[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 biochemistryThese 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 )
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 (
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 )
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Looking for information about birth control options is frustrating. This book tantalizes the reader with the possibilities but unfortunately, as the author points out, it is impossible to find real methods without trial and error, which is not an acceptable risk for most of us! It is fascinating to learn that birth control was possible even before vulcanized rubber and the pill, and there are possibilities out there that haven't been touched by the medical community. This book and its companion (Eve's Herbs) are well worth reading and I recommend them to anyone interested in not only family planning of the ancients' but also the history of the western world's attitude toward fertility, especially contraception and abortion. Physicians especially could learn a lot from this book.
