a rather graphic codpiece.

By: SomeGuyNamedMark

SomeGuyNamedMark — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Straight out of steampunk porn

By: SomeGuyNamedMark

SomeGuyNamedMark — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Important to let the balls breath

By: nixiebunny

nixiebunny — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:31:00 +0000

I’m guessing that it’s rare because any boy forced to wear this would immediately remove it and crush it into a tiny ball of evil copper.

By: lknope

lknope — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:26:00 +0000

I like the incongruity of air holes in the testicular region to make this uncomfortable device a leeetle bit more comfortable.

By: Michael Mars

Michael Mars — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:14:00 +0000

I saw this on Antiques Choadshow.