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The Resource Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance, John M. Riddle

Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance, John M. Riddle

Creator
Summary
  • "John Riddle uncovers the obscure history of contraception and abortifacients from ancient Egypt to the seventeenth century with forays into Victorian England--a topic that until now has evaded the pens of able historians." "Riddle's thesis is, quite simply, that the ancient world did indeed possess effective (and safe) contraceptives and abortifacients. The author maintains that this rich body of knowledge about fertility control--widely held in the ancient world--was gradually lost over the course of the Middle Ages, becoming nearly extinct by the early modern period. The reasons for this, he suggests, stemmed from changes in the organization of medicine. As university medical training became increasingly important, physicians' ties with folk traditions were broken. The study of birth control methods was just not part of the curriculum."
  • "In an especially telling passage, Riddle reveals how Renaissance humanists were ill equipped to provide accurate translations of ancient texts concerning abortifacients due to their limited experience with women's ailments. Much of the knowledge about contraception belonged to an oral culture--a distinctively female-centered culture. From ancient times until the seventeenth century women held a monopoly on birthing and the treatment of related matters information passed from midwife to mother, from mother to daughter. Riddle reflects on the difficulty of finding traces of oral culture and the fact that the little existing evidence is drawn from male writers who knew that culture only from a distance. Nevertheless, through extraordinary scholarly sleuthing, the author pieces together the clues and evaluates the scientific merit of these ancient remedies in language that is easily understood by the general reader. His findings will be useful to anyone interested in learning whether it was possible for premodern people to regulate their reproduction without resorting to the extremities of dangerous surgical abortions, the killing of infants, or the denial of biological urges."--Jacket
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
x, 245 pages
Contents
  • 1. Population and Sex
  • 2. Evidence for Oral Contraceptives and Abortifacients
  • 3. Soranus on Antifertility Agents
  • 4. Terminology in Dioscorides' De materia medica
  • 5. Early Stage Abortifacients in Dioscorides and Soranus
  • 6. Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents
  • 7. Egyptian Papyrus Sources
  • 8. Greek and Roman Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen
  • 9. The Late Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages
  • 10. The Middle Ages: The Church, Macer, and Hildegard
  • 11. Salerno and Medicine through the Twelfth Century
  • 12. Islam, Arabic Medicine, and the Late Middle Ages
  • 13. Knowledge of Birth Control in the West
  • 14. The Renaissance
  • 15. Later Developments
Isbn
9780674168756
Instance
Label
Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance
Title
Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance
Statement of responsibility
John M. Riddle
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • "John Riddle uncovers the obscure history of contraception and abortifacients from ancient Egypt to the seventeenth century with forays into Victorian England--a topic that until now has evaded the pens of able historians." "Riddle's thesis is, quite simply, that the ancient world did indeed possess effective (and safe) contraceptives and abortifacients. The author maintains that this rich body of knowledge about fertility control--widely held in the ancient world--was gradually lost over the course of the Middle Ages, becoming nearly extinct by the early modern period. The reasons for this, he suggests, stemmed from changes in the organization of medicine. As university medical training became increasingly important, physicians' ties with folk traditions were broken. The study of birth control methods was just not part of the curriculum."
  • "In an especially telling passage, Riddle reveals how Renaissance humanists were ill equipped to provide accurate translations of ancient texts concerning abortifacients due to their limited experience with women's ailments. Much of the knowledge about contraception belonged to an oral culture--a distinctively female-centered culture. From ancient times until the seventeenth century women held a monopoly on birthing and the treatment of related matters information passed from midwife to mother, from mother to daughter. Riddle reflects on the difficulty of finding traces of oral culture and the fact that the little existing evidence is drawn from male writers who knew that culture only from a distance. Nevertheless, through extraordinary scholarly sleuthing, the author pieces together the clues and evaluates the scientific merit of these ancient remedies in language that is easily understood by the general reader. His findings will be useful to anyone interested in learning whether it was possible for premodern people to regulate their reproduction without resorting to the extremities of dangerous surgical abortions, the killing of infants, or the denial of biological urges."--Jacket
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Riddle, John M
Dewey number
613.9/4/0901
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
LC call number
RG137.5
LC item number
.R53 1992
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
NLM call number
WP 630
NLM item number
R543c 1992
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Contraception
  • Oral contraceptives
  • Mifepristone
  • Medicine, Ancient
  • Medicine, Medieval
  • Abortifacient Agents
  • Contraception
  • Contraceptives, Oral
  • History, Medieval
  • History, Ancient
  • Abortus provocatus
  • Anticonceptie
  • Contraception
  • Contraceptifs oraux
  • Abortifs
  • Médecine médiévale
  • Médecine ancienne
  • Empfängnisverhütung
  • Geschichte Anfänge-1700
  • Abortivum
  • Antike
  • Mittelalter
  • Schwangerschaftsabbruch
  • Recht
Label
Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance, John M. Riddle
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-235) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
1. Population and Sex -- 2. Evidence for Oral Contraceptives and Abortifacients -- 3. Soranus on Antifertility Agents -- 4. Terminology in Dioscorides' De materia medica -- 5. Early Stage Abortifacients in Dioscorides and Soranus -- 6. Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents -- 7. Egyptian Papyrus Sources -- 8. Greek and Roman Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen -- 9. The Late Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages -- 10. The Middle Ages: The Church, Macer, and Hildegard -- 11. Salerno and Medicine through the Twelfth Century -- 12. Islam, Arabic Medicine, and the Late Middle Ages -- 13. Knowledge of Birth Control in the West -- 14. The Renaissance -- 15. Later Developments
Control code
24428750
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
x, 245 pages
Isbn
9780674168756
Lccn
91033682
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)24428750
Label
Contraception and abortion from the ancient world to the Renaissance, John M. Riddle
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-235) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
1. Population and Sex -- 2. Evidence for Oral Contraceptives and Abortifacients -- 3. Soranus on Antifertility Agents -- 4. Terminology in Dioscorides' De materia medica -- 5. Early Stage Abortifacients in Dioscorides and Soranus -- 6. Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents -- 7. Egyptian Papyrus Sources -- 8. Greek and Roman Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen -- 9. The Late Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages -- 10. The Middle Ages: The Church, Macer, and Hildegard -- 11. Salerno and Medicine through the Twelfth Century -- 12. Islam, Arabic Medicine, and the Late Middle Ages -- 13. Knowledge of Birth Control in the West -- 14. The Renaissance -- 15. Later Developments
Control code
24428750
Dimensions
25 cm
Extent
x, 245 pages
Isbn
9780674168756
Lccn
91033682
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)24428750

Subject

Genre

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