What's in a Gland? Sexuality, Reproduction and the Prostate in Early Twentieth‐Century Medicine

Bibliographic Data

ID12227294
AuthorsMaria Björkman (0000-0001-9025-0537, Department of History of Science and Ideas Uppsala Universitet PO Box 629, Uppsala Uppsala Uppland 75105 Sweden, corresponding author), Alma Persson (0000-0001-7715-0478, Department of Thematic Studies (Gender) Linköping University Linkoping Östergötland Sweden)
Year2020
Volume32
Issue3
Pages621-636
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGender & History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0953-5233 • E-ISSN: 1468-0424
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1468-0424.12504
OpenAlexW3097278026
LanguageEN
Citations received3

This article presents a case study about how norms relating to masculinity, sexuality and reproduction were produced in relation to the healthy, ailing, or aging prostate in early twentieth century medicine. It shows how the ailing prostate tied in with norms about healthy, abnormal or illicit sexual and reproductive practices. Engaging with insights from the history of medicine, feminist science studies, and men and masculinity studies, it highlights how the prostate became a diagnostic catch‐all for a wide range of physical and mental conditions, producing demarcations between femininity and masculinity, manliness and unmanliness, health and illness, and moral and vice

Biology · Everyday life · Femininity · Human sexuality · Masculinity · Political science · Prostate · Prostate gland · Psychoanalysis · Relation (database · Reproduction · Reproductive health · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Internal Medicine

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