How Virility Is Destroyed

THERE are two classes of sexual disorders in men, the venereal diseases or
infections on the one hand, and the various sexual weaknesses and disturbances of
function on the other. Through proper instruction and right living both, however, may
be avoided. In this and the chapters immediately following we will consider the
various special weaknesses of men and the disorders associated with them, after
which we will take up the infectious complaints referred to.

The prevalence of sexual weaknesses is one of the most amazing conditions with
which our civilization is threatened. Everywhere one finds great numbers of men
lacking in the first essential of manhood—virility. To just what extent weaknesses of
this kind prevail it is impossible to say, because owing to their private nature there is
great difficulty in obtaining information upon which to base an estimate. Some
investigators, however, after many years of study, have come to the conclusion that
at least half of the people in this country are suffering from some degree of sexual
weakness or disorder, either mild or severe. Naturally, I cannot venture an opinion as
to whether or not such an estimate is correct, but it is probable that it is near the
truth, and is rather an understatement than an exaggeration. The medical quacks
find here a profitable field in which to enrich themselves.

In considering this lack, or lessening, of virility, often called “lost manhood,” the first
need is to understand its causes. If the cause or causes can be discovered in each
individual case, it simplifies the problem of finding the correct remedial treatment,
which of course must include the removal of these causes.

Virility, like health, is natural, and a natural life invariably means virility and all the
superb mental and physical qualities associated there-with. Impairment or loss of
virility is, in every instance, the result of an unnatural life, involving abuses or
excesses of various kinds. The influences tending to destroy virility may be of two
kinds, those which directly affect the generative system and those which indirectly
affect it through lowering the tone of the entire bodily organism. In other words, virility
is affected on the one hand by abuses of the generative system itself, and on the
other hand by abuses of the body as a whole, as for instance through the use of
alcohol or tobacco.

A point which cannot be emphasized too strongly is that loss of virility is not a
condition which concerns merely the sexual organs, but one that means also a loss
of energy and impairment of function throughout the whole body, involving, in most
instances, a failing of mental faculties. Nothing indicates this more clearly than the
difficulty of mental concentration in hard, sustained work that is experienced by those
suffering in a marked degree from weaknesses of this type. The loss of memory that
follows too frequent seminal drains shows very plainly the relation of virility and
healthy sexuality to mental vigor. Accordingly those afflicted with such weaknesses
should make every effort to overcome them not merely for the sake of an improved
sexual condition, but for the sake of their general health, physical and mental, as
well, and in order that they may. attain the very greatest success in life.
Remember that the generative system is not an isolated organism, something apart
from the rest of the body, but is closely’ related to every other part of it, its
connection with the nervous system being especially intimate. I emphasize this point
because so many are inclined to take a narrow view of the subject, not recognizing
this relation-ship. And just as influences which lower the vitality of the body as a
whole tend to destroy one’s sexual power, so the special abuses of the sexual
system weaken the entire system.

Masturbation is undoubtedly the first and most important of all the causes of sexual
weakness. Not only, is it the active cause of trouble in by far the greater number of
cases, but it is especially serious because it commonly begins earlier in life than
other abuses. Owing to the importance of this. particular practice in causing both
sexual and general debility I shall devote a special chapter to it. If this one evil could
be eliminated it would save literally millions of men from sexual weakness and the
generally lowered vitality that accompanies it.

Sexual excesses of any kind, whether within or without the sphere of marriage, tend
to weaken and destroy virility. There is an old-fashioned idea that inasmuch as the
marriage ceremony sanctions the sexual relation free indulgence therein between
persons who have been united by that ceremony is perfectly proper. But excess is
no less a crime against Nature because legalized by the marriage certificate.
Whether within or without the marriage bond it is immoral, and destructive of sexual
perfection. Unfortunately, as I have pointed out in some of the preceding chapters,
sexual excesses in marriage appear to be the rule rather than the exception, with the
result that there are many unhappy marriages and many debilitated men and
women. However, I have already covered most of the practical aspects of this side of
the question.

The effect of venereal disease in causing a permanent weakening of the sexual

function de-serves special attention for the reason that such results are overlooked
in most cases. Gonorrhea is especially destructive. Yet most people are accustomed
to think of it simply as a local and temporary disorder which can be easily cured,
leaving one’s condition just as good as it was before. Even when the effects of
gonorrhea in causing sterility—unsexing operations upon women and blindness in
babies—are known, it is still supposed by the ordinary man that after the disease has
been cured in his own case he will be through with its effects, and as good a man as
ever. It is for this reason that I would emphasize the fact that if the disease has once
become deep-seated, a man will probably never be quite the same after an attack of
gonorrhea. A mild attack, which is confined to the anterior urethra, usually works no
permanent injury, but where the infection has penetrated to the deeper structures the
effects may remain even after the actual disease has been overcome. When the
testicles, or their adjacent parts, have been invaded, the inflammation (epididymitis
or orchitis) commonly results in sterility, as is well known, but this impaired condition
of these essential glands is likely also to affect one’s sexual power in every respect.
Also by causing inflammation of the prostate gland or congestion of the posterior.
urethra, this infection may cause varying degrees of weakness such as that known
as prematurity, or even impotence.

There are some men who are uninfluenced by moral considerations of any kind, and
who will not be frightened into good behavior by the prospect of an infection which
they believe will cause temporary inconvenience only, but who would be keenly alive
to any danger which seemed to threaten them with impotence, or any weakness
tending in that direction. To such as these this question of the relation of venereal
disease to lessened or lost virility is recommended for special consideration. ,

There are various abnormal and unnatural practices which are just as harmful as
masturbation, in some instances even more so, and which may even be classed with
masturbation.

Among these are unnatural methods of inter-course, which, if long continued, tend to
bring on either impotence or other serious weaknesses associated with congestion
of the prostate gland and other parts of the generative system. The most widespread
of these practices is coitus interruptus, often spoken of as “withdrawal.” This consists
in terminating the sexual relation just previous to the climax, or moment of highest in-
tensity. This naturally involves a severe shock to the nerve centers concerned and
cannot fail to be injurious both locally and to the general system. It is debilitating to
the man, but it is usually an outrage upon the woman. The relation, if entered into at
all, should be carried through in an absolutely natural manner, resulting in the
orgasm or climax being experienced by both husband and wife. If this does not
occur, then it is devitalizing in its effect. Men who practice this method of intercourse
for a term of years gradually experience a lessening of power, the ejaculation either
being retarded or becoming more and more premature, and also develop a train of
symptoms characteristic of nervous disorders as well as digestive and other
functional disturbances.

Another injurious practice is the attempt to prolong the marital act beyond natural
limits. The direct effect of this is to bring about a serious congestion of all the parts
concerned, though it is probably most exhausting to the nerve centers involved. Of
course the sexual act can only be prolonged by stopping it from time to time. Even
then, if it is finally terminated in a natural manner, the result is not so bad as when
the attempt is made to avoid the orgasm entirely. This is thoroughly unnatural and
invariably harmful in the long run. Yet not only has this method been practiced by the
members of the Oneida Community and by many others, but there are still some
writers who advocate it, on the theory that by conserving vital energy through the
retention of the seminal fluid it pro-longs life. There has been so much trash and
nonsense written and thought about sexual matters: that it is a safe plan for the
average reader to beware of any unscientific teachings upon the subject.

If one wishes to conserve vital energy by avoiding the waste of the spermatic fluid,
then the way to do it is to live a continent life, free from sexual excitement of any
kind. Or, if not a completely celibate life, one in which temperance in the marital
relation results naturally from obedience to a wife’s normal instincts, as suggested in
previous chapters. To avoid waste of this fluid it is not necessary to practice absolute
continence, and certainly there can be no advantage in achieving such an end by the
sexually exciting and yet unnatural practice of engaging in sexual relation-ships in
which the orgasm is suppressed. The harm done to the nervous centers, under such
conditions, and the congestion of the parts will more than offset the fancied
advantage of retaining the seminal fluid. If the passions have been aroused to the
extent of demanding the sexual act, and if it has been entered into, then it should be
concluded naturally.
Ungratified passion undoubtedly has a weakening effect in the course of time, and
for this reason it is the height of folly—when it is impossible to gratify naturally the
passions likely to be aroused—to persist in close personal intimacy with one of the
opposite sex, with much fondling and caressing. I have referred to this in the chapter
on “Love Making and Its Dangers,” and it applies particularly to prolonged
engagements in which the parties concerned take many personal liberties with each
other in the way of ardent kissing and “spooning.” An occasional experience of this
kind would have comparatively little effect upon a healthy organism, but when it is
repeated day after day for an extended period of time, it is weakening and
destructive in the extreme. If the man finally marries, he ,will be likely to find himself
suffering from prematurity or even more serious weakness. If passion can-not be
gratified it should not be aroused.

Whether continence is harmful or not—a question which has been very widely
discussed, with much difference of opinion—depends almost entirely upon whether
or not one can live a life comparatively free from sexual excitement. If one can avoid
sexual stimulation, it is both easy and beneficial to live a completely continent life.
But if one has very strong sexual instincts and one’s passions are frequently
aroused, then continuous abstinence would not only be difficult but unsatisfactory in
its influence on the general health.

To avoid sexual excitement it is not alone necessary to avoid the physical intimacies
above mentioned. Erotic thoughts will do just as much harm, and after the habit of
stimulating the sexual centers mentally has once been formed it is likely to be very
persistent and insidious in its influence. This sensual state of mind keeps the sex
centers in a state of constant excitement and the organs concerned in a state of
congestion. It leads to prostate trouble, urethral congestion and irritability, varicocele,
and a general weakening of the entire function. This habit can best be described by
the term, “mental masturbation,” and the fact is that after a time, as a result of its
weakening effect, it becomes possible for the victim to induce an emission merely
through his thoughts. Of course this indicates that he has reached a condition of
serious weakness.

The general bodily influences which tend to destroy virility may be said to include
almost everything that lowers vitality and weakens the body as a whole, and
particularly anything that acts as a poison to the system.

Alcohol is regarded by many men in the medical profession as a sexual stimulant,

but there is nothing more destructive of reproductive integrity in the long run. Without
doubt its stimulating quality is only apparent, the result of a lessening of the moral
sense, or the natural restraint which would be exercised in a normal and sober
condition. Any sense of delicacy in behavior which one may possess is blunted
through the influence of alcohol, and without doubt its reputation as a sexual
stimulant is due largely to this fact.

Not only are the children of alcoholic fathers constitutionally weak, or prone to
nervous and mental deficiencies, epilepsy and lunacy, but the direct result upon the
drinker himself is a tendency toward impotence, greater or less according to the
extent of his indulgence in intoxicants. It is true that some constitutions can stand a
great deal more abuse than others, and in some cases one may imagine that the use
of alcohol or tobacco is not doing any harm. But if so, it is only because their evil
effects are not at first so pronounced as to be apparent, or because one’s
perceptions are blunted. Sooner or later their harmfulness will be manifested
unmistakably. The fact is that in a great many cases of chronic alcoholism the
victims are absolutely and permanently impotent. It is obvious that if the extended
use of this poison will bring about this result, even a moderate or small indulgence
must have a weakening effect upon the sex function.

There is a widespread notion that the so-called lighter alcoholic beverages, such as
beer and wine, are comparatively harmless. There are some writers who even
advocate a freer use of these as a means of doing away with the use of spirits. The
“prohibition” movement in France is directed only against the sale of spirituous
liquors, there being no hope of curtailing the sale or use of wines and beers, and
perhaps no desire to do so. The truth is, that the lighter alcoholic beverages are
likely to do just as much harm as the heavier beverages, because of the greater
quantity consumed. One is likely to secure just as much alcohol in a large glass of
beer, with its four and one-half per cent. of the poison, as in a very small portion of
some spirit, with its forty or fifty per cent. of alcohol. It all depends upon the size of
the portion. One great disadvantage of beer and wine is the tendency to use them
regularly. It is known to life insurance actuaries and other students of the subject that
the “moderate” indulgence which so many persons think harmless is the very worst
form of alcoholism, because it is so often “regular.” The continuous, daily use of
alcohol, however moderate, under-mines the system and does most harm.
Occasional actual drunkenness, with more or less extended intervals of complete
sobriety, will do less harm to the liver, kidneys, heart and arteries than “regular,
moderate” indulgence. And the same rule would doubtless apply to the reproductive
system. Some authorities declare that beer is the most injurious of all intoxicants so
far as the sexual function is concerned.

I know of no condition for which I can emphatically endorse the use of alcoholic
liquors of any kind, though I must admit that some have been called to my attention
in which it has been alleged that the use of wine and beer has been of advantage. In
nearly all instances of this kind, however, the advantage, if any, has come from the
increased use of liquid that was taken, rather than because of the alcoholic character
of the drink, and in fact, in spite of the alcoholic character of the drink. As I have
often said, many people following a sedentary occupation do not consume sufficient
liquid. They gradually acquire the habit of avoiding water. The system needs an
abundance of liquid. Such people should take especial pains to cultivate the habit of
drinking more water. It is a good thing to have a glass of water standing near at hand
as a constant reminder.

If one is in the habit of depending upon a mild alcoholic stimulant, and is not able to
cease its use altogether, it is often a good thing to weaken gradually the alcoholic
strength of the drink. For instance, if you are in the habit of using wine, make it half
water; then make it three quarters, and in this way gradually eliminate the alcohol
while you can still secure the benefit of consuming a considerable amount of liquid. I
have known many examples where the alcohol habit has been broken in this
manner, for after a while, one can dispense with the wine, but can continue to take a
sufficient amount of water to meet the necessities of the physical system.
Many writers have commented upon the curious effect of alcohol in both increasing
the sexual appetite and diminishing the capacity for its satisfaction. It is hardly
necessary to do more than refer to the facts that rape, like most other crimes, is
commonly committed under the influence of alcohol, and that the groggery and the
brothel are usually found together. From this it does not follow that alcohol is a
sexual stimulant, as I have already pointed out. The supposedly stimulating effect of
alcohol on the sexual system is due largely to the fact that it first of all attacks the
higher brain centers, thus lessening the power of inhibition, and naturally turning
loose all of the most primitive animal impulses, even though the power of satisfying
these desires may be either impaired or entirely lost for the time. On the one hand,
alcohol causes young men to forfeit their self-respect and perhaps their health in
houses of prostitution, young women to lose their virtue, and husbands and wives to
commit adultery; on the other hand, it makes the sexual relation unsatisfactory,
difficult or even impossible. Truly, no one can afford to indulge in a habit- of this –
kind, whether the subject is regarded from the standpoint of morality and decency,
physical and sexual integrity, or from that of the epicure.

I once received is letter from a woman asking advice in reference to her husband,
whom she described as having been completely impotent for some years, though he
was not over thirty. In detailing the case she referred to the fact that he smoked
excessively, drank regularly every evening while playing cards, and took no physical
exercise whatever. What should he do? It was no wonder that he was impotent.
There may have been other causes for this result in the beginning, perhaps in the
form of masturbation or excesses, but it would certainly have been hopeless for him
to expect any improvement in his condition so long as he continued to use these
narcotic poisons, no matter what treatment he might adopt.

Tobacco is one of the greatest of all foes to virility, because of its extensive use by
millions of men. The effect is not so immediate as in the use of other poisons, but in
the long run it has a most depressing effect upon the procreative function and
without doubt is, in many instances, the main cause for sexual weakness or
impotence. In all medical works tobacco is listed among the most important
anaphrodisiacs, or agents for allaying the sexual desire and lowering the function. I
have even known medical writers to advocate the use of tobacco in combating a
habit like masturbation, just as they sometimes prescribe the bromides for this
purpose. This is only corroborative evidence of the destructive effect of this alkaloid
poison. When nicotine, the active principle of tobacco, is abstracted in its pure form,
it is, perhaps next to prussic acid, the most rapidly fatal poison known. Of course in
smoking one gets a very small amount of it, and the system is poisoned only
gradually, but none the less the harm is done, and any man who values his
reproductive vigor, and certainly one who wishes to overcome any weakness in this
respect, should absolutely avoid the tobacco habit. Nicotine is a gastric irritant, it
causes an undue flow of saliva, which is naturally a drain upon the system, it affects
the vision, the heart, the lungs, the muscles, and especially it has a numbing effect
upon the brain and nerves. No one can use tobacco freely and persistently and still
retain steadiness or strength of nerves, and this is just as much true of mental
keenness and sexual strength. It is true that many clever and capable men use
tobacco freely, but there is no doubt that in all such cases they could do even better
work and far more of it if their systems were free from the influence of this chronic
narcotic poisoning.
Drugs and stimulants of all kinds are, similarly destructive to virility. There are certain
drugs which are supposed to be sexually stimulating, but in the end they will be
found to be injurious. Remember that anything which over-stimulates the sexual
centers will only tend to exhaust them the sooner. Among physicians strychnine is a
favorite drug for stimulating the sexual system in certain types of disorders, but some
of the best authorities in this field are convinced that, strychnine is ultimately
destructive to a man’s potency. Likewise, in small doses morphine and cocaine are
thought to stimulate the sexual centers, and yet we find that those who use these
drugs habitually and extensively are almost invariably impotent.

There are other drugs which are immediately depressing in their effect upon the
generative system, just as is tobacco. Most prominent among these are the
bromides, but the list also includes potassium iodid, potassium nitrate, chloral,
camphor, arsenic, belladonna and many others. In fact, all poisonous drugs and
stimulants have a weakening effect in this particular direction, just as they are
harmful to the body as a whole. So far as I know there has never been any ex-
tended or detailed study of the effect of tea and coffee on the sexual function, but in
view of the effect of caffeine upon the nerves and the general health I cannot doubt
that the reproductive system is weakened to a certain extent by the extensive use of
these beverages. The trouble is that the whole subject is obscure and it is difficult, in
the very nature of things, to investigate it. It is well known that caffeine is much used
by women, some of them drinking tea in almost unlimited quantities, and it appears
to me that this fact probably has a great deal to do with the prevalence of what is
called “frigidity” in women.

Some physicians have estimated that from twenty-five to fifty per cent. of women are
deficient in their sex sensibilities, though it is impossible to make any definite
statements on this point. Certainly the condition is fairly common. We must
remember also that where there are likely to be various other factors contributory to
this condition it is difficult to isolate any special cause, such as tea drinking. Yet in
view of the effect of other drugs, and the general health-destroying effect of caffeine,
I can see no reason why it should not act upon the reproductive system just as do
other drugs.

And while we are talking about the effect of drugs in producing impotence or sexual
weakness, it should be said that medical literature has much to answer for in this
respect. It is true that the greater burden of blame falls upon medical quacks, but the
fact is that standard medical works are quite as apt as the quack to advise treatment
which robs the patient of what little vigor he may still have had when he applied for
relief. I have had any number of letters from men telling of their experiences with
medical treatment, and pointing out that after a course of medication, usually the
taking of bromides, their power steadily declined, complete impotence being the
outcome in many cases.

The use of the bromides is always to be condemned. It is undisputed that they are
sexually depressing. For this reason they are employed in many cases to check the
tendency toward masturbation and also to prevent excessive night losses. They
actually do produce results in such cases. But how? Simply by paralyzing and
destroying the sex function. If their use is continued long enough, they will “cure”
masturbation and night losses by producing impotence and sexlessness. I may say
that the better-informed and more careful specialists use these remedies with
caution, and only when they find what seems to be occasion for reducing extreme
activity and excitability of the organs and nerve-centers involved. When any
pronounced weakness is present they will not use them ‘ at all. They know better.
But under such conditions there is always weakness, and it must always be
dangerous to use such methods. Besides, they are unnecessary. Cold water and
other treatment will produce the same results. A prolonged cold pack to the spine will
have the desired depressing effect. Many physicians, however, regard the bromides
as established remedies to be used universally in sexual troubles, and prescribe
them, in almost any kind of a case, with disastrous results.

Then how can the sufferer avoid mistakes? Certainly not by using the ordinary
medical methods. Many books are now published upon the subject of “sex hygiene,”
and a large number of them are written by physicians. Practically always these
books advise the young man to avoid quacks, but to “go to his family physician” in
case of trouble. The “family phyician” is held up as an infallible authority in matters of
this kind, but in some cases he is as ignorant as the layman. Don’t go to your family
physician unless he can treat you without the aid of drugs that must ultimately have a
damaging effect.

The medical profession as a whole has never given much study to the subject of
sexual weakness. For a long period venereal diseases were practically ignored,
perhaps on the theory that the victim deserved punishment for his moral
transgressions. But while as much attention is now given to venereal as to other
diseases, the same cannot be said of other sexual disorders. The great reason why
quacks and charlatans have been able practically to take possession of this field is
that the reputable members of the profession know but little about it and have
ignored it. Your family physician in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred will advise you
to get married in order to cure a condition of complete unfitness for marriage,
apparently ignoring the, fact that such an alliance is nothing more than a fraud and
an outrage so far as the woman in the case is concerned. In some instances he will
advise marriage only as a last resort, upon finding that his “treatment” has failed to
benefit. “I can do nothing for you. The best thing you can do now is to get married.”
And a man is fortunate in-deed if, after a course of medical treatment, he does not
find that he is infinitely worse off than he was before.

All this may be a diversion from the subject of the effect of drugs in destroying virility,
but the use of the bromides is so nearly universal in the treatment of these disorders,
and physicians are likely to do so much harm in this way, that it is important that the
reader should be properly warned. The only safe plan is not only to steer clear of the
more powerful drugs and poisons, but to avoid even the milder stimulants and
narcotics. Certainly, manhood and all that goes with it in the way of nerve-force,
mental energy, ambition, courage and its various other psychic characteristics, is
worth infinitely more than the small effort required to avoid such influences.

All bodily influences of a debilitating nature tend to lessen virility. Anything that
lowers vitality or weakens the constitution cannot fail to have some injurious effect
upon reproductive strength. Nerve-strain, especially, has a weakening effect, and
many years of mental overwork, such as is conducive to neurasthenia, may be the
cause of serious weakness in the sex function or even of partial impotence.
Naturally, we must distinguish between overwork and hard work, for a healthy, virile
man, living under right conditions, can do a prodigious amount of hard mental work
and still remain vigorous. Hard work does not hurt one. Under proper conditions it is
the very best thing for one. But when it is carried too far, when the bodily health is
not conserved by daily periods of exercise and outdoor life, when a man loses sleep
year after year through working day and night, and especially when his labors are
carried on in the face of worries and trials that involve excessive nerve-strain, the
system will eventually break down, and virility will suffer at the same time.

Physical overwork is not so very common, and in no case is it so injurious as mental

overwork, but physical overwork is likewise detrimental, as in the case of the man
who begins his toil long before the sun rises and continues it into the evening.
Physical overwork, or the daily and repeated expenditure of energy beyond the
power of the organism to restore the loss, the continuous forcing of oneself to a state
of fatigue from which one cannot quite recover, means in time the weakening of the
kidneys, the overtaxing of the liver, the degeneration of the arteries and the
premature aging of the various other organs. Men who live to a very great old age
are usually professional men or others who have not injured themselves by working
to excess.

Underwork is a condition likewise unfavorable to the highest degree of virility, for the
reason that with too much loafing the body as a whole deteriorates, and all the
organs suffer in common. It is only when living an active life that one can be at one’s
best. Vigorous exercise, or good hard work each day, both physical and mental, are
highly desirable both for one’s general welfare and reproductive strength. A great
objection to underwork, too, is that idleness, in the case of one lacking in character,
permits the mind to dwell too much upon erotic fancies. Also, in some instances, the
failure to use the energy of the body in legitimate ways sometimes leads the idler to
divert an unnecessary and undesirable amount of it to sexual channels.

Furthermore, underwork favors the accumulation of flesh. Obesity is seldom a

favorable sexual indication. Fat often accompanies senility, and its accumulation in
men previous to middle age usually means a loss of much of that energy and power
both of mind and body that go with virility at its best. The vigorously sexed man is
usually hard and rugged. There are exceptions to this rule, as when a man carries a
moderate amount of fat and is still full of energy, apparently as active and quick and
strong as ever. We have all known such men. But fat accumulated beyond this point,
and accompanied by the phlegmatic tendencies of the obese generally, usually
means a loss of virility. Keep strong, keep active, keep hard and vigorous.

Social dissipations, especially when they involve much excitement, are as bad as, or
worse, than mental overwork. It is all a question of the amount of nerve-strain
involved. Late hours and excitement are among the very worst of dissipations. It
used to be thought that dissipation meant smoking, drinking and other immoral
behavior, but one can be dissipated while doing none of these objectionable things,
simply because one is wasting one’s forces. Novels and plays of an exciting, stirring
character, too much indulged in, have a decidedly weakening effect. The same is
true of worry and other depressing mental states. I do not mean to say that a short
period of worry, in the case of one possessing vigorous sexual health, will have the
effect of producing any material disorder, but it is true that a state of worry and
mental depression, continued over a long period of time, will not only undermine the
health generally but the reproductive system as will. Sexual weaknesses are a
common source of worry. Many cases of impotence are of a “psychic” character, the
result of long brooding or worrying over weaknesses or mistakes of the past, until the
victim is unable to utilize even such strength as he may possess. But the more he
worries over it the worse the condition be-comes. This, however, is a matter to be
taken up in detail later.

An appreciation of these various causes of sexual weakness will enable the reader
to judge somewhat of the requirements of his own case. To know the cause of the
trouble is half the battle. In most cases of impaired or lost virility favorable results
may be expected by avoiding the causes of the weakness in the future, and by
building up the body and increasing vitality. Definite results cannot be promised in all
cases, for the results will, to a certain extent, depend upon the character of the
abuses to which one’s body has been subjected, and the extent to which they have
been carried. Nature will work wonders, however, if given a chance, and the
methods which I will outline in the following chapters have accomplished remarkable
results in the cases of thousands of sufferers from these various disorders.