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Catullus 69 and 71: Goat, Gout, and Venereal Disease
- Classical World
- Classical Association of the Atlantic States
- Volume 101, Number 4, Summer 2008
- pp. 443-452
- 10.1353/clw.0.0016
- Article
- Additional Information
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In Catull. 69 Rufus has a goat living in his armpits. In Catull. 71 a nameless man is part of a love triangle that has afflicted the two male participants with “the goat” and gout. Critics have been hesitant to suggest that Catullus could really be making a joke about sexually transmitting body odor and swollen feet. By examining the literary and medical evidence, I conclude that his audience would have appreciated such a joke. The identification of “the goat” and gout in 69 and 71 as venereal afflictions leads to a direct and funny reading, which fits the dominant pattern of Catullus’ slanderous epigrams.