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Aristotle's Masterpiece, by Anonymous (1710)
I referred to this sex and relationship manual in a fic, and so I thought I should actually read it as well. Or rather, I listened to the Librivox version (which I see now doesn't have all of it, but I think I got enough). Wow, parts of this made me feel like the 18th century was so utterly alien: if you want a girl child, drink female mercury. *boggles* Noooo, please don't drink mercury! There was other stuff that was more reasonable--it explains that a virgin might not have a hymen, so a man shouldn't think his wife necessarily had sex with other men before him if she doesn't bleed on the wedding night. Here it is on the clitoris: "The clitoris is a substance in the upper part of the division where the two wings meet, and the seat of venereal pleasure, being like a man's penis in situation, substance, composition and power of erection, growing sometimes to the length of two inches out of the body, but that never happens except through extreme lustfulness or some extraordinary accident."
There's a Q&A about physiology at the end, here's a sample:
Q. Why are women smooth and fairer than men? A. Because in women much of the humidity and superfluity, which are the matter and cause of the hair of the body, is expelled with their monthly terms; which superfluity, remaining in men, through vapours passes into hair.
Q. Why is the milk white, seeing the flowers are red, of which it is engendered? A. Because blood which is well purged and concocted becomes white, as appeareth in flesh whose proper colour is white, and being boiled, is white. Also, because every humour which is engendered of the body, is made like unto that part in colour where it is engendered as near as it can be; but because the flesh of the paps is white, therefore the colour of the milk is white.
(Flowers = menstrual blood. Apparently they thought milk and menstrual blood was basically the same substance?? ...I guess it sort of makes sense in that many people don't have periods while they breastfeed.)
Q. Why is the flesh of the lungs white? A. Because they are in continual motion.
(Uh, what?)
Q. Why are we commonly cold after dinner? A. Because then the heat goes to the stomach to further digestion, and so the other parts grow cold."
(...that's actually kind of right.)
The Mermaid Summer, by Mollie Hunter (1988)
Children's book about a seaside village, the capricious mermaid that lives nearby, and a man who offends the mermaid. Or actually it's more about his grandchildren who figure out how to make the mermaid promise not to hurt their grandfather, so that he can come back--and make her keep the promise, too. I enjoyed it!
I referred to this sex and relationship manual in a fic, and so I thought I should actually read it as well. Or rather, I listened to the Librivox version (which I see now doesn't have all of it, but I think I got enough). Wow, parts of this made me feel like the 18th century was so utterly alien: if you want a girl child, drink female mercury. *boggles* Noooo, please don't drink mercury! There was other stuff that was more reasonable--it explains that a virgin might not have a hymen, so a man shouldn't think his wife necessarily had sex with other men before him if she doesn't bleed on the wedding night. Here it is on the clitoris: "The clitoris is a substance in the upper part of the division where the two wings meet, and the seat of venereal pleasure, being like a man's penis in situation, substance, composition and power of erection, growing sometimes to the length of two inches out of the body, but that never happens except through extreme lustfulness or some extraordinary accident."
There's a Q&A about physiology at the end, here's a sample:
Q. Why are women smooth and fairer than men? A. Because in women much of the humidity and superfluity, which are the matter and cause of the hair of the body, is expelled with their monthly terms; which superfluity, remaining in men, through vapours passes into hair.
Q. Why is the milk white, seeing the flowers are red, of which it is engendered? A. Because blood which is well purged and concocted becomes white, as appeareth in flesh whose proper colour is white, and being boiled, is white. Also, because every humour which is engendered of the body, is made like unto that part in colour where it is engendered as near as it can be; but because the flesh of the paps is white, therefore the colour of the milk is white.
(Flowers = menstrual blood. Apparently they thought milk and menstrual blood was basically the same substance?? ...I guess it sort of makes sense in that many people don't have periods while they breastfeed.)
Q. Why is the flesh of the lungs white? A. Because they are in continual motion.
(Uh, what?)
Q. Why are we commonly cold after dinner? A. Because then the heat goes to the stomach to further digestion, and so the other parts grow cold."
(...that's actually kind of right.)
The Mermaid Summer, by Mollie Hunter (1988)
Children's book about a seaside village, the capricious mermaid that lives nearby, and a man who offends the mermaid. Or actually it's more about his grandchildren who figure out how to make the mermaid promise not to hurt their grandfather, so that he can come back--and make her keep the promise, too. I enjoyed it!
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Anyway, what a fascinating book! So it was published in 1710, but the author felt the need to attribute it to Aristotle, because of his authority, or because 'The Works of Aristotle, the Famous Philosopher' sounds more respectable, I suppose?
I do not feel any great desire to read the whole thing, but a few bits of it may be useful for my WIP, which is good... *goes to look up relevant passages*
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Yes, I suppose Aristotle was seen as an authority, and also the actual author wanted to remain anonymous...
Anne Lister recounts in her diaries how she treated a sexually transmitted infection (probably trichomoniasis) using mercury.
Augh. /o\