It's to prevent monks from . . . uhhhh . . . self-abuse. You know, . . . applying the handbrake, badgering the witness, punishing Percy, adjusting the antenna, bashing the bishop, jerkin' the gherkin, polishing the flagpole, pulling rank, strumming the one-string guitar . . .
Red is correct. It's an "anti-masturbation" device. "The rare 19th century item is made of copper and was designed to be worn by boys so they could not commit the 'sin'. Attached to a belt it would have encased the genitalia. The bizarre antique dates back to around 1880 and was used in Catholic France." I just have one question. Did people back then not get morning wood?
See, I thought it was one of those devices Brazilian amazon Indians wore in the rivers where the dreaded Candiru lives. It's a parasitic catfish that normally lives on the gills of other fish. They're attracted to ammonia and urea, which are excreted by the gills of fish. When you swim or bathe in the river, the small juveniles can swim up your weenie, and then erect those catfish spines to lock in your urethra....ouch !! They have to be surgically removed. Here's an x-ray of some unfortunate man.
