Abstract
In the same way as AIDS in the 20th century, syphilis was the sexual scourge of the 16th century. Both of these sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and syphilis, placed women at the risk of becoming infected through sexual intercourse within marriage. Nothing is known about the individual strategies of women during the first European syphilis epidemic. On the basis of primary sources (in the form of archival material and personal letters), and of literary sources, this article tries to shed light on the preventive measures and behavioural choices adopted in Renaissance Italy. We take in account, in particular, the social and institutional context in which two structural factors were acting: the large-scale war involving long separation of spouses, and the diffusion of prostitution which offered more opportunities for men's extramarital sexuality.
Highlights
In 1494, the young king of France, Charles VIII, invaded Italy with an army of over 30,000 mercenary soldiers hired from all over Europe
Scholars of the time used a series of terms to refer to the new horrific plague: ‘French disease,’ ‘Disease of Naples,’ ‘venereal lues,’ ‘greatpox’, and ‘morbus gallicus.’
The first accurate description of syphilis was provided by the Venetian military surgeon Marcello Cumano, who had taken his troops to the battle of Fornovo and fought alongside the armies of Charles VIII of France and the League of Venice
Summary
In 1494, the young king of France, Charles VIII, invaded Italy with an army of over 30,000 mercenary soldiers hired from all over Europe. The first accurate description of syphilis was provided by the Venetian military surgeon Marcello Cumano, who had taken his troops to the battle of Fornovo and fought alongside the armies of Charles VIII of France and the League of Venice His medical account, founded on the observations of the soldiers, is most precise: the first manifestation of the disease was the appearance of a painless skin ulceration localised on the penis. Sores and pustules appeared all over the face and body, and were accompanied by joint pains and pruritus [2,7] His contemporary Giovanni da Vigo, surgeon to Pope Julius II, describes the primary chancre on the genitalia followed by a latent period and the secondary stage of the disease with skin manifestations. Given the property of the ‘seed’ of the disease, which was considered ‘not penetrating,’ syphilis could not be transmitted through simple personto-person nearness or touch – the contact had to be very close ‘as when two bodies mutually touched in warmth’ which ‘mainly happens during coitus’ [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Ancient Diseases & Preventive Remedies
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
