The Plague of Lust, Vol. 1 (of 2): Being a History of Venereal Disease in Classical AntiquityRosenbaum, Julius
History
The Plague of Lust, Vol. 1 (of 2): Being a History of Venereal Disease in Classical Antiquity
Rosenbaum, Julius
Sexually transmitted diseases -- History
So far as the _fifth_ passage is concerned, Stark declares castrated
eunuchs to be certainly intended, and blames the editor of _Philo_
(_Mangey_) for wishing to read for ἀπὸ τῶν νοσούντων τὴν _ἀληθῆ_ νόσον
ἀνδρογύνων (with the men-women, those that are sick of the _true_
disease) τὴν _θήλειαν_ νόσον (the _feminine_ disease). He says in his
note 30.: “_Mangetius_ (a mistake for _Mangey_) reponit θήλειαν. Quare
hoc fieri, non dicam debeat, sed ne oporteat quidem, non video. Nam
νόσος ἀνδρογύνων idem est, quod νόσος θήλεια. Si igitur haec vox verbis
superioribus adiiciatur, iners atque inutilis appareat et pleonasmum
vanum efficiat, necesse est: τὸ ἀληθῆ contra, quod ille demit, non
vacuum ceteris additur verbum, ut eo perspicue demonstraretur, hic
_verum morbum_ seu _illud corporis vitium_ esse intelligendum, quod
viros exsecando paritur, nec hanc animi labem, qua contaminati solum
muliebria patiuntur, quaequae iisdem verbis nuncupatur, ut loci mox
laudandi docebunt.” (Mangetius restores θήλειαν—feminine. I cannot see
why he should do this; in fact he had no business to do so whatever.
For νόσος ἀνδρογύνων (disease of men-women) is the same thing as νόσος
θήλεια (feminine disease). So if this expression is added on to the
preceding words, it can only appear redundant and useless and make a
silly pleonasm. Τὸ ἀληθῆ (the word _true_ disease) on the other hand
is not otiose when added to the other words. It shows distinctly that
the _true disease or notorious vitiation of body_ was meant to be
understood, that which arises from castrating men, and not merely the
taint of mind that makes the men whom it affects endure the treatment
proper to women, and which is called by the same name,—as will be shown
in passages to be cited presently.)
These last words evidently refer to the third passage, where we read:
Θήλειαν δὲ νόσον ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἀπεργαζόμενος καὶ ἀνδρογύνους κατασκευάζων
(infecting the mind with feminine disease, and turning men into
men-women), for _Stark_ himself explains the νοῦσος θήλεια (feminine
disease) as being identical with the ἀνδρογύνων νόσος (disease
of men-women). So he is bound to explain this sentence too as a
_Pleonasmus vanus_ (silly, useless, pleonasm), for as a matter of fact
those suffering from νοῦσος θήλεια _are_ men-women (ἀνδρόγυνοι). But if
a pleonasm is found in these latter words, it is difficult to see why
there should not be one equally well in the fifth passage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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