The Nervous Testicle
The French press of the Belle Époque abounded with ads promising their readers mental invigoration through testicular beautification. Where did this link between the appearance of men’s nether regions and mental health come from? This article examines the reasons behind French physicians’ belief, at...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Presses universitaires du Midi
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Histoire, Médecine et Santé |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/hms/6520 |
| _version_ | 1827908930703982592 |
|---|---|
| author | Camille Bajeux Aude Fauvel |
| author_facet | Camille Bajeux Aude Fauvel |
| author_sort | Camille Bajeux |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The French press of the Belle Époque abounded with ads promising their readers mental invigoration through testicular beautification. Where did this link between the appearance of men’s nether regions and mental health come from? This article examines the reasons behind French physicians’ belief, at the eve of the 20th century, that in/sanity and testicular health were correlated. The first part reveals how, in the psychiatric field, certain organicist views led to the idea that inspecting testicles was key to understanding the male psyche. The second part explores how urologists integrated these findings when they treated “false urinary” patients—patients who suffered from mixed symptoms that associated testicular and mental ailments. Perceptions of “testicular angst” therefore prompted a dialogue between two seemingly distant fields—urology and psychiatry—and contributed to shaping new representations of manhood that stressed the vulnerability of male bodies and minds rather than the fortitude of the “stronger sex”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:29:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a5b1517446cf40f197ff81610114bc33 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2263-8911 2557-2113 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:29:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Presses universitaires du Midi |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Histoire, Médecine et Santé |
| spelling | doaj.art-a5b1517446cf40f197ff81610114bc332023-07-04T09:29:46ZengPresses universitaires du MidiHistoire, Médecine et Santé2263-89112557-21132023-06-0123355410.4000/hms.6520The Nervous TesticleCamille BajeuxAude FauvelThe French press of the Belle Époque abounded with ads promising their readers mental invigoration through testicular beautification. Where did this link between the appearance of men’s nether regions and mental health come from? This article examines the reasons behind French physicians’ belief, at the eve of the 20th century, that in/sanity and testicular health were correlated. The first part reveals how, in the psychiatric field, certain organicist views led to the idea that inspecting testicles was key to understanding the male psyche. The second part explores how urologists integrated these findings when they treated “false urinary” patients—patients who suffered from mixed symptoms that associated testicular and mental ailments. Perceptions of “testicular angst” therefore prompted a dialogue between two seemingly distant fields—urology and psychiatry—and contributed to shaping new representations of manhood that stressed the vulnerability of male bodies and minds rather than the fortitude of the “stronger sex”.http://journals.openedition.org/hms/6520FranceBelle ÉpoqueurologypsychiatrytestesCharcot |
| spellingShingle | Camille Bajeux Aude Fauvel The Nervous Testicle Histoire, Médecine et Santé France Belle Époque urology psychiatry testes Charcot |
| title | The Nervous Testicle |
| title_full | The Nervous Testicle |
| title_fullStr | The Nervous Testicle |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Nervous Testicle |
| title_short | The Nervous Testicle |
| title_sort | nervous testicle |
| topic | France Belle Époque urology psychiatry testes Charcot |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/hms/6520 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT camillebajeux thenervoustesticle AT audefauvel thenervoustesticle AT camillebajeux nervoustesticle AT audefauvel nervoustesticle |