Aphrodisiacs and Anti-aphrodisiacs: Three Essays on the Powers of Reproduction — Themes and Context

Antiquarian Framing and the Phallic Symbol

The preface establishes a central tension: ancient reverence for reproductive symbols versus modern 'over-strained notions of delicacy.' Davenport cites the Phallus as a religious object, referencing 'Votive Columns of the Ancient Oscans' in the frontispiece. The list of illustrations draws on works by the Comte de Caylus and Sonnerat, grounding the essays in 18th- and 19th-century antiquarianism. However, the excerpts do not provide sustained analysis of phallic worship; instead, the preface serves as a justification for the work's subject matter, positioning it as a scholarly corrective. Readers should note that the catalog subject 'Phallicism' is most evident in the paratexts rather than the essay body.

Physiological Claims and Anecdotal Evidence

The excerpt on fish and phosphorus exemplifies Davenport's method: he presents a story from Hecquet about Sultan Saladin testing dervishes' continence, then offers a physiological explanation involving phosphorus as a 'powerful stimulant.' He cites experiments by Leroy and Battatz, and mentions fatal outcomes recorded by Brera and Magendie. The tone is confident—'satisfactorily proved'—yet the evidence is a mix of anecdote and early scientific observation. The discussion of truffles includes a quotation from Brillat-Savarin, where a lady confides about a supper. These passages show Davenport weaving together classical, medical, and culinary sources without systematic verification.

The Judicial 'Congress' and French Context

The title promises 'some account of the judicial "Congress" as practised in France during the seventeenth century,' but the excerpts do not include that section. The catalog subject 'Sex customs -- France -- History -- 17th century' points to this content, which likely appears later in the text. Based on the preface and available excerpts, the work's structure is essayistic, with the French material forming one of three essays. The absence of this section in the excerpts limits inference about its content, but the title suggests a legal or medical procedure related to impotence trials. Readers should approach the French section as a distinct case study within the broader antiquarian-physiological framework.

Davenport's work resists easy categorization: it is part antiquarian treatise, part physiological handbook, and part anecdotal collection. The excerpts reveal a writer who moves from phallic symbols to phosphorus experiments without clear transitions, relying on a wide but uneven range of sources. Readers interested in 19th-century attitudes toward sexuality and reproduction will find this a curious document, but should verify claims against modern scholarship. The judicial 'congress' section, though not excerpted, may offer the most focused historical analysis.

Davenport’s court records made me think of an old textbook on my shelf, its margins filled with a younger hand’s pencil notes. Reading about the strange rituals gave me that same hush I felt with The lone swallows — Reading Notes, where time slows and every detail feels like a small, deliberate secret left for me alone.