To Bloom and to Wither: Discourses and Knowledge about the ‘Hidden’ Nature of Women in Medical Writings in 16th- and 17th-Century France

Abstract

During the Renaissance, representations of the human body were at the heart of social and cultural concerns. The position of Man was essential to understanding the world. Women, in particular, became a subject of study that was both fascinating and complex, even mysterious. Renaissance medicine, which relied heavily on ancient knowledge, approached the theme of the female body through the lenses of age, its functions, and its specific characteristics. This article focuses on the “hidden” nature of women at the three stages of life – youth, adulthood, and old age – as distinguished in the medical treatises of the time. The aim of this article is to analyze how Renaissance physicians conceived of and described women through the different stages of life. We will examine the attitudes of various physicians toward the female body and attempt to present their respective approaches.