Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

[The female nature].

P Ritarossi1

  • 1Dipartimento fi Medicina Sperimentale, Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.

Medicina Nei Secoli
|January 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Western culture historically viewed women as connected to materiality and magic, fearing the uterus. This ancient belief, associating the uterus with illness through its perceived self-movement, persists in folklore and influences historical medical concepts like hysteria.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Not Available].

Storia e medicina popolare·1990
Same author

[Not Available].

Storia e medicina popolare·1989
Same author

[Disease, tradition and culture].

Medicina nei secoli·1989
Same journal

INVISIBLE WOMEN IRELAND AND THE FIGHT TO ACCESS SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTION.

Medicina nei secoli·2018
Same journal

BLOOD DONATION IN OAXACA CITY (MEXICO) MEDICO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS.

Medicina nei secoli·2018
Same journal

[[General Practitioners and Public Health in Italy: Medical Office of Doctor Sgandurra from Farindola (Abruzzi, Central Italy)].]

Medicina nei secoli·2017
Same journal

[The Ram's Heads on the Pompejan Quadri Valve Speculum (Bljouiez. Jackson 291: Naples Arch. Mus. 113264)1].

Medicina nei secoli·2017
Same journal

[[Abortion, Stigma and Conscientious Objection: Experiences and Opinions of Gynecologists in Italy and Catalonia].]

Medicina nei secoli·2017
Same journal

[[Italian 194 Law, Conscientious Objection and the European Disapproval].]

Medicina nei secoli·2017
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Cultural Anthropology
  • History of Medicine
  • Gender Studies

Context:

  • Explores historical Western cultural interpretations of sexual difference.
  • Examines the persistent concept of the uterus (madre) as a self-moving entity.
  • Connects these beliefs to folklore and ancient medical theories like hysteria.

Purpose:

  • To analyze the cultural construction of femininity and its association with magic and fear.
  • To trace the historical roots of the concept of the uterus as a mobile, potentially pathogenic organ.
  • To understand the influence of these beliefs on female health perceptions.

Summary:

  • The study investigates the Western cultural perception of women as linked to both the material and magical realms.
  • It highlights the historical fear surrounding the uterus, conceptualized as a mobile, animalistic organ ('madre').

Related Experiment Videos

  • This ancient belief, associated with hysteria, influenced perceptions of female illness and persists in folklore.

    • Impact:

    • Provides insight into the cultural underpinnings of gendered beliefs about health.
    • Contributes to understanding the historical evolution of medical and folk understandings of the female body.
    • Underscores the enduring influence of cultural narratives on perceptions of women's health and illness.