Many fans of the Netflix Regency series, Bridgerton, tune in for the steamy sex scenes, as much as the period drama. But how authentic are the show’s love scenes compared to the experience of sex in real Regency Britain?
One reality not mentioned in the show is how common sexually transmitted disease was. An estimated fifth of Londoners suffered from syphilis in the late 18th century. And a greater proportion would have suffered from other afflictions, such as gonorrhoea or chlamydia.
William Buchan, a doctor who wrote a popular medical tract on the Prevention and Cure of the Venereal Disease, attributed the spread of “the gentleman’s disease” to lewd women prowling the streets of London with no restraint, and to a lack of moral education from parents.
