Honestly if it wasn't for shit like this I think more people would try to make a time machine. But history was scary. And I would hate to get stuck there.
I read once that the evolution of bacteria and viruses would practically prohibit time travel. Basically, travel backward - kill everyone. Travel forward - kill yourself. Interesting theory.
Admittedly I don't have a penis, but tertiary syphilis and gonorrhea (which can cause urethral stricture in men anyway) were quite serious back then... especially syphilis.
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I'm not vouching for the medical soundness of this procedure, but I imagine back then that injecting gunpowder into your penis was likely preferable to try in the hopes of delaying a slow, agonizing death
Compounds of sulfur do have antibacterial properties, though I cannot say for sure on elemental sulfur, and saltpeter just sounds like a bad idea. If they helped though, more power to them.
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I'm not vouching for the medical soundness of this procedure, but I imagine back then that injecting gunpowder into your penis was likely preferable to try in the hopes of delaying a slow, agonizing death