The sexual life of woman in its physiological, pathological and hygienic aspects

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

63274

Title

The sexual life of woman in its physiological, pathological and hygienic aspects

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This text presents a vivid poetic depiction of a spirited horse, contrasting its fiery energy with moments of gentle majesty. It transitions abruptly into a detailed medical transcription note correcting archaic spellings and foreign terms related to female physiology and climacteric disorders, offering a unique blend of literary flair and rigorous textual scholarship.

Summary up to 500 words

The provided text functions as a detailed transcription and critical apparatus for a medical work concerning female physiology, pathology, and the climacteric period. The content blends clinical observation with literary allusion and extensive textual correction. The narrative begins with an anthropological or sociological observation regarding prostitutes, noting that they become fecund and happy only upon abandoning their profession to marry or fall under the protection of a single man. This is immediately juxtaposed with a literary comparison to Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis," specifically stanzas 46 and 47. In this excerpt, the description of Venus focuses on her physical arousal and readiness for mating—her ears pricking up, mane standing on end, nostrils drinking air, and eyes glistening like fire. The text describes her trotting with modest pride and rearing to leap, explicitly stating these actions are performed "to captivate the eye Of the fair breeder that is standing by." This juxtaposition suggests a thematic exploration of female sexuality, fertility, and the societal conditions affecting women's reproductive health. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to medical terminology, particularly regarding disorders of the climacteric period. A specific note highlights the German term "Ausfallserscheinungen," which refers to shedding or falling out (such as hair loss) associated with this life stage. The author notes that while no precise English equivalent exists, the phrase "disorders of the climacteric" is sufficiently distinctive. The bulk of the document consists of a comprehensive list of transcriber's notes detailing changes made to the original text. These corrections address medical terms (e.g., changing "Amenorrhoea" to "Amenorrhœa", "Dysmenorrhoea" to "Dysmenorrhœa", and "Uteras" to "Uterus"), foreign words, and proper names. The notes also correct spelling variations (e.g., "coëxtensive" to "coextensive", "hæmorrhoidal" to "haemorrhoidal") and fix typographical errors (e.g., "venticle" to "ventricle", "overy" to "ovary"). Specific names of medical figures are standardized, such as changing "Roberton" to "Robertson," "Sænger" to "Saenger," and "Rozières" to "Rosières." The text also includes corrections for anatomical terms like "splanchoptosis" (to "splanchnoptosis") and conditions like "chloasmia" (to "chloasma"). The transcriber explicitly states that archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings were retained as printed, while silently correcting obvious typographical errors. Notable exceptions include references to temperatures in Rankine units, which the transcriber chose not to alter despite their potential lack of meaning for human body temperature. Additionally, footnotes were re-indexed numerically and collected at the end of the last chapter. The text serves as a rigorous scholarly tool, ensuring the medical content is presented with accurate orthography while preserving the historical flavor of the original publication.

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4.2/5

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Categories

• Women's health
• Gynecology