Is there any evidence of STD's in ancient times?
score:27
Famously, the Ancient Egyptians knew a lot about sexuality, gynecology and genitourinary infections. Nevertheless, according to this article, there are no unambiguous description of STD's in the medical papyri of Ancient Egypt (though many reported symptoms suggest gonorrhea and some suggest pelvic infections). The same source notes that the Old Testament describes an epidemic-more precisely, a plague-which is clearly temporally and causally linked to sexual relations and for which Moses provides a technically correct solution: kill everyone but the virgins (see here, verse 16 and 17 for instance).
Upvote:2
At least syphilis is thought to not have existed in Europe but having been introduced there by the returning discoverers from the voyages of Columbus.
Many other diseases have found their way from one continent to another through similar means, think of the plague and HIV...
Of course there are many diseases that can be transmitted through sexual contact, and many of them would not have been recognised as such at the time. Think Herpes, which has several vectors, only one of them being sexual intercourse.
Upvote:7
The oldest written record of STD are probably the Sumerian clay tablets.
from History of venereal diseases from antiquity to the renaissance
That some genital disturbances were observed and some form of urethritis was present is within the range of probability, especially if one reads the poetry dedicated to Innana (or Ishtar), the goddess of sexual love and fertility, or about the promiscuous life of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk.
Recently writings by scholars on Mesopotamian medicine give more information about contagious diseases and STDs among the ancient people of the region, and describe urethral and v***nal discharge (dribbling from the vulva) possibly caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, or Trich*m*nas v***nalis, as well as cases of herpes genitalis, if the patient had “babu’tu” i.e. vesicles on the genitals.
As the other answer mentioned we also have some records from ancient Egypt. Once we get to the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome we get plenty of medical texts or other references to sexual health from various authors.
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