1 DECEMBER 1973, Page 4

Medicine and morality

Sir: Miss Rayner's vitriolic letter (November 24) in response to the concern expressed in Dr John Linklater's article on forms of sex education and the growing abuse of the law of the 'age of consent ' (November 17) makes one wonder if he sparked off Miss Rayner's own feelings of guilt.

In an article in Radio Times (October 11) she said, " Sometimes I think I'm probably still working through my own adolescent neurosis." I would suggest that she endeavours to resolve her adolescent conflicts before she continues to advise young teenage girls in the magazine she writes for. The burden of guilt and deep anxiety she is liable to create with advice such as the following is formidable indeed. In Petticoat (October 27) Miss Rayner describes to a fourteen year old girl in minute detail how to masturbate "accompanied by a rapid heart-beat and breathlessness ... by sexy thoughts and daydreams." She then goes on to say " Masturbation is not only harmless but considered by many doctors with wide experience of dealing with people's sexual problems to be an essential part of sexual development; they say that a person who had never masturbated would find it difficult to adjust to a sexual relationship later on." Perhaps Miss Rayner could let us know who these doctors are?

Medical opinion I have consulted says that masturbation is the sexuality of the solitary. It should not be encouraged as it can lead to habit-forming and compulsive practices and is a known symptom of anxiety and neurosis if it reaches this stage.

A sounder assessment goes as follows: a passing stage around puberty and even afterwards for a time in a fair percentage of boys and a few girls. When it persists and particularly in a compulsive form or competing with normal sex relations, then one must suspect some sexual aberration.

Before Miss Rayner castigates informed and responsible medical opinion in future, I would suggest she looks at her own motives and gets her advice straight.

Valerie Riches Hon. Secretary, The Responsible Society, 28 Portland Place, London WI.