“This has never happened before”. This can be seen as one of the most usual responses given to the embarrassing situation in which the man is haunted by the “ghost” of sexual impotence. More than a misfortune, impotence involves cultural values regarding the expectations of the sexual behavior of men and women. Therefore, the question of virility is not limited to a case study in Biology.
Throughout history, other non-scientific responses to this sexual “drama” were conceived for our billionaire species. Contrary to what many think, these simple beliefs can reveal how different cultures were able to form notions of body, health and sexuality. We know well that, even today, biological reasons are in the background when some people try to give a first answer to this type of problem.
In the first primitive societies, procreation was of great importance among societies. The extent of offspring was a matter of far greater importance compared to the male's ability to perform the sexual act. The first and most outstanding questions about impotence appear in the civilizations of Classical Antiquity. Among the Greeks and Romans, where sexual freedom was quite noticeable, impotence could be a source of great mockery.
The virility of the penis was considered a type of material representation of a man's power. The ability to penetrate was something that demonstrated sexual appetite, whatever the type of relationship constituted. To overcome difficulties with erectile dysfunction, there were natural recipes involving crushed garlic, mandrake leaves or asparagus broth. If the problem was more serious, the diet would undergo more incisive changes with the consumption of goat genitals or lizard meat washed down with white wine.
In the Middle Ages, with the predominance of the sinful view of sex, the demand for male roles in bed was restricted to procreation and self-control. When stricken with severe impotence, demonic forces were usually blamed. Witches were also accused of preparing spells that prevented the normal practice of sex. In some cases, medieval medical treatment recommended foods that caused a large accumulation of gases, as they were believed to be responsible for the erection of the penis.
In the 17th century, with the explosion of studies in the field of natural sciences, new theories began to be formulated for the cure of evil. Some theorists formulated treatises where they pointed to masturbation as a practice that, in the long run, could make men impotent. A controversial treatment developed at that time prescribed the application of electrical stimuli (shocks) to the penis.
Other reports from the 19th century, marked by a strong idealization of affective relationships, say that the extreme cult of the female image discouraged some men from “tarnishing” their loved one with the practice of sex. At the beginning of the 20th century, psychological theories gained great prominence in the study of sexual problems and behaviors. Family repression, anxiety and depression began to be placed as new culprits for male erectile dysfunction.
However, medical experiments continued to flourish in the fields of contemporary medicine. Russian surgeon Serge Voronoff proposed that grafting parts of a testicle (human or animal) into the scrotum could boost testosterone production. Among the most invasive methods, the silicone prosthesis was the one with the most results.
It was not until the end of this century that the first erection medications began to solve the problem. Viagra, Uprima, Cialis and Levitra have become holy names in the fight against erectile dysfunction. While killing the “x” of the issue, these medications affected the practices of young and old. The latter no longer see old age as an idea contrary to a regular sexual life, the former are dazzled by the possibility of offering an unusual performance to their partners.
From the abuse, unfortunate cases emerged of people who lost their own lives in the eagerness to solve an intimate problem. We got out of the problem of lack, paying the consequences for excess. The instantaneous power of the drug, in some cases, tends to push away affection and health concerns in order to achieve an “enviable” sexual performance.