Harvey analogized male impregnation of the female to infection by disease

Evidence

The female was impregnated by contagion! Generation was analogous to a disease caused by the introduction of a parasitic or foreign cause, which played the role of an active, generative, vital principle. A contagion was an active power as opposed to putrefaction, which was the degenerative principle found in decay. — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 643

Categorization

• CANDY: The stunning image that a major scientist framed conception as a kind of contagious disease the male inflicts is a striking elevator fact.