Hist Cienc Saude Manguinhos. 2001 Mar-Jun; 8(1): 98-112.

[Men and women: imagery about sterility in Portuguese America]

Del Priore M.

PontifÃcia Universidade CatÃ³lica do Rio de Janeiro. [email protected]

This paper discusses old usages and beliefs about sterility in Colonial Brazil. Treated as a curse usually befallen women, sterility was struggled with symbolism and phytotherapy, aiming to "unbock" or "remove the spell" from the craddle of creation.