I hear ya – reading Krafft-Ebing and Sade back to back is one of my favorite things to do. Talk about stories…

The fucked up things people have done around masturbation could be its own blog post. In fact, I’ll have to write that up. I did a lot of reading this year on clitoridectomies and all sorts of other awful things happening in this country at the turn of the century. We’ve come an awful long way.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Krafft-Ebing. It’s not because he made a lick of sense (hello, Victorian-era); rather, Psychopathia Sexualis has to be one of the most hilarious books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The “case studies” are so off base that they’re worth their weight in comedy gold.

I think J.R. Kellogg should’ve been added to the list as well. His advice to parents whose children who masturbated were cringe-worthy. Of those, he recommended suturing the foreskin over the glans to prevent erection for boys, and pouring “pure carbolic acid to the clitoris,” for girls. That knowledge alone makes me think twice about enjoying a bowl of corn flakes.

St. Augustine should absolutely be on this – he might be worse than everyone else combined since he created the mindset that allowed Tissout et al to flourish.