It is now the unreserved opinion of the foremost medical men of the day that a man does not suffer in health from living a continent life, nor is he a “mollycoddle” from so doing.
Hutchinson says: “The belief that the exercise of the sex functions is necessary to the health of the male at any age is a pure delusion, while before full maturity it is highly injurious.”
Ruggles says: “Sexual abstinence is compatible with perfect health and tends to increase virility (which means manhood) through the reabsorption of the semen.”
The ancient Teutons were aware of this, for it is said that it was considered a most shameful thing for their young men to have sexual relations with a woman before their twenty-sixth year. From observation and experience they were convinced that men were not sexually mature much before this age, and no one will dispute they were strong and manly.
Statistics show that 65 per cent. of men infected with venereal diseases (which means diseases due to sexual intercourse) are contracted between the ages of 15 and 21 years; and 25 per cent. are contracted in the 21st and 23rd years.
Writers claim that from statistics they have found men are not sexually mature before the twenty-fifth year and women not before the twentieth year. Yet we find them both reeking with sexual diseases before this age.
According to Sanger's “History of Prostitution,” it is claimed that three-eighths of the prostitutes enter the life before the twentieth year in New York City. It is safe to say this is a conservative estimate, for the more recent investigations in Chicago and other cities show a very much higher percentage. However, this, together with the statistics of venereal diseases mentioned above, show that it is before the boy and girl are sexually mature that there is the greatest difficulty in directing the impulses and controlling the passions.
Chassaignac says that the more healthy and normal an individual is, the better can he not only control his passions, but the less likely is he to be disturbed by continence.
Just one more word on the subject of continence, and that is that it is not at all unusual to find men determined to remain continent until they find their ideal woman. Nor for athletes in training engaged in contests, nor for sailors on long sea voyages, and many others for long periods of time is continence impossible; in fact, they are better for it.
This knowledge was not lost sight of in ancient times.