Erectile dysfunction
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Erectile dysfunction (ED) or (male) impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis.
The causes of erectile dysfunction may be physiological or psychological. Psychological impotence is where erection or penetration fails due to thoughts or feelings (psychological reasons) rather than physical impossibility.
Erectile dysfunction, tied closely as it is to cultural notions of potency, success and masculinity, can have devastating psychological consequences including feelings of shame, loss or inadequacy. There is a strong culture of silence and inability to discuss the matter.
Folk remedies have long been advocated, with some being advertised widely since the 1930s. The introduction of the first pharmacologically approved remedy for impotence, sildenafil (trade name Viagra), in the 1990s caused a wave of public attention, propelled in part by heavy advertising.
The Latin term impotentia coeundi describes simple inability to insert the penis into the vagina. It is now mostly replaced by more precise terms. The study of erectile dysfunction within medicine is covered by andrology, a sub-field within urology.
Erectile dysfunction in fiction
- The Sun also Rises (1926) - Ernest Hemingway
- Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) - D. H. Lawrence
- sex, lies, and videotape (1989) - Steven Soderbergh
- Breaking the Waves (1996) - Lars von Trier
See also: impotence - intercourse - penetration - penis - sex - fiction