Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

Clitoral function . like a penis, menstruation is a dangerous disease . are some misconceptions about the female body in history.

In ancient times, women's bodies were considered one of the most complicated and mysterious things. Over time, 'half the world' has struggled with misconceptions, even ridiculous about their bodies: from the notions of sexism, religious fanaticism, or long prejudices life is hard to give up.

Let's explore the 'silly' mistakes of the woman's body according to the list of Listverse pages.

1. Menstruation is a dangerous disease

Today, menstruation is just a normal biological cycle for women. However, there used to be a 'monthly period ' that became a mysterious phenomenon and caused quite a bit of debate.

Picture 1 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

Some people think that menstruation will eliminate 'toxic blood' , which helps a woman's body be healthy. 'Poisonous' when released can contaminate food or whatever comes into contact with it. In addition, these people believe that men should not conceive with a woman who is menstruating because the baby will become a fetus due to poisoning of blood.

Galen - the famous physician and sage of ancient Rome said that menstrual blood will nourish the fetus (because during pregnancy, women do not menstruate), then turn into milk when the child is born. .

There are also some opinions that ' bloody ' blood can cure diseases. However, ancient Chinese medicine asserted, 'menstruation' is a dangerous disease, and devises all kinds of methods to 'cure'.

2. Rape victims cannot get pregnant

This concept also originated from the sage Galen. He said that women are like men, producing "seeds" when orgasm, then being able to conceive and reproduce. Based on this, raped women will not be able to produce 'seeds' and will naturally be unable to conceive.

Picture 2 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

Galen's concept persists for a long time. In the Middle Ages, the law stipulated if rape victims were pregnant during the trial, this would be a mitigating factor, because the woman could not become pregnant without consent.

In other words, the legal system at the time considered rape victims who were pregnant who were 'enjoying' when 'working' , even considered indecent.

3. The clitoris functions . like a penis

Ancient Greeks once had a 'funny' belief that women with large clitoris could use it to . XXX instead of penis. Even in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, European and American scientists brought this concept into the study of lesbians.

Picture 3 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

One of the supporters and blind believers of the concept of 'female penis' is the Italian heretical judge - Ludovico Sinistrari. Sinistrari said that women, when dominated by desire, can . "enlarge the girl into a boy" and turn into men.

At times, lesbians were considered guilty of death, but Sinistrari made a critical argument, "they only commit crimes when they bring" virtual penis "into the clitoris" , otherwise, they are the innocent. However, Sinistrari is also the one who said that it is necessary to severely punish those who violate this crime.

4. Virgin help . spring

In the Bible, it was said that King David was too worried about his old age health so he "slept" (literally) with a beautiful virgin girl named Abishag. Based on this story, the concept of shunamitism was born, referring to older men sleeping with young girls and 'intact ' - that is, not having sex.

Picture 4 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

Shunamitism has become popular in many cultures. At the IV century, a doctor said that virgins can heal stomach disorders. In the eighteenth century, it was said, virgin breath is an effective medical therapy.

There are no conclusions or studies about this yet, but some argue that shunamitism can increase the amount of testosterone in the blood, aid in regulating the heart rate and bring back the feeling of "spring" .

5. Learning affects women's reproduction

In 1873, Edward Clarke - a former professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (USA), announced why women should not go to school in their books. He said that the most important thing for women is to fulfill their "natural functions" : breeding and raising children, so education is secondary.

Picture 5 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

He pointed out that women 's brains are' poorer 'than men, making them unable to acquire high level of knowledge. In addition, he warned women if trying to learn could damage reproductive organs, especially those who are menstruating.

For many years, Clarke's conception became a very controversial topic and was used by many sexist people against allowing women to acquire knowledge. After all, this concept also sank into oblivion when the reality proved, many great people come from 'the other half of the world' like Marie Currie.

6. Girl . horizontal

No one knows the exact time and place but there have been rumors that Asian women - typically China, Japan, and Korea - have vaginal . horizontal.

Picture 6 of Silly misunderstandings about the female body in ancient times

One of the oldest records of this 'legend' was in 1816, when the French naturalist George Cuvier said that the female genitalia was different in each region of the world and especially human vagina. China is horizontal.

By the 1880s, JW Buel, a researcher on Chinese women, concluded that Chinese women had normal anatomical characteristics. However, the legend of 'horizontal vagina' once again emerged during World War II and the Korean War, due to US soldiers 'cutting the wind' when returning home.

But Asian women are not the only case to endure this misconception. During the period of anti-Semitism in Europe, it was believed that Jewish women were beasts with transvaginal vaginality and the gestation period was only 6 months.