In Ancient Greek philosophy and
astrology, the climacterics (Latin, annus climactericus, from Greek
κλῖμακτηρικός) were certain purportedly critical years in a person's life, marking turning points.
In modern use, it is a common term used to describe menopause and andropause.[1]
Historic use
According to the astrologers, the person would see some very notable alterations to the body, and be at a great risk of death
during these years. Authors on the subject include the following: Plato, Cicero, Macrobius, Aulus
Gellius, among the ancients; as well as Argol, Maginus, and Salmasius. Augustine, Ambrose, Bede, and
Boetius all countenanced the belief.
The first climacteric occurs in the seventh year of a person's life; the rest are multiples of the first, such as 21, 49, 56,
and 63, the last of which was called the grand climacteric, with the dangers here being supposedly more imminent.
The belief has a great deal of antiquity on its side. Aulus Gellius says that it was
borrowed from the Chaldeans; who might probably receive it from Pythagoras, whose philosophy (Pythagoreanism) was based in numbers,
and who imagined an extraordinary virtue in the number 7.
These turning points were viewed as changes from one kind of life, and attitude toward life, to another in the mind of the
subject: the locus classicus is Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, C204‑207, which in turn gave rise to Shakespeare's
delineation of the Seven Ages of Man.
They were also viewed, logically within the framework of ancient medicine and its ties to astrology, as dangerous years from a
medical standpoint. In this sense, the word has been used by medicine of more recent times; in the 16th through the 18th
centuries, it often refers to the day on which a fever was thought to break (see quartan fever,
quintan fever).
Marsilius Ficinus gives a foundation for the belief: he tells us that there is a year
assigned for each planet to rule over the body of man, each in his turn. Now, Saturn
being the most malefic planet of all, every seventh year, which falls to his lot, becomes very dangerous; especially that of 63,
since the person is already of old age.
Some hold, according to this doctrine, every seventh year to be an established climacteric; but others only allow the title to
those years produced by the multiplication of the climacterical space by an odd number, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. Others observe every
ninth year as a climacteric, in which case the 81st year is the grand climacteric. Some also believed that the
climacteric years are also fatal to political bodies and governments.
The astronomer Johannes Hevelius wrote a volume under the title Annus
climactericus (1685), describing the loss he sustained in the burning of his observatory, which it seems happened in his
first grand climacteric. Roman historian Suetonius says, Augustus congratulated his nephew upon his having passed his first grand climacteric, of which he was
very apprehensive.
The legacy of these climacteric years is still with us to some extent: the age of reason is often taken to be when a child
reaches 7, and in many countries the age of full adulthood is taken as 21.
Modern Usage
In current practice, Climacteric is most often a synonym for female menopause. However, in
Princeton University's online dictionary, Climacteric is defined as:
1. (n) climacteric (a period in a man's life corresponding to menopause)
2. (n) menopause, climacteric, change of life (the time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends)
The term is used for both genders by The International
Menopause Society, which defines itself as "The society for the study of all aspects of the climacteric in men and
women."
In Botany
The climacteric is a stage of fruit ripening associated with ethylene production and cell respiration rise.[2] Apples, melons, apricots, tomatoes (among others) are
climacteric fruit. Citrus, grapes,
strawberries are non-climacteric (they ripen without ethylene and respiration bursts).
However, there are non-climacteric melons and apricots, and grapes and strawberries harbour several ethylene receptors which are
active. Climacteric is the final physiological process that marks the end of fruit maturation and the beginning of fruit
senescence. Its defining point is the sudden rise in respiration of the fruit and normally takes place without any external
influences. After the climacteric period respiration rates (noted by carbon dioxide
production) return to or below the point before the event. The climacteric event also leads to other changes in the fruit
including pigment changes and sugar release. For those fruits
raised as food the climacteric event marks the peak of edible ripeness, with fruits having
the best taste and texture for consumption. After the event fruits are more susceptible to fungal invasion and begin to degrade with cell death.
References
- This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
- "Climacteric". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.
- ^ MeSH Climacteric
- ^ climacteric. Biology-Online.org Dictionary of Biology. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
Further reading
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