British Journal of Sexual Medicine - 2009


Comment: The origin of syphilis solved?
Paul Woolley
pp 3-3
Did Christopher Columbus and his crewmen introduce syphilis into Renaissance Europe after contracting it in the New World? On the European continent, does syphilis have a history older than Columbus’s voyage? The debate on the origin of venereal syphilis has raged for hundreds of years. By the early 1990s, three main theories had developed.
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder: historical perspective
John Dean
pp 4-7
Sex has been of interest to physicians and philosophers since classical times; essays on sexual ethics, politics and education, as well as function, dysfunction and therapies, are found in the writings of Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle and Galen. During the Renaissance, da Vinci and others began to describe the physiology of sexual response in the male.
Older people too are at risk of sexually transmitted infections
Jackie Sherrard
pp 8-10
While being young is a major risk factor for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), surveillance data and research projects increasingly show that older people are also at significant risk of STIs, including HIV.
Further advice on recurrent UTIs
Stuart Stanton
pp 11-11
Following the publication, in issue 32.1 of the British Journal of Sexual Medicine, of an article on the management of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women, Paul Woolley, the Editor, received the following letter, in which Stuart Stanton, President of the British Society of Urogynaecology, gives additional advice.
Body Positive North West: peer support to live with HIV
Phil Greenham and Robert Fieldhouse
pp 12-12
HIV has the power to divide and isolate but also to bring people together. Twenty-three years ago, Body Positive North West (BPNW) developed out of a local need for peer and social care support for people affected by HIV.
What is new in the treatment of genital warts?
Colm O’Mahony and Nicola Steedman
pp 13-15
We never thought we would see the day when the words ‘exciting’ and ‘genital warts’ would appear in the same sentence but, yes, these are exciting times in the field of genital warts.
A review of priapism: part 2
Sailaja Pisipati and Ian Pearce
pp 16-18
Priapism, an uncommon pathological condition described as a prolonged erection, often painful and unrelated to sexual stimulation, can be debilitating and result in serious physical and psychological sequelae. In the British Journal of Sexual Medicine 32.1, the first part of this two-part article focused on the pathophysiology, classification and aetiology of the condition.
The measure of pleasure
David Hicks
pp 19-19
A condom with a scale in centimetres printed along the side is being advertised by Curiosite, a Spanish company distributing ‘novelty products’. CondometricTM can fit a penis up to 25 centimetres long (9.8 inches in old money) and has the added value of being available in lime, cherry and banana flavours. It also comes in inches, claims the website.