Correcting the 'Unnatural' Breast: Gynecomastia and Gender in Medieval Medicine

Abstract

This paper discusses the transmission of a surgical procedure for the correction of gynecomastia, or female-like breasts in men. The procedure originated in Greek medicine and was passed to Arabic and later Latin authors on surgery. The paper argues that persistence of the text and its adaptation into Latin are evidence that the procedure maintained a gendered meaning for Latin authors. This gendered meaning led Latin authors to continue copying the procedure, though not to perform it.