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Let not the old ascetic say we ought
not to gratify our appetites any further than is necessary to maintain
health and to perpetuate the species.

Word:

desires

Question:

What are the potential consequences of gratifying our appetites beyond what is necessary for maintaining health and perpetuating the species?

Answer (optional):

The potential consequences of gratifying our appetites beyond what is necessary for maintaining health and perpetuating the species include nervousness, debility, emaciation, and melancholy, leading to a state of wretchedness. However, the passage states that mankind has been given the capacity for greater enjoyment and the ability to devise means to prevent the evils that may arise from such gratification, so they need not abstain from it completely.