“An mola sine viri congressu concipi possit?” The Uterine Mole in Medical and Philosophical Texts between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

Abstract

The uterine mole was the subject of various interpretations regarding its aetiology. In the Middle Ages it was considered produced by women through nocturnal emission of their ‘seed’. The idea of the mola as a product of a blend of male and female seed became dominant in 16^th century thanks to the re-discovered of a Galenic text. This contribution aims to highlight the different ways of interpreting the mola in the period between the Middle Ages and the 16th century, showing how the different interpretations were significant for judging women in ethical terms.