: Boccaccio specifically dedicated this work to women suffering from the "melancholy" of love, noting that they often suffered more than men because they were confined to their homes without the distractions of business or travel.
: Historical remedies ranged from distraction and travel to more extreme measures like "sexual congress" or, in famous medical anecdotes, simply marrying the object of desire to restore balance to the humors. Lovesickness in Italian Literature Malattia d'amore
: Medieval medical texts, such as those by Avicenna, suggested the brain was "misled" into believing one specific person was more noble and desirable than all others, causing the spirit to "wander through emptiness". : Boccaccio specifically dedicated this work to women
Today, "Malattia d'amore" survives more as a cultural and artistic trope than a medical diagnosis. Today, "Malattia d'amore" survives more as a cultural