At least as far back as Biblical times, sexual impotence has been equated with the destruction of the essence of masculinity. In the Old Testament, for instance, once King David was shown to be sexually impotent he was considered no longer fit to rule.
We now know that impotence can strike teenaged boys as well as aging kings. But today we no more believe that impotence renders a king unfit to govern than that it makes a student unqualified to pursue his studies. Nor does ...