THE EVILS OF BICYCLE RIDING IN GROWING BOYS
T. E. C. Jr. M.D.
Dr. S. A. K. Strahan, a most proper Victorian, reached the following conclusions on what he believed were the evil effects of bicycle riding on young boys: The pressure upon the perineum whether it be continuous and increased at every jolt, or whether it be made up of jolts alone, must be injurious. It causes irritation and congestion of the prostate and surrounding parts, tends to exhaust and cause atrophy of the delicate muscles of the perineum, and also calls the boy's attention to the organs of generation, and so lead to a great increase in masturbation in the timid, to early sexual indulgence in the more venturesome and ultimately to early impotence in both. For support of the latter conclusion the "disease of the Scythians" and the impotence among the Tartars from horse-back riding are cited.
