Inaugural Medical Dissertation on the Procreation of Male Offspring

§. LVIII.

Therefore, it is fitting that each spouse takes account of the other, observing and waiting for one another, so that they might be prepared and perform the conjugal act according to the laws of nature. The reason why you will only very rarely find a person among men who is beautiful, good, wise, and perfect—to use the words of Peter Carpentarius original: "Pet. Carpentarii in Thes. sapientiae." Peter Charpentier was a 16th-century French jurist and scholar known for his works on wisdom.—is because our people approach this carnal union with a certain profound thoughtlessness, incited only by lust and the desire to discharge that which tickles and urges them; if conception follows from this, it happens only by chance.

§. LVIIII.

Now, he who applies his study to this alone—that he might be able to father a male—should for some space of time use hot and dry foods and others suited to this purpose, following a proper diet. It is not the place here to determine all these specifics, but they both can and should be prescribed to everyone by a prudent physician. These things having been observed, a certain interval of several days must be established, during which the seed semen may be prepared and matured, and the spouses themselves rendered fit for generation. This is indicated when someone has abstained from the custom of his wife for several days and is afterwards distressed by a more vehement desire for the carnal act.

§. LX.

Regarding a languid male, however, and one for whom the aforementioned things do not occur, De Graaf original: "Graafius, de virorum organis." Reinier de Graaf (1641–1673) was a pioneering Dutch anatomist who made key discoveries regarding the reproductive system. says the following: The erection of the penis can be aided in three ways: by providing things that can increase the animal spirits The "animal spirits" were believed in 18th-century medicine to be a subtle fluid that transmitted signals through the nerves to cause muscle movement and sensation., things that increase the quantity of blood and accelerate its movement, and by strengthening the muscles which, by their constriction, ought to retain the blood in the nervous bodies The corpora cavernosa of the penis., such as by applying strengthening and astringent agents to the perineum.

Besides more recent authors, many others have written on this matter, including Jakob Rueff original: "Iac. Rueff." A 16th-century Swiss surgeon and expert on midwifery., Giulio Cesare Claudini original: "Iul. Caes. Claudinus Empir. Ration. L. IV." An Italian physician of the 17th century., and Valescus de Taranta original: "Valescus de Taranta Philon. Pharmac. L. VI. c. 1." A prominent 15th-century physician.. For it is clear from the preceding sections that everyone ought to bring three things to a fertile union: namely, a more affluent supply of seed The original Latin reads "feminis" (women), but the context strongly suggests a typographical error for "seminis" (seed)., an abundant spiritual matter Referring again to the "animal spirits" or vital force., and an imaginative desire. For this reason, Musitano original: "Musitanus." Carlo Musitano (1635–1714), an Italian priest and physician. advises people to look upon animals in the act of mating, and Paulus Aegineta original: "Aegineta L. I. c. 36." A 7th-century Byzantine Greek physician. persuades those wishing to conceive to read lascivious writings.