Queen’s WIDEN: On Reproduction

Friday March 22nd 2013

3pm-5pm

Botterell Hall B139

All Welcome!

Presentations

Amanda Lepp
The Pregnant Man in Medieval Imagination
This talk features two stories of men who are pregnant and give birth, taken from my research into metaphors of the female reproductive bodies in medieval literature. The first is an account written by Julian of Norwich, a 14th century female Christian mystic, which describes a vision she had of Christ in which he was revealed to her as a mother to humanity. The second is a story of the impious pregnancy of the Roman Emperor Nero, which circulated in the hugely popular late medieval collection of histories of saints, the Golden Legend. I will show how such fascinating and imaginative stories can provide insight into late medieval beliefs about women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth.

Amir Rumman
Andropause: Changing Landscapes in Men’s Health

The concept of andropause has emerged as a major determinant of aging men’s health both in the popular press as well as in clinical realms. It refers to a broad clinical and biochemical syndrome of androgen deficiency, diminished libido, sexual dysfunction and changes in body composition and mood. Although the symptoms of andropause have been known since antiquity, the diagnosis and management of this condition has changed dramatically over the past few decades. In this talk we will review the history and evolution of andropause in an attempt to understand current diagnosis and treatment recommendations. We will also discuss current challenges with treatment and future directions for the management of this broad clinical syndrome.

Bob Montgomerie

When Males Look After Their Kids

In the vast majority of animal species, males have little or not contact with their offspring and provide no parental care. The exceptions to this pattern may help us to understand the conflict between males and females over the provision of care and how the costs and benefits of parental care have shaped the patterns of care in nature. Are there lessons here for humans?