A Moment of Crisis : Flagging Phalluses and Failing Fertility

Abstract

Once in adulthood, genitourinary conditions were presented as a moment of crisis that exposed the body to impotence and infertility. Surgical texts in particular foregrounded these concerns as damage to the testicles, which was understood to be a key danger in surgical treatments for hernia and bladder stones. Surgeons were therefore careful to point out that their own skill was attested by their ability to retain men’s fertility while completing such treatments. This chapter also emphasizes that although impotence and infertility could be concealed, keeping such a secret could be difficult. Several conditions, notably venereal disease, caused the beard to fall out. Thin and patchy facial hair thus signalled to the world the crisis that male patients were experiencing.