Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: continentia

  • Virginity now and then

    Virginity is sometimes regarded as an indelicate subject. It is also one of history’s most cultural artifacts, less a biological fact than a social fiction refined over millennia. At its most literal, it means to have never engaged in sexual intercourse. Over time, however, it has become tied to ideas of purity, honor, and social…