Поради про репродукцію у медичних текстах у ранньомодерній Україні
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Date
2019
Authors
Диса, Катерина
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Abstract
Ранньомодерна медицина все ще багато в чому спиралася на медичну традицію класичної античності з її вірою в існування чотирьох гуморів, які нібито домінували у тілах людей і впливали на здоров’я і хвороби. Саме в такому контексті уявляли і процеси, пов’язані з репродукцією. Багато медичних текстів, як друкованих, так і рукописних, що їх використовували на ранньомодерних українських землях, у своїх рекомендаціях про репродукцію та репродуктивне здоров’я чоловіків і жінок дотримувались принципів гуморальної медицини. Ці рекомендації зверталися до багатьох проблем, зокрема ускладнень із зачаттям та нерегулярних місячних у жінок. Медичні поради, назагал, були доволі щедрі, коли йшлося про проблеми із репродукцією. Якщо не спрацьовував один метод, то ці тексти завжди мали ще багато інших на вибір. Наприклад, деякі тексти зверталися до ренесансної неоплаточнічної традиції і рекомендували засоби симпатичної магії та інших видів природної магії. Згідно з цими рекомендаціями, деякі дні й деякі види їжі вважали небажаними для людей, які прагнули зачати дитину, але були й такі, що навпаки нібито сприяли зачаттю. У ранньомодерних медичних текстах жінок частіше, ніж чоловіків, вважали неплідними чи принаймні саме з ними пов’язували заваду до успішного зачаття. Наприклад, однією із найбільших проблем жіночого репродуктивного здоров’я вважали нерегулярні місячні, про що розлого писали майже всі медичні порадники. Отже, маємо приклад того, як медичний дискурс конструював і контролював людські тіла, особливо жіночі.
Fundamentally, early modern medicine was still drawing from medical knowledge of classical Antiquity with its belief in four humors dominating human bodies and influencing health and disease. Reproduction was understood within these same lines. Many medical texts, both printed and handwritten circulating in early modern Ukrainian lands followed the principles of the humoral medicine in their recommendations about reproduction and reproductive health of men and women. Questions they addressed were numerous, including among other topics problems with conceiving and irregular periods in women. As I have demonstrated in this paper, medical recommendations overall were extremely generous in cases of problems with reproduction. If one method did not work, there have always been whole set of others in rich repertoire of these medical texts. These methods varied in their character and remedies used. For instance, some texts referring to Renaissance Neoplatonic tradition, recommended remedies of sympathetic and other kinds of magic. Thus, some days and some kinds of food were deemed unwanted for conceiving while some other days and kinds of food on the contrary were claimed favorable. As it followed from early modern medical texts, women were in general more often claimed to be barren or they at least were seen as those who had problems with successful conceiving. The texts stated that women could either had a "wandering womb", or their womb was too high or too law, or it was too hot or too cold to make conceiving possible. However, thanks to optimism of early modern medicine none of these problems was seen as helpless. If one remedy did not work, you could always move on and try another one from a broad repertoire. Irregular periods in women were considered one of the most serious problems to which majority of medical texts payed a considerable attention. This way, we have an example of how medical discourse could construct and control human bodies, first of all, women’s bodies.
Fundamentally, early modern medicine was still drawing from medical knowledge of classical Antiquity with its belief in four humors dominating human bodies and influencing health and disease. Reproduction was understood within these same lines. Many medical texts, both printed and handwritten circulating in early modern Ukrainian lands followed the principles of the humoral medicine in their recommendations about reproduction and reproductive health of men and women. Questions they addressed were numerous, including among other topics problems with conceiving and irregular periods in women. As I have demonstrated in this paper, medical recommendations overall were extremely generous in cases of problems with reproduction. If one method did not work, there have always been whole set of others in rich repertoire of these medical texts. These methods varied in their character and remedies used. For instance, some texts referring to Renaissance Neoplatonic tradition, recommended remedies of sympathetic and other kinds of magic. Thus, some days and some kinds of food were deemed unwanted for conceiving while some other days and kinds of food on the contrary were claimed favorable. As it followed from early modern medical texts, women were in general more often claimed to be barren or they at least were seen as those who had problems with successful conceiving. The texts stated that women could either had a "wandering womb", or their womb was too high or too law, or it was too hot or too cold to make conceiving possible. However, thanks to optimism of early modern medicine none of these problems was seen as helpless. If one remedy did not work, you could always move on and try another one from a broad repertoire. Irregular periods in women were considered one of the most serious problems to which majority of medical texts payed a considerable attention. This way, we have an example of how medical discourse could construct and control human bodies, first of all, women’s bodies.
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Keywords
історія медицини, сексуальність, репродуктивне здоров’я, ранньомодерна медицина, історія тіла, стаття, history of medicine, sexuality, reproductive health, early modern medicine, history of body, article
Citation
Диса К. Л. Поради про репродукцію у медичних текстах у ранньомодерній Україні / Катерина Диса // Наукові записки НаУКМА. Історичні науки. - 2019. - Т. 2. - С. 74-84.