Sexual Armor

In 1908, Ellen E. Perkins of Beaver Bay, Minnesota, was appalled the side effects of masturbation (which was actually a vast improvement over the accepted medical view a few decades earlier)

It is a deplorable but well known fact that one of the most common causes of insanity, imbecility and feeble mindedness, especially in youth, is due to masturbation or self abuse. This is about equally true of both sexes.

Physicians, and more particularly physicians, nurses and attendants associated with insane asylums, have long found this habit the most difficult of all bad practices to eradicate, because of the incessant attention required of them in respect to the subjects in their care. In fact it has been found practically impossible to give any such unfortunate person that constant personal attention which is, under heretofore tried methods of treatment, necessary to accomplish the redemption of such persons from such habits. Therefore, with persons who have carried on such disasterous practices until serious ailments of the mind have resulted, there has been but little hope of cure.

Until Ms. Perkins sprang into action and created and patented this nifty invention. Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Sexual Armor:

The patent application described the sexual armor as

... comprising a flexible garment, a rigid arch plate applied in the crotch thereof and having a segmental central slot, a gate for opening and closing said slot, and a lock for normally securing said gate in its closed position, as and for the purposes set forth.

If it looks uncomfortable, rest assured that your fears are unfounded:

In actual practice I have found that an armor or device of the character above described, when properly made and fitted to a patient, may be worn with very little, if any, discomfort, and that when properly covered by over garments the fact of its application will not be noticeable. It has been found to be an entirely satisfactory device for the purposes had in view.

Link: Patent 875,845 - via Buck's Weird News Blog and Douglas Levere's PrintCollection