From Body to Community: Venereal Disease and Society in Baroque Spain (Toronto Iberic)

Known in early modern Europe by many names - the French Disease, the Bubas , and, eventually, syphilis - the Great Pox was a chronic disease that carried the stigma of sexuality and produced a slow and painful death. The main institution which treated it, the pox hospital, has come down to us as a stench-filled and overcrowded place that sought to treat the body and reform the soul. Using the sole surviving admissions book for Toledo, Spain's Hospital de Santiago, Cristian Berco reconstructs the lives of men and women afflicted with the pox by tracing their experiences before, during, and after their hospitalization. Through an innovative combination of medical, institutional, and notarial sources, he explores the physical and social lives of the patients. What were the social repercussions of living with a shameful disease? What did living with this chronic illness mean for careers and networks, love and families, and everyday relationships? From Body to Community is a textured analysis at once touched by the illness but not solely defined by it. Known In Early Modern Europe By Many Names--the French Disease, The Bubas, And, Eventually, Syphilis--the Great Pox Was A Chronic Disease That Carried The Stigma Of Sexuality And Produced A Slow And Painful Death. The Main Institution Which Treated It, The Pox Hospital, Has Come Down To Us As A Stench-filled And Overcrowded Place That Sought To Treat The Body And Reform The Soul. Using The Sole Surviving Admissions Book For Toledo, Spain's Hospital De Santiago, Cristian Berco Reconstructs The Lives Of Men And Women Afflicted With The Pox By Tracing Their Experiences Before, During, And After Their Hospitalization. Through An Innovative Combination Of Medical, Institutional, And Notarial Sources, He Explores The Physical And Social Lives Of The Patients. What Were The Social Repercussions Of Living With A Shameful Disease? What Did Living With This Chronic Illness Mean For Careers And Networks, Love And Families, And Everyday Relationships? From Body To Community Is A Textured Analysis At Once Touched By The Illness But Not Solely Defined By It.-- Getting Sick: Signs, Sin, And Social Worth -- Encounters Of The Third Kind: Medical Assumptions And Patients -- Melting Pot: The Hospital De Santiago's Patients -- Safeguarding Reputation: Gender, Hospitalization, And Textiles -- Between Body And Soul: Treatment At The Hospital De Santiago -- Getting Hitched: Pox, Sexuality And Marriage -- Making Ends Meet: Disease, Work, And Family -- Playing Nice With Others: Pox And Community. Cristian Berco. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Known in early modern Europe by many names--the French Disease, the Bubas, and, eventually, syphilis--the Great Pox was a chronic disease that carried the stigma of sexuality and produced a slow and painful death. The main institution which treated it, the pox hospital, has come down to us as a stench-filled and overcrowded place that sought to treat the body and reform the soul. Using the sole surviving admissions book for Toledo, Spain's Hospital de Santiago, Cristian Berco reconstructs the lives of men and women afflicted with the pox by tracing their experiences before, during, and after their hospitalization. Through an innovative combination of medical, institutional, and notarial sources, he explores the physical and social lives of the patients. What were the social repercussions of living with a shameful disease? What did living with this chronic illness mean for careers and networks, love and families, and everyday relationships? From Body to Community is a textured analysis at once touched by the illness but not solely defined by it."-- Provided by publisher From Body to Community is a fresh, well-written, and approachable social history of disease, gender, and social relations in early modern Toledo. Berco's sensitivity and empathy make his writing on the experience of undergoing treatment at a syphilis hospital the most vivid history of syphilis I have read. Laura J. McGough, author of'Gender, Sexuality, and Syphilis in Early Modern Venice' Through his thorough reading of the only extant patient admissions book for Toledo's syphilis hospital, Berco provides an insider's view of the procedures, policies, and ideologies that shaped syphilitics'experiences during their internment. One can only be impressed by Berco's ability to tease every shred of useful information from hospital records that are notoriously difficult to work with and frustratingly limited as a source. Michele Clouse, Department of History, Ohio University-- Provided by Publisher Cover Copyright Dedication Contents Tables Preface Acknowledgments Introduction – Beyond Mercury: Venereal Disease in Context 1 Getting Sick: Signs, Sin, and Social Worth 2 Encounters of the Third Kind: Medical Assumptions and Patients 3 Melting Pot: The Hospital de Santiago’s Patients 4 Safeguarding Reputation: Gender, Hospitalization, and Textiles 5 Between Body and Soul: Treatment at the Hospital de Santiago 6 Getting Hitched: Pox, Sexuality, and Marriage 7 Making Ends Meet: Disease, Work, and Family 8 Playing Nice with Others: Pox and Community Conclusion – Patients as People: Disease, Society, and Beyond Notes Bibliography Index Known in early modern Europe by many names - the French Disease, the __Bubas__, and, eventually, syphilis - the Great Pox was a chronic disease that carried the stigma of sexuality and produced a slow and painful death. The main institution which treated it, the pox hospital, has come down to us as a stench-filled and overcrowded place that sought to treat the body and reform the soul.