Preface Population and Sex Evidence for Oral Contraceptives and Abortifacients Soranus on Antifertility Agents Terminology in Dioscorides' De materia medica Early Stage Abortifacients in Dioscorides and Soranus Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents Egyptian Papyrus Sources Greek and Roman Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen The Late Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages The Middle Ages: The Church, Macer, and Hildegard Salerno and Medicine through the Twelfth Century Islam, Arabic Medicine, and the Late Middle Ages Knowledge of Birth Control in the West The Renaissance Later Developments Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index
John M. Riddle is Chair of the History Department and Alumni Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University.
Riddle’s study is a true turning point in the history of
contraception and abortion, which may have large implications for
the history of the medical and psychic experience of women in
antiquity, folk medicine, and premodern demography.
*New York Review of Books*
Riddle shows us that ancient contraceptive medical practices were
safe, effective and commonly used. Sociological studies on their
use remain to be carried out. But it is possible that, between the
Middle Ages and the rise of modern contraception, the well-off and
city dwellers had little access to effective contraception, thanks
to the growth of conventional medicine and the soaring social power
of the physician. This is just one of the many intriguing lines of
investigation to arise from this book, which shines a different
light on what we are generally taught about the ‘progress’ of the
modern world.
*Nature*
[Riddle’s] findings carry important implications for the history of
theology, casuistry, pastoral care, social history, the history of
sexuality, and the history of popular culture, as well as the
history of botany, pharmacy, medicine, and biochemistry… These
findings should earn Riddle the gratitude of the numerous
historians for whom the reproductive strategies of past generations
are an important issue.
*American Historical Review*
Gives us a valuable glimpse of the long reach of history on
fertility and provides food for thought on possible options that
science should research for both safety and efficacy.
*Herb Quarterly*
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