text: Peter Allen takes three of the most compelling aspects of human history--sex, disease, and religion--and weaves them together in a fascinating exposition of how religious authorities in the West have viewed  disease since the late Middle Ages. His book discusses the histories of  lovesickness, leprosy, syphilis, plague, masturbation, and of course AIDS.  For each disease (and yes, masturbation was considered a serious disease  well into the 20th Century!), he discusses how sex, and the sins associated  with it, figured into the religious and popular views of illness. Allen's  book is meticulously researched (he read texts in the original French,  Latin, German, and Italian) and elegantly  written. It is a far easier read  than most academic works. Most importantly, it offers insight into how  religious and sexual  intolerance can hamper the fight against disease,  even in today's world
  