Cover: Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance, from Harvard University PressCover: Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance in PAPERBACK

Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance

Product Details

PAPERBACK

$34.00 • £29.95 • €30.95

ISBN 9780674168763

Publication Date: 01/01/1994

Short

256 pages

6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches

3 tables, 6 halftones, 1 line illustration

World

Add to Cart

Media Requests:

Related Subjects

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.—W. V. Harris, The 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.—Michel Raymond, 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.—James A. Brundage, 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.—Portia Meares, Herb Quarterly

Recent News

Black lives matter. Black voices matter. A statement from HUP »

From Our Blog

Photograph of the book Fearless Women against red/white striped background

A Conversation with Elizabeth Cobbs about Fearless Women

For Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the work of Elizabeth Cobbs, whose new book Fearless Women shows how the movement for women’s rights has been deeply entwined with the history of the United States since its founding. Cobbs traces the lives of pathbreaking women who, inspired by American ideals, fought for the cause in their own ways