What about that spare rib?
Tag: penis
The cervix as a kitten
Just how new was it for Jane Sharp to liken the cervix to a kitten?
Filthy Philaenis: the first sex manual?
This is one of those stories about the classical world which starts with assumptions, and ends with them being shaken up as the result of one simple discovery.
Gendered flesh, prolapse and ‘sex change’: the case of Phaethousa
‘Her body was masculinized (τό τε σῶμα ἠνδρώθη)’. This is one aspect of the description of Phaethousa of Abdera, who features in one of the Hippocratic ‘case histories’ from probably the fourth century BC. When her husband leaves, or goes into exile, this previously fecund woman stops menstruating and experiences a range of symptoms, including… Continue reading Gendered flesh, prolapse and ‘sex change’: the case of Phaethousa
Imaginary body parts
I'm fascinated by imaginary body parts: things which people used to believe existed, but which we no longer accept. I've recently read Naomi Alderman's novel The Power, which is based on the notion of a new part, the 'skein', developing in women and allowing them to zap men. Back in 2012, the Queen’s… Continue reading Imaginary body parts
Mistaking histories 