Sexual Intercourse in Celsus’ De Medicina

Abstract:This paper discusses the Roman medical writer Celsus’ evaluation of sexual intercourse and its impact on human health in his treatise De Medicina. Celsus departs from most Greek and Roman authors, medical and non-medical, in suggesting that sexual activity has no benefit to human health whatsoever, while in most circumstances it poses risks. In place of outright condemnation, however, Celsus negotiates within the social and legal contexts of Augustan and Julio-Claudian Rome, which not only aim to increase the birthrate among the aristocracy, but also value the personal libertas of free, male citizens, and thus Celsus discourages medical interventions to limit or prevent sexual activity.