,
4 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Biggest perverts in history: moralizing authors of late-19th c. anti-bicycle medical literature.
The Medical Age, Nov 1897 calls for criminalization of tandem bike-riding, which puts "a girl at puberty bent forward...& right behind her a fellow in a jumping bullfrog position."
The Medical Age, Nov 1897 calls for criminalization of tandem bike-riding, which puts "a girl at puberty bent forward...& right behind her a fellow in a jumping bullfrog position."
"Bicycling for Women from the Standpoint of the Gynecologist," 1895: the bicycle saddle may be tilted by the rider so as to create "constant friction over the clitoris and labia," a practice which fosters the "horrible habit...of masturbation."
1895: "Have we not sexual troubles enough on our hands without opening Pandora's box and hauling out a bike?" Dr. Henry B. Evans decries the menace of the bicycle, which may "render a young and pure girl conscious of her sexual formation."
FWIW “scorch attitude” in 1st tweet refers specifically to the hunched posture of a “scorcher,” period slang for a reckless speed demon cyclist. In other words, it’s a reference to being bent over the handlebars while pedaling. (Admittedly it’s also an awesome sex euphemism.)
