MEDICAL VIEWS ON SEXUAL PLEASURE IN THE RENAISSANCE. Interpreting Hippocrates' "On Generation"

In the sixteenth-century, Girolamo Mercuriale (1530-1606) proposed a philological correction to Hippocrates's On Generation 4, which fuelled an ancient medical debate on the duration and intensity of sexual pleasure in men and women.

Mercuriale’s correction made its way into the editions of the Hippocratic text, but some early modern physicians argued that it was inconsistent with it and insufficiently justified. This paper focuses on two Portuguese physicians, Rodrigo de Castro (1523-1600) and Estêvão Rodrigues de Castro (1559-1638), who offer distinct perspectives when engaging with Mercuriale’s correction and Hippocrates’ text.

Rodrigo de Castro supported the Italian physician’s solution and expanded the argument to include modality (‘ways’) as a third axis of analysis, besides duration and intensity. Conversely, while critiquing Mercuriale’s correction, Estêvão Rodrigues de Castro’s inquiry emphasized physiological factors instead of temperamental differences.

Ultimately, this talk will showcase how scientific discourse and philological methodology intersected in the early modern period.

You may also like the following events from Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance - CSMBR:

• This Wednesday, 16th July, 09:00 am, VIVAMENTE CONFERENCE 2025 in Pisa
• Next Tuesday, 22nd July, 03:00 pm, MERCANTILE CULTURES OF HEALTH. Hygiene and Commerce in the Late-Medieval «Zibaldoni» in Pisa, Italy
• This September, 16th September, 03:00 pm, WITH AND BEYOND TAXONOMY. Linnaeus on Generation, Economy of Nature, and the Human Condition in Pisa, Italy