Some historical reflections on the ageing male

Throughout the early history of medicine, discourses on the "ageing male" can be found, although most authors addressed the aspect of old age rather than the early onset and beginnings of this period of life. With reference to the typical climacteric changes in women, the term "climacteric disease" in males was coined by H. Halford in 1813 and finally reintroduced into modern medical terminology in the 1930s by A. A. Werner. In between, several authors have described this clinical entity, often called "climacterium virile", by considering hormonal and neurological changes to be the underlying causes. All these early writings should be of certain interest to those who are dealing with modern aspects of the ageing male and are reflected in this article.