DEVELOPMENT.ToC

The development of the child within the uterus of the mother represents a chapter in the life history of every individual so important in its relations to maternity and paternity that every young man should be acquainted with at least its general features.

As stated in the chapter on Reproduction, every living organism begins life as a single cell, or globule of protoplasm. In the case of the human subject, the cell from which each child begins its development is formed by the fusion of two cells or globules of protoplasm, one furnished by the mother, and called the ovum, or egg; the other furnished by the father, and called the spermatozoon. The egg is very much larger than the spermatozoon, and contains enough yolk material to afford nourishment for the embryo for a number of days.

When the ovum reaches the finished state, which is called "maturity," it leaves the ovary, and is carried along the fallopian tube (see accompanying figure) into the uterus, where it usually finds a lodgment in the upper part, as shown in Figure I. Once the minute ovum has been caught in the projections of the velvety inner surface of the uterus, this thick velvety lining of the uterus in the neighborhood of the ovum begins a rapid growth, gradually enveloping the rapidly expanding ovum, as shown in Figures I and II of the accompanying plate.

Within the ovum there are taking place some of the most marvelous changes in the whole life history of the individual. The nucleus of the fertilized egg, and the protoplasm which surrounds it, divide into two cells, then into four, eight, sixteen, etc. These divisions follow each other in such rapid succession that there are many hundreds of cells by the end of the first twenty-four hours. These cells soon begin to arrange themselves into layers and groups, which, step by step, develop the different tissues and organs of the body.

By the end of thirty days the little embryo, about as large as one inch of the end of a lead pencil, would be recognized as the embryo of some mammalian animal, but it would be quite impossible to say whether it would develop into a human being or some other animal, if it were seen quite apart from its immediate surroundings. By the end of another thirty days, however, the little embryo has multiplied its size several times, and has reached a form instantly recognizable as the young of the human kind, as shown in Figure IV. It still, however, retains the vestige of a little tail, which within the next thirty days will have been completely absorbed.

Note that the little two months embryo has projecting from its abdomen a large structure which is labeled "cord." This cord is a part of what is called the umbilical cord, and it is this that joins the embryo to the mother. Note in Figure III the large stalk of this cord passing upward from the body of the embryo and merging into the structures in the top of the uterus. Note further that there are little branching structures passing from the base of this stalk up into the base of the uterus. These branching structures are loops of blood-vessels, and they form part of the placenta, or "afterbirth." Through this cord the embryo receives its nourishment from the mother. The blood of the mother bathes these loops of blood-vessels, and the embryo absorbs from the mother's blood the nourishment which builds its bones, muscles, brain, spinal-cord, and glands. From the same source the embryo receives the oxygen necessary for the maintenance of its life.

From the third month on to the end of the nine months, the amount of material which the mother must provide for the development of the child within her womb amounts to no small draft on her physical resources. It is not at all uncommon for a mother in the later months of pregnancy to become quite pale, her blood having been impoverished to provide material for the development of her child.

MATERNITY.

What has been said above regarding the contributions which the maternal organism must make toward the development of the offspring must have impressed on the mind of the reader that maternity means, first of all, sacrifice.

This sacrifice begins when the girl first enters upon womanhood.

With the expulsion of the ripened ovum comes, each month, a week of special physical drain, when work must be lightened and vigorous exercise curtailed, when exposure to cold or dampness may mean loss of health.

Under these circumstances a woman should at this time deny herself the pleasure of dancing; of skating or swimming; of sleigh-rides or cross-country walks and the young man should make it less difficult for her by acquiescing without question or demur in her request to be excused from such recreation.

It is a fact that more sacrifice is involved in maternity among the more highly cultivated nations of the human race than is true of aboriginal peoples, or among the lower animals. Conditions of modern life, and particularly urban life, leave the female organism less able to endure the drafts made upon the system by maternity, so that to bear a child may mean not only the sacrifice of comfort, but even the sacrifice of health.

The highly sensitive, delicately adjusted nervous system of the woman is perhaps more profoundly influenced than any other part of her being. This manifests itself particularly in a heightened degree of sensitiveness. It goes without saying that the pregnant woman deserves at the hands of all who come in contact with her, and particularly at the hands of her husband, most considerate and sympathetic treatment. Her little whims and vagaries, however unreasonable, must always be treated seriously, and with delicate and tactful consideration. The members of her family, particularly the husband, owe it to her and to her child to keep her in as happy a frame of mind as possible.

When we consider the real significance of maternity to the race, to society, and to the family, we must feel that, of all human relations, maternity is the most sacred, and that no condition should be allowed to mar it, and no consideration to take precedence of it.

PATERNITY.

After the husband had contributed the male sexual cells, or spermatozoa, in this wonderful process above outlined, it might seem that there is little he can do, except to wait, while nature carries on the process. The reader will remember, however, from the chapter on Reproduction, that the contribution of the spermatozoa only initiates the sacrifices that the paternal organism must make in this process. Are there any demands on paternity between the time of conception of the new life and its birth?

As already mentioned under the preceding topic, the pregnant mother needs gentle and loving care. She needs to have her little whims and foibles overlooked. She needs to be protected, so far as possible, from every influence that might depress or make her unhappy. She needs to be guarded against any unusual physical exertion, and above all, she needs at this time more than at any other time, the manifested affection and sympathy of her husband.

There is another sacrifice, if it may be so called, which the husband is called upon to make during the pregnancy of his wife, namely, to abstain absolutely from sexual intercourse during the period of pregnancy and for two or three months following. This means practically one year of continent living. All other animals observe this period of continence. Nature demands that man observe it in common with other animals. Man is the only animal that has transgressed this fundamental law of nature. The retribution which nature metes out to the transgression of this law is various. Sometimes, but rarely, the sexual excitement on the part of the woman may cause an abortion, or a miscarriage. The more usual result makes itself manifest in the drain on the nervous energy of the woman. When we consider that maternity in the human race involves greater sacrifice than in any other animal, it would seem that the addition of this last demand, namely, of satisfying the sexual desires of the husband during the period of pregnancy, might prove "the straw that breaks the camel's back," and result in the more or less complete nervous breakdown of the woman. The author submits this question to all fair-minded men: Is it not due to the wife that she be not asked to satisfy the recurring sexual desires of the husband during the period when her life and its energies are so sacred to the race, to society, and to the family?

The author submits this question because some men are known to transgress this law of nature. Fortunately the proportion of men who thus transgress is not large.

Let us stand for these things: (1) An equal standard of purity for men and women, (2) A strenuous, virile, continent manhood, (3) Sexual temperance in wedlock.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX.ToC

Personal conferences and correspondence with young men regarding the solution of their problems have brought out several questions that are so frequently repeated as to make it evident that the answering of them would serve the purpose of clearing up certain questions or doubts, more or less important in the minds of many young men. It has been decided to group these answers in an appendix rather than to incorporate them in the body of the book, as many of them seem not quite relevant to the topics outlined under the several chapters.

1. How do we know that during the nocturnal emission the products of the testes are not present?

The spermatozoa found in the nocturnal emission, if present at all, are found to be very much less active than the spermatozoa of semen secreted during sexual excitement. The seminal vesicles are not receptacles for the testicular secretion. The ampullÆ seem to serve that purpose in a limited degree.

Considering all these facts, it seems to be a tenable conclusion that the few and sluggish spermatozoa seen in the product of the nocturnal emission are those that have, from time to time, collected in the ampullÆ, and that during the time immediately preceding the nocturnal emission the testes are not actively releasing nascent spermatozoa. This function of the testes seems to be reserved for periods of conscious sexual stimulation.

2. How may one control too frequent emissions?

If emissions are too frequent for the individual case, they are followed by depletion and malaise. Even if they occur as infrequently as once in two weeks and are followed by the above symptoms, they must be considered as too frequent, or abnormal in that case. On the other hand, they may occur as frequently as twice a week in plethoric robust individuals, and especially in men who have had frequent sexual intercourse, and who have for some reason discontinued it. And even though they occur as frequently as twice a week, if they are followed by a feeling of relief and wellbeing, they must not be considered as too frequent for that individual under the conditions.

So the frequency limit of nocturnal emissions is more or less independent of the time and quite dependent upon the reaction of the individual to the emission. If, following the criterion above outlined, one finds that his emissions are too frequent, because of accompanying depletion and malaise, this frequency may be modified either by changes of the diet or by changes of hygiene.

For a more extended discussion, see text above on nocturnal emissions.

3. Do the organs of reproduction actually develop after the age of seventeen or nineteen or even to the twenty-fifth year as is the case with the physical and mental powers?

The brain of an individual adds no nerve cells after a very early age. The brain increases only very slightly in size and weight after the age of puberty, and then only under special conditions and this increase in weight and size is not due to the addition of any new cells, but simply to a slight increase in the bulk of those cells already present. In a similar way the sexual apparatus undergoes, during the period of puberty (fifteen to seventeen) a very rapid growth, reaching by the end of the period of puberty (seventeenth or nineteenth year) their full size.

4. Are enlarged veins in the scrotum dangerous?

Enlarged veins of the scrotum represent dilatation of the veins of the epididymis. These are thin walled vessels that respond to any increased internal blood pressure, perhaps showing a special tendency in this direction during that period of rapid growth of the sexual apparatus in the early part of the adolescent period. If the enlargement is only moderate, it may disappear, or at least become spontaneously arrested in its growth, in which case it need cause no concern. If these veins, however, dilate until they form a considerable mass, known as VARICOCELE, they may affect the sexual apparatus deleteriously in two ways: (1) The increased weight in the scrotal sac may cause the sac to become elongated and to annoy the subject by its traction on the spermatic cord. This lengthened scrotum with its contents may also be exposed to mechanical pressure or even to injury from the clothing, etc., which would not occur if the scrotal sac were short, holding the testes close to the body. (2) Of far more importance is the danger of the varicocele gradually encroaching by pressure upon the testis, perhaps to cause a partial atrophy of that gland. This condition is a comparatively rare one, and inasmuch as it seldom occurs in both testes, the possibility of causing sterility on the part of a man is remote.

The extension of the scrotum and the "bearing-down" sensation may be relieved through the wearing of a suspensory bandage. Such a bandage may be obtained at any drug store or surgical instrument house, and if properly fitted, will usually relieve any such discomfort as described above. If the varicocele is quite large, the subject will do well to consult a competent surgeon and to take his advice.

5. Is the emptying of the seminal vesicles thru nocturnal emission a universal phenomenon among continent men?

The nocturnal emission is not a universal method of emptying the seminal vesicles. Some continent men never have nocturnal emissions. The reason may be sought in one of two directions: (1) The usual cause of absence of nocturnal emissions is to be found in the fact that in the man in question the seminal vesicles are periodically drained by involuntary diurnal emissions, occurring usually when the individual is at stool. These emissions are likely to occur once in two to four weeks and take the place of the nocturnal emission. (2) Rarely we find virile, continent men whose vesicular secretion is so scanty that they are never conscious of its emission.

6. (a) Should a man who for three to six years of his boyhood practiced masturbation think of wedlock?

(b) If one has not lived a pure life but has reformed, may he ask a pure woman to be his wife?

Such questions as these are very frequently asked and with most serious motives. A vast majority of boys and young men who practice self-abuse, do so either wholly ignorant of the fact that it is wrong or cognizant only in a vague way of the evil of the practice.

To consign a man to the Hades of homelessness and the sorrow of childlessness because through ignorance he lapsed from purity during a few months or years of his life, would be meting out a retribution far in excess of the sin. If nature intended such a retribution to be meted out she would have led the way by causing an atrophy or some other form of disease in the subject who had abused his sexual organs. But nature does not do that. If the young man who, from his twelfth to his eighteenth year, has practiced masturbation, is shown the error of his way and breaks the habit absolutely, nature quickly comes to his rescue and rehabilitates his virility completely, unless he has been guilty of extreme excess in the habit. This rehabilitation of virility after self-abuse is usually experienced in from one to three years, according to the case and the extent of the practice.

The complete mastery of a habit after it has through years been forging its chains about the youth, is in itself no small victory and should go a long way towards extenuating his lapse. The young man who can conquer himself and learn to lead a pure life, free from his early habit and above reproach not only in his acts toward womankind but also in all his thoughts of woman deserves his well-earned reward. He deserves the respect of all pure women and should be able to win the love of one whom he may with clear conscience ask to be his wife, and with whom he may confidently expect to build a typical home.

7. Should a man have intercourse for any purpose other than for procreation?

In the normal course of events, if intercourse is indulged in for procreation only, it would come as often as once, perhaps twice in a month; that is, either just before the menstrual period of the woman or just after, the woman being most easily impregnated at these two periods.

A man who has led a continent life before marriage should have no difficulty in controlling his sexual appetite to that extent. If the sexual intercourse occurs as infrequently as once or twice in a month, the man, by living thus continently, will find it much more easy to maintain his continence during the twelve-month period after his wife becomes pregnant before he can properly have intercourse with her again, than would be the case if he had had sexual relations much more frequently.

That the man desires intercourse much more frequently than as above outlined and that the woman, in the vast majority of cases, does not desire intercourse except for procreation and about as frequently as above indicated is, without any reasonable doubt, due to hereditary tendencies. Under primeval conditions, and in fact, until comparatively recent times, the vast majority of mankind were polygamous, the strong men of the race—those who procreated their kind—having as many wives as they could support and protect, the weak men of the race being crowded aside, sometimes castrated, to become the burden bearers for the strong.

Under conditions of polygamy the woman is rarely subjected to sexual intercourse for other than procreative purposes, and even granting that the man has intercourse for procreation only, if he had twelve wives, he would be having it twelve times as frequently as any one of them. That these experiences on the part of a long line of maternal ancestors should lead the women of today to desire sexual intercourse for procreation only, is easy to understand; that the impulses transmitted along the paternal line of ancestors should lead the men of today to desire intercourse far more frequently than this can, under monogamous conditions be indulged, is also easy to understand.

8. How frequently may sexual intercourse be indulged, in the marriage state?

If one is to overstep the bounds mentioned above, i.e., to indulge in sexual intercourse once or twice in a month for procreation only and not at all during the period of pregnancy and childbed period, the limit is then set, not by strictly normal and anthropological considerations, but by the health of the individuals. The author has seen young married couples who had carried their sexual intercourse to such extremes as seriously to deplete the physical vigor and menace the health of both parties. Just how frequent indulgence will have this effect in any particular case is impossible to say. In some cases twice a week may have this effect; in other cases once in twenty-four hours might be borne for a considerable time. In any case the condition is an unnatural one and is certain to bring a natural retribution in some form—either broken health, or sterility of the wife, and depleted powers of the husband, or weak and sickly children, separated by long intervals.

9. How long is it possible for a young man to waste his vital fluid and yet be able to raise healthy children?

This question cannot be answered in other than most general terms. The author has known one case of a young man who, for several years, practiced masturbation several times a day, so far depleting his powers that he could not walk erect, his muscles were flabby, his testes were very soft and small, his eyes shifty, his hands clammy and his mind incoherent in its working. He seemed to be a candidate for the asylum and would probably have gone there if radical means had not been adopted to break him of the habit. He was broken, however, absolutely, and never performed the act after his nineteenth birthday. Within three years he had completely recovered his virility. He had nearly doubled in weight and in lung capacity and a large part of his increased weight was in great bulk of muscle of high tonicity—muscle which he had gained by heavy physical work upon a ranch. His sexual organs had completely regained their tonicity and without doubt, their virility. He had so far recovered mentally that he finished a course of professional study and entered with great success upon the practice of his chosen profession.

On the other hand, a middle-aged man consulted the author regarding the sterility of his wife. After examination, it was found that the husband had practiced masturbation about twice a week from the age of puberty to his twenty-fourth year, when he was married. He assured the author that at the time of his marriage his testicles were, as far as he had known, similar to the testicles of other young men, and that during his married life he had never had intercourse with his wife more frequently than once in a month, but that during that time he had noticed a gradual atrophy of the testes. At the time of the examination only small atrophied remains of these testes could be discovered. The sterility of the wife was due, without any question, to the absolute impotence of the husband, and so far as the history of the case would suggest, there was no other assignable cause of this impotence than the eight years of masturbation.

From these two cases, it must be evident that no rules can be laid down. In one case the subject recovered fully from a case of extreme masturbation; in the other-case, a habit that would not be called extreme resulted in impotence. It must be evident that the practice is a dangerous one after puberty, as no individual can tell to which of the above cases his may be similar.

10. Granting that masturbation is harmful through loss of semen, is there any compensation for this loss of semen in case of intercourse with a woman?

There is no doubt that an emission of semen following sexual excitement is a draught upon the virile powers of the male animal. If this sexual excitement is the artificial one cultivated by the masturbator, the depletion seems to be more marked than is the case with the normal, natural stimulation incident to sexual intercourse. Some have suggested that the reciprocal influence of the woman can in some way compensate for the vital fluid contributed by the male. It is hardly likely that such a reciprocal influence is other than psychical, but that is certainly sufficient to account for any difference in these two forms of sexual gratification.

Nature calls upon the male animal to make a contribution for procreation, which contribution is, always has been, and, in the very nature of the case, always must be a certain tax upon the powers of the male animal. When the intercourse is indulged for procreation only, the male animal can well afford to make the contribution. Even with that, the contribution which the male makes to procreation is incomparably less depleting for him than are the contributions which the female makes for her.

11. Will vital fluid flow with every sexual intercourse?

If vital fluid is present, and if the sexual intercourse is carried to the point of causing an orgasm, there would, in all normal conditions, be an emission of semen or "vital fluid."

12. Is there any way to regulate intercourse so as to control the sex of the offspring?

While there are many theories upon this subject no one of them is generally accepted by medical men.

13. Will an intense and continuous desire on the part of a young man for sexual intercourse cause a loss of seminal fluid?An intense and continuous desire for sexual intercourse will, without question, cause an active secretion on the part of the testes, an increased secretion on the part of the seminal vesicles and an active secretion on the part of the prostate gland and of Cowper's glands. The secretion from Cowper's glands will make its way along the urethra and appear at the opening of that duct, probably soiling the linen of the subject. The accumulated semen from the other glands will tend rather to aggravate than allay the sexual desires. Such a condition of the sexual apparatus is likely to cause a nocturnal emission, relieving this tension and emptying the gorged gland ducts. If the nocturnal emission does not occur, the sexual desires are certain to return to occupy the waking hours more or less completely. If the nocturnal emission does occur, it will carry away not alone the vesicular secretion, but also more or less of the nascent spermatozoa and other constituents of the vital fluid. Seasons of intense and prolonged sexual excitement are in a high degree inimical to continence, and even though the subject does not fully submit to his inclination, his nocturnal emissions, which are likely to come frequently, carry away the product of the testicular secretion, thereby depleting to a certain extent, his virility. It is hardly necessary to urge the importance of resisting these onslaughts of sexual passion in their very incipiency.

14. How may the habit of masturbation best be brought under control?The first thing to accomplish is the purification of the thoughts. The most effective way to purify the thoughts is to divert them to a pure and strictly non-sexual subject—e.g., pure mathematics. The young man who is trying to break this habit will do well to follow very closely the rather strenuous regime outlined under hygiene in the body of the book. If his condition is complicated because of the presence of a very long loose foreskin, he will be wise to have this removed by the simple operation of circumcision. If he should awake in the night and feel the temptation to resort to his old habit, he should resist the temptation in its first stage and instantly put his mind on some subject quite foreign to his sexual apparatus. If he does not succeed by force of will in diverting his mind from himself, the best thing to do is to arise, dress and walk. If walking will not do it let him run, and keep moving in the open air, under God's blue sky until he is so tired he can hardly put one foot before the other. Then if he will retire to his room, he will probably have no further difficulty at that time.

15. What influence has dancing upon the young man's solution of his sexual problems?

It hardly seems possible that a virile, husky young man, in his early twenties, could be subjected for several hours to the conditions of the modern dance hall, where he is brought into very close physical contact with young women, dressed to expose their secondary sexual features, perfumed to excite in a man his hereditary sexual instincts; held so close to his partner in the round dance that he is conscious of every movement of her limbs, and all of these under the influence of artificial light and music—I say, it is hardly possible for a virile young man to be subjected to all these conditions without experiencing an extreme sexual excitement. That such an experience often repeated not only does not simplify the young man's problem, but seriously complicates it is not a matter of doubt on the part of anyone who has studied these problems. All specialists in this field, without a single exception, concur in the belief that the dance is a device of the devil so far as the young man is concerned. That the young women are, for the most part, quite innocent of the effect of all these conditions upon their young men friends is also believed by those who have studied the problem. If they were conscious of it, a large majority of them would not longer consent to be the party to such unfortunate conditions. The Square Dance, the Virginia Reel and similar dances of the times of our grandparents are not remotely to be compared in this matter with the modern Round Dance.

16. May lost Virility be regained by use of "Remedies" or medicines of any kind?

No. Positively and absolutely, No. Many such nostrums are advertised in the public prints. Many are sold by charlatans and quacks. No reputable physician would hold out to his patient the hope that any drug could bring back lost manhood.Lost manhood or lost virility may be regained by right living only. The prescription for right living is as follows: Live a continent life and follow a strenuous and sane regime of personal hygiene, such as outlined in chapter V above.

17. Is the production of semen modified by nutrition?

The production of semen is greatly modified by the state of nutrition. Remember in this connection that semen is partly from the testes (Spermatozoa) and partly from the vesicles and prostate. The formation and release of spermatozoa is only slightly modified by the condition of nutrition; while the rate of secretion from the vesicles is greatly modified in quantity. This accounts for the fact that well nourished men who eat heavily are very likely to experience frequent nocturnal emissions, when living continently.