Even more significantly, he has discovered that there has been only
one real attempt to test the hypothesis scientifically
.
Writing of masturbation in their Adolescent Development and Ad-
justment (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1965), Lester C. and Alice
Crow conclude: “The effects of this form of sex perversion are not yet
fully known.”
Dr. David Horrobin, an M.D. and Ph.D. from Oxford University,
states:
“The amount of zinc in semen is such that one ejac-
ulation may get rid of all the zinc that can be absorbed
from the intestines in one day. This has a number of
consequences. Unless the amount lost is replaced by an
increased dietary intake, repeated ejaculation may lead
to a real zinc deficiency with various problems develop-
ing, including impotence. “It is even possible, given the
importance of zinc
[270]
for the brain, that 19th century moralists were correct
when they said that repeated masturbation could make one
mad!”—Zinc (Vitabooks: St. Albans, Vermont, 1981), p.
8.
This statement is similar to that made by Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D.,
M.D., in his book on zinc. He declares:
“We hate to say it, but in a zinc-deficient adoles-
cent, sexual excitement and excessive masturbation might
precipitate insanity.”—Zinc and Other Micro-nutrients
(Keats: New Canaan, Conn., 1978), p. 45.
Not all medical authorities would agree with these conclusions,
yet it is significant that there are some whose study and research have
led them to opinions which are compatible with the teachings of Ellen
White
.
See
Child Guidance, 439-456
, for further information on this sub-
ject.