Lecture by Bernardo Mota
30 September 2025 – 5 PM (CET)
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 talk 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.
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 talk 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.
To register for this event please follow the link:
https://csmbr.fondazionecomel.org/events/online-lectures/medical-views-on-sexual-pleasure-in-the-renaissance/
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