Life change and change of life: asymmetrical attitudes towards the sexes in medical discourse in France (1770-1836)
The origins of the medical construction of the menopause are examined here, making complementary use of approaches borrowed from the social history of knowledge. The first question concerns the variety of terms used to designate “cessation of the menses”. These developments must be viewed in relatio...
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| Pubblicato in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh, |
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| Autore principale: | |
| Natura: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lingua: | Anglais |
| Pubblicazione: |
Clio
2022
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Riassunto: | The origins of the medical construction of the menopause are examined here, making complementary use of approaches borrowed from the social history of knowledge. The first question concerns the variety of terms used to designate “cessation of the menses”. These developments must be viewed in relation to the new scales of human life that were being elaborated over the period. Did this signal the first emergence of a gendering of the ages of life? Does the French expression âge de retour refer to an age that is specific to women, as certain authors suggest? The medicalization of the menopause can thus be placed in perspective, before looking more closely at the key moments of its construction over the period in question (1770-1836). Last, a final section questions the existence of a discourse on a masculine âge de retour and analyses the creation of gender asymmetries in the hygienist recommendations targeting men and women in their forties and fifties. |
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