| Sumario: | Republican-era society was characterized by loosening social norms, particularly around sexual behavior, and the illnesses caused by "debauchery" were many. Debauchery was defined as dangerous behavior including masturbation and hypersexuality, later extending to nocturnal emissions, erectile dysfunction, kidney deficiency, and sexual neurasthenia. These conditions are frequently mentioned in Republican-era sources. This article first defines these terms and explains the Chinese and Western interpretations of them. Treatments for the conditions have some categorical characteristics. For example, they all rested on the premise that semen was precious. Of course, from late-Qing to Republican times, traditional views of the body were influenced by Western physiological research. Western knowledge was particularly influential on the understanding of new medicines and treatments. The most prominent example was the shift in understanding of "nerves" and "endocrinology." Along with the rise of new medicines, treatment strategies focusing on calming the nerves and building up semen, qi, and blood also proliferated. This article analyzes the role of these new medicines in treating illnesses of debauchery, especially the hormone drugs that appeared in great quantities in the late 1920s. The new medicines were primarily Western, but this article uses a traditional Chinese medicine perspective to supplement the interpretations of new medicines and their role in dialogue with traditional Chinese bodily concepts. There are many similarities in Chinese and Western medical strategies and a comparison of them provides another way to understand the historical interactions of Chinese and Western medicine.
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