We would expect you to ‘experience’ perform fail this new chaste friar as he composed on peoples sexuality, but as good priest he read confessions, a vital source of facts about sexual means

Departing on the medical author Galen, Albert implemented the latest Aristotelian line towards reproduction, where the men sperm ‘s the energetic concept inside the generation, imprinting setting towards the intense count available with the feminine menses. Females, becoming lacking for the important heat, produce simply a form of ‘seed’ otherwise genital secretion you to definitely does not have formative institution. Infamously, each other Albert and you will Aquinas show one to characteristics always plans to generate the best kids, particularly a masculine. For several factors, as well as decreased heat, the process is flunk and you may make the age bracket off a lady. While individually a female counts given that a keen incomplete boy, this woman is nevertheless required for new conservation of your varieties. Therefore, in the reviews towards the Aristotle’s Physics, Albert opinions you to ‘the information presented wants form just like the do the female a man and the brand new unattractive the beautiful.’ After that, all women it’s would like to getting a man: ‘There’s no woman who maybe not wish to defer … femininity’ if she you will. The only real shaping fuel ascribed with the mom is the dangerous fuel regarding creativeness: is she affect imagine a beast when you look at the operate from copulation, by way of example, she might promote birth to a single.

Albert also gets an uncommon membership regarding a medieval intersex person, pulled regarding often personal observance otherwise lead report

Most other ‘injuries from nature’ could cause the delivery of twins. Albert states have heard off ‘of several worth trust’ on a couple of conjoined twins which have strikingly various other characters. It survived into their twenties however,, when you to passed away, their dual perished ‘on the putrefaction and you will stench off his dry brother’. The child appeared to be lady during the beginning, however the starting of the vulva was closed more than because of the facial skin. And so the moms and dads questioned a surgeon to reduce they open – ‘and out leapt his testicles along with his penis’. While the an adult, Albert records, the man got a partner and you may fathered many pupils. His stories should be below credible. That Clement off Bohemia informed your from the a ‘hoary dated monk’ who’d sex together with mistress 66 times in one single nights. A day later, the monk dropped deceased and you may, on autopsy, ‘his notice is discovered to be entirely evacuated’, leaving a swelling zero bigger than an effective pomegranate. The new facts try meant to strengthen the idea that, since cum are manufactured in your head and descends to your snatch, excess intercourse cures your body and mind. So it drying and additionally factors baldness; new proof is that castrati should never be hairless.

Medieval doctors accepted five ‘complexions’ otherwise temperaments – sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic – according to research by the body is principal humour. Illnesses, and therefore cures, ranged with regards to the person’s skin tone. At exactly the same time, per skin are influenced by this new half a dozen ‘non-naturals’, situations external towards system: diet, sleep, get it done, sexual intercourse, ideas and environment. For Albert, the brand new influence away from topography towards human complexions are thus deep while the to help make different both mental and physical products regarding eight ‘climates’ otherwise geographical areas of the planet. Given the high value put-on heat (the main reason to own men quality), we might anticipate somebody living in warm climates are examined due to the fact more powerful or more intelligent, also to a point that is what we discover. People off Asia, particularly, ‘do well way more inside the resourcefulness due to new moving heat and the latest keenness of its spirits’. For this reason ,, Albert writes, you to definitely Asia has generated too many well-known philosophers, mathematicians and you will magicians. On the other hand, north peoples such Slavs, Germans and you will Englishmen are definitely phlegmatic and you may rather dull-witted, regardless if ‘when they are gone to live in studies it persevere stretched in addition they tend to be ideal undoubtedly just after mental exercise.’ Maybe Albert is thinking of their own analogy. Likewise, individuals do not have ‘natural’ surface the colour, having pigment, as well, was a reaction to weather. Indians, in addition to are clever, is actually ‘gorgeous inside colour’, while Africans are black by the sun’s too much heat, and you can northerners light of the cooler – just like polar bears and you will white hares, although the same dogs try black or brown into the south weather. Albert really does declaration specific stereotypes in the Black lady, specifically which they interest sex more frequently than white women and you can create a great deal more naturally healthy breast dairy (this notion comes from Avicenna).