{"id":26941,"date":"2019-06-17T13:52:57","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T13:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/?p=26941"},"modified":"2025-01-08T17:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T10:13:31","slug":"erectile-dysfunction-in-history-life-before-viagra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/erectile-dysfunction-in-history-life-before-viagra\/","title":{"rendered":"Erectile Dysfunction in History: Life Before Viagra"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine a day and age where it was commonplace to announce men\u2019s erectile dysfunction (ED) to the world? While this may sound like the introduction to a dystopian movie, this was actually common practice dating back to the 1700s. So, who were these well-known historical figures? And how was ED treated back then since Viagra wasn\u2019t introduced into the markets until the mid-late 90s?<\/em><\/p>\n

This article takes you back in time with the experiences of two notable men in history believed to have lived with erectile dysfunction and the treatments they likely underwent for it. It concludes with a look at how far we\u2019ve come.<\/p>\n

King Louis XVI<\/h3>\n

Imagine holding the highest title in France ahead of the French revolution. You have it all. Wealth. Power. A Queen. Granted King Louis XVI had his share of problems, including a mishandled pesky financial crisis that led to him being guillotined for treason<\/a>, but that\u2019s a common fact you can read in any history book. Something you won\u2019t read about in his biography is that he may have lived with erectile dysfunction<\/a>. He and his wife, Marie Antoinette, struggled intimately, a fact that was obvious to their kingdom because of the absence of an heir to the throne.<\/p>\n

Academics dissected<\/a> the possible caused of King Louis\u2019 sexual performance issues, including a possible physical condition known as phimosis<\/a>, and hypogonadism<\/a>, which can cause ED. Now, as if that doesn\u2019t sound like enough to deal with, imagine your intimacy issues being used as entertainment material in the media. Though his public humiliation was largely confined to comics, you can see they didn’t pull punches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ivar the Boneless<\/h3>\n

\"Viking<\/p>\n

Now, we could dedicate infinite space here to lament Ivar’s unfortunate moniker<\/a>, but that\u2019s not the purpose of this piece. Besides, there\u2019s a lot of interesting things to learn about Ivar. Apparently, the Viking leader was a ferocious warrior who was known as a \u2018beserker<\/a>\u2019, a person who was furiously zoned into a fight.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear where his nickname, Boneless, comes from. One physical description describes him as a man made of purely cartilage, not bone. However, another explanation for the nickname could be for his purported erectile dysfunction. So, was Ivar struggling in the bedroom? Just really flexible? We won\u2019t know for sure, but his public nickname lives on.<\/p>\n

Historical ED Treatments<\/h3>\n

So, what treatments would\u2019ve been prescribed for the likes of King Louis XVI and Ivar the Boneless during their times? Unsurprisingly, they were not as well-researched as Viagra.<\/p>\n

Common erectile dysfunction treatments<\/a> in history:<\/p>\n