"Sexual Development": Timing Puberty in German Enlightenment Medicine (1778-99)

Area of Science:

• History of Science
• Medical Humanities
• Cultural History

Background:

• 18th-century French vitalists re-theorized maturation and bodily clocks.
• Archaic ideas of precocity and sexual timing evolved into physiological concepts.
• German literature in the late 18th century focused on sexual and psychosexual development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the interdisciplinary problematization of pubescence (Mannbarkeit).
• To investigate the coordination of mental apparatus (Seele, Character) and sex drive (Geschlechtstrieb).
• To explore how developmental-physiological frames for sexual maturity influenced concepts of Nationalcharacter.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of 18th-century French vitalist theories.
• Examination of German literature from the late 18th century.
• Review of contemporary discussions on etiological questions related to national character.

Main Results:

• Pubescence was increasingly viewed as a physiological process involving mental and sexual development.
• Concepts of sexual timing and maturity became linked to national character.
• Interdisciplinary discussions emerged concerning the causes of these developmental phenomena.

Conclusions:

• The 18th century marked a significant shift in understanding human maturation and psychosexuality.
• These concepts became intertwined with notions of national identity and development.
• The study highlights the complex interplay between biology, psychology, and cultural identity in historical discourse.