cases,
as a rule, sexual gratification only adds fuel to the fire, and the
woman's demands may become more and more frequent, more and more
insistent. In exceptional cases it may even reach the intensity of
nymphomania. In such cases the aid of a tactful physician is
indispensable.

Change of Life in Men

To people not familiar with the subject it sounds rather strange to
speak of "change of life" in men.

Man, possessing no menstrual function, cannot have any menopause, but
still sexologists and psychologists who have studied the subject
carefully are convinced that between the ages of forty-five and
fifty-five men also undergo a certain change which may be spoken of as
the change of life or the male climacteric.

They become irritable, capricious, very susceptible to feminine
charms, are apt to fall in love, and in many the sexual instinct is
greatly increased. As in women, this increase of the sexual desire is
sometimes due to pathologic causes, such as an inflamed prostate
gland--in other cases it is of psychic origin.

Just as a man should be particularly kind and considerate to his wife
during her menopause, so the wife, understanding that her husband is
going through a critical period, will also increase her tact, patience
and consideration.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE HABIT OF MASTURBATION

Definition of Masturbation--Its Injurious Effects in Girls as
Compared with Boys--Married Life of the Girl Masturbator--
Necessity for Change in Injurious Attitude of Parents who Discover
the Habit--Common-sense Treatment of the Habit--How to Prevent
Formation of Habit--Parents' Advice to Children--Hot Baths as
Factor in Masturbation--Other Physical Factors--Mental
Masturbation and Its Effects.

Masturbation or self-abuse is a term applied to a bad habit which
consists in handling and rubbing the genitals. It is a bad habit
because it is apt to injure the health and future development of the
girl. The more frequently it is practiced, the more injurious it is.
It is more injurious than when practiced by boys, because the effects
are usually more permanent. Girls who indulge in the habit of
masturbation to excess not only weaken themselves, become anemic and
get a dingy, pimply complexion, but they lose their desire for normal
sexual relations when they grow up, and are unable to derive any
pleasure from the sexual act when they get married. In fact, many
girls who masturbated excessively get a s