A unique study of how syphilis, better known as the French disease in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, became so widespread and embedded in the society, culture and institutions of early modern Venice due to the pattern of sexual relations that developed from restrictive marital customs, widespread migration and male privilege.

Illustrations and Figures Acknowledgments Introduction A Network of Lovers: Sexuality and Disease Patterns in Early Modern Venice The Suspected Culprits: Dangerously Beautiful Prostitutes and Debauched Men Stigma Reinforced: The Problem of Incurable Cases of a Curable Disease Gender and Institutions: Hospitals and Female Asylums Conclusion Afterword Bibliography Index