Kellogg’s Corn Flakes was invented as a way to stop children from masturbating. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg felt that bland foods would curb sexual appetite. The theory must have not been quite right, because although a lot of corn flakes were sold, the kids kept doing what kids will do.
Dr. Kellogg was a man obsessed with speaking and acting out against masturbation. In fact, he went much farther than just talking about it. As a medical doctor, he badly abused his power, and young patients, as is evidenced in the following quotes:
“A remedy which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anesthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment, as it may well be in some cases. The soreness which continues for several weeks interrupts the practice, and if it had not previously become too firmly fixed, it may be forgotten and not resumed.”
A method of treatment [to prevent masturbation]: “…and we have employed it with entire satisfaction. It consists in the application of one or more silver sutures in such a way as to prevent erection. The prepuce, or foreskin, is drawn forward over the glans, and the needle to which the wire is attached is passed through from one side to the other. After drawing the wire through, the ends are twisted together, and cut off close. It is now impossible for an erection to occur, and the slight irritation thus produced acts as a most powerful means of overcoming the disposition to resort to the practice.”