One of the most unusual items I’ve sold in recent years was an exceptionally rare Dutch prospectus issued by the Amsterdam-based company Godefroy & Co. around 1825.
Located at Warmoesstraat 129, the company specialized in producing belts designed to treat hernias.
The prospectus features detailed illustrations of several of these belts and includes extensive text discussing the causes and treatment of hernias. However, what makes this document particularly intriguing is the device introduced on its final two pages: a so-called "Insurance Corset, against self-pollution or onanism," specifically aimed at students.
Before describing the corset, the prospectus vividly outlines the alleged catastrophic consequences of masturbation:
"Lethargy and emaciation, sallow sunken face, weak, hollow, red, watery eyes, foul breath, wasting, pains in all parts, tremors, spasms and convulsions, epilepsy, pain in the pit of the stomach and under the short ribs, shortness of breath and vomiting, weakness in the loins, fatigue, hoarseness, dull voice, even loss of speech, inability to retain urine, dizziness, deafness, sleep sickness and restless sleep, palpitations, wasting of the limbs, spitting of blood and lung disease, and all possible ailments, sometimes a sudden but more often a slow and miserable death."
The only solution to prevent these catastrophic results was, of course, the corset by Godefroy & Co. It was designed to fit so tightly around the upper and lower body that it rendered it impossible to touch the genitals, while still allowing freedom of movement for the hands and legs. Interestingly, the prospectus omits any explanation of how the wearer was supposed to relieve themselves while using the corset.
Below are some images of the prospectus.
Comments