Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 50 minutes ago
This documentary explores the unusual history of how people were treated for a behaviour that was once believed to cause serious physical and mental illness.
For centuries, doctors, religious figures and social reformers warned that the practice could damage the body and mind. These beliefs led to a remarkable range of supposed cures and preventative treatments, from restrictive devices and strict routines to cold-water therapies, medicines and controversial medical procedures.
We look at where these ideas came from, how people were treated in hospitals and asylums, and how medical understanding gradually changed as older theories were challenged by scientific research.
This video is presented strictly for historical, documentary and educational purposes. Historical medical practices are discussed in a non-graphic and factual manner.
This documentary explores the unusual history of how people were treated for a behaviour that was once believed to cause serious physical and mental illness.
For centuries, doctors, religious figures and social reformers warned that the practice could damage the body and mind. These beliefs led to a remarkable range of supposed cures and preventative treatments, from restrictive devices and strict routines to cold-water therapies, medicines and controversial medical procedures.
We look at where these ideas came from, how people were treated in hospitals and asylums, and how medical understanding gradually changed as older theories were challenged by scientific research.
This video is presented strictly for historical, documentary and educational purposes. Historical medical practices are discussed in a non-graphic and factual manner.
