L'honteuse maladie: Syphilis and Women in Eighteenth-Century France (360G-Wellcome-089718_Z_09_Z)

The research I plan will be a close examination of syphilis in the pivotal period of the eighteenth century. The focus of the study is on the female experience of the disease. First, to determine the understanding of syphilis and other sexual diseases, the research will explore what information women had access to and how they participated in the discourse on venereal disease. In the process of revealing the discourse on syphilis, I intend to document the medical history of the disease in the period, including the practice of medicine that was considered "clandestine" by leading physicians. Then, the project will trace women's reactions to syphilis and investigate female agency in the context of the redefinition of the private and public spheres. Specifically, the research will study how social concern about syphilis included women in the efforts to check the spread of the disease and demonstrate how women influenced the developing sexual morals. The main goals of this comprehensive study on syphilis and women is to document the gendered experience of venereal disease, to augment the medical history of eighteenth-century France and illuminate the developing sexual morals. Through this research, I hope to contribute to the field and spur further studies by incorporating overlooked sources and analyzing materials with innovative approaches to historical research.