Casanova: real man or myth?

©FSRH J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2009: 35(3) Lovers throughout the ages One of the great fascinations of the study of medical history is the personalities that emerge from documents and manuscripts. When I ask a group to name a really famous lover from the pages of history, the cry “Casanova” heads the list virtually every time and, on some occasions, ends with him. There is a great gap between those individuals known for sexual exploits and those described as lovers. A time-machine meeting with Caligula or the Marquis de Sade could be a very uncomfortable half hour and although it could be accurately described as a sexual experience it would be likely to challenge the boundaries of even the most adventurous. The thought of meeting Casanova seems a much more appealing choice, particularly as it seems his first choice venue for seduction was in a perfumed Italian garden. So what makes history record that an individual is a lover? Anthropologists and psychologists may give evidence as to what makes a person attractive in various cultures and time periods. We all realise that the extreme lines of a corseted Edwardian great aunt seem almost grotesque a century later. Shape, colouring and hygiene are influences that could make a modern man or woman a little reticent when faced with the reality of a prospective lover from the distant past. Let us consider what other elements make up a fairly universal image of the successful Western lover. Power, influence and money all have aphrodisiac qualities for most people, whilst for others wit, charm and intelligence play a huge role. Physical beauty helps but does not seem to rank as highly as some might think. Consider a contemporary of Casanova’s, Dr Samuel Johnson, who allegedly enjoyed considerable success with the opposite sex from the glittering intelligentsia of society. One glance at the portraits of the time of Johnson provides conclusive evidence that looks do not necessarily count in attracting the opposite sex. Those readers now irritated by the exclusive female view might consider that a number of French royal mistresses of the 18th century were morbidly obese by our standards and many wore wigs that were likely to be infested, as well as having foul breath and rotten teeth.