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Masturbation is a touchy subject. No, really. Seriously though, masturbation has
its roots in evil according to some people. Hippocrates, a Greek physician regarded as the Father of Medicine, believed that loss of semen
would lead to spinal problems! The word first appeared in early Roman times and is thought to
derive from the Latin manus (hand) and stupro (to defile),
however scholars now say that it is from the Greek root, mezea,
which means genitals.
It seems to have all started with the
Book of Genesis in the Old Testament and a guy named Onan. He felt that
it was morally wrong to impregnate his brother's wife, even though God
deemed it okay, so according to Genesis 38:9, "whenever he lay with his
brothers wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing
offspring." His actions were deemed a sin and masturbation was referred
to as "onanism," well into the twentieth century. Gotta love that Old Testament... screwing your brother's wife is ok, spanking the monkey is not. What a wacky time to be alive!
It was not until 1758, when a Swiss physician and advisor to the
Vatican, Simon Tissot, published a study called A Treatise on the Diseases Produced by Onanism claiming
to prove that masturbation caused insanity, that it was transformed from a sin to an
illness. Tissot believed, in fact, that all sexual activity was dangerous;
it forced blood to rush to the head and out of other areas in
the body, thus causing the nerves and vital tissues to degenerate. We know
better now, but it is amazing at how long it took to become open about
this intimate topic. Masturbation has been shown to enhance
self-confidence, release stress, and allow people to explore their own
sexual response cycle.
Here are some interesting facts about masturbation:
 | In a study of college freshman, 76.8% of males and 31.8% of females admit to masturbating. By their senior year, more that 4/5 of guys and 2/5 of gals do it. |
| 3% of men admit to masturbating on a daily basis, while 19% admit to doing it at least twice a week. |
| While no girls admit to doing it every day, 7% say they play at least 2 times a week. |
| The results are in: guys masturbate in high school more than they do in college. Guys aged 16-20 claim to masturbate an average of 57 times a year, while those aged 21-25 only do it 42 times. |
| According to Playboy, women aged 18-24 masturbate an average of 21 times a year. |
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