Men’s Sexual Health in Early Modern England

Speaker: Dr Jennifer Evans, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Hertfordshire

How did men cope with sexual health issues in early modern England? How did they feel when their bodies failed them?

This talk investigates how sexual, reproductive, and genitourinary conditions were understood. It tells the story of how men responded to bouts of ill health and reveals that physicians and surgeons had to vigorously encourage men to seek help. Men’s responses suggest that healers’ entreaties were not always successful and that male patients could be obstinate, unruly and disobedient.