Premature ejaculation is often seen as a modern problem, a condition born out of increased levels of stress, a diet of convenience food and a lifestyle that encourages people to sit for long periods of time. While it’s true that many trappings of modern life have contributed to this and other sexual performance issues, early ejaculation is a condition men have struggled with since the dawn of recorded history. Stories involving performance issues for men may not feature prominently in literature, but it is possible to trace the origins of many chronic conditions to the earliest medical and historical texts.
A Lesser Known Story From Greek Mythology
When it comes to ancient literature, Greek mythology serves up some of the oldest stories known to man. The Greeks had a number of stories to explain everything from how the universe began to how fire was invented. In one story about Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, accidentally impregnated Gaea, the goddess of earth and Erichthonius, the king of Athens, was conceived. In the story, Gaea becomes pregnant after the seed of Hephaestus falls on her in an event that can only be described as one of the earliest accounts of premature ejaculation. This description of early ejaculation was, for generations, one of the few notable literary references to the condition before the 1900s.
Although classic literature may be lacking when it comes to dealing with early ejaculation, the condition itself has been the focus of early medical works. By the time Victorian era rolled around, any issues regarding sexuality were seen as strictly taboo. Nevertheless, Richard von Krafft-Ebbing explored a number of sexual fetishes and conditions in his ground-breaking work, Psychopathia Sexualis which was published in 1886 and then re-issued in updated editions for several years after.
A Modern Problem with Historical Ties
Although the body of historical work concerning premature ejaculation may be lacking, that doesn’t mean the problem is a new invention. In fact, many of the most effective modern cures are rooted in traditional medicine. Nutrition and medicinal herbs, for example, are often the foundation of many supplements used to effectively treat premature ejaculation today.
The changing factor in this and many other sexual performance problems is the public’s acceptance and increased willingness to discuss intimate matters in public. Male sexual health has often been seen as one of the last big taboos of the sexual revolution. Although the public has long discussed the details of men who have been labelled ‘a ladies’ man’ or was known for being especially virile, male sexual performance problems have traditionally received little, if any, attention. As a result, generations of men have struggled with a wide array for sexual problems, from early ejaculation to impotence.
These changing public opinions have paved the way for male enhancement articles and education. This has allowed man men to finally reach out and get the help they need to deal with chronic conditions or even simply to improve their sexual performance. In many cases, this has caused the problem to come full circle as medical advancements lead to a greater understanding of what causes these conditions and, more often than not, simple and traditional healing methods often prove to be the most effective. Even pharmaceutical options for treating premature ejaculation are often rooted in replicated the effects of better nutrition or vitamin supplementation in addition to more tangible solutions including numbing agents. This effectively marries a traditional approach with technological and pharmaceutical advancements.
Although early ejaculation is often referred to as a condition born out of harried, chaotic and less than healthy modern lifestyle, it’s actually a condition with a long history. It was, in fact, such a serious and common concern that even the Greeks included in stories of their Gods, who were often portrayed as super-humans. The inclusion of a condition such as early ejaculation in Greek mythology proves that not only has this condition been an art of the human experience for eons, but that it has also been something that people have looked to explain and identify as a way of treating it successfully.