Sexual Chemistry : A History of the Contraceptive Pill / Lara V. Marks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marks, Lara V., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Contraception.

Sexual health.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (416 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2010]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Heralded as the catalyst of the sexual revolution and the solution to global overpopulation, the contraceptive pill was one of the twentieth century's most important inventions. It has not only transformed the lives of millions of women but has also pushed the limits of drug monitoring and regulation across the world. This deeply-researched new history of the oral contraceptive shows how its development and use have raised crucial questions about the relationship between science, medicine, technology, and society.Lara Marks traces the scientific origins of the pill to Europe and Mexico in the early years of the twentieth century, challenging previous accounts that championed it as a North American product. She explores the reasons why the pill took so long to be developed and explains why it did not prove to be the social panacea envisioned by its inventors. Unacceptable to the Catholic Church, rejected by countries such as India and Japan, too expensive for women in poor countries, it has, more recently, been linked to cardiovascular problems. Reviewing the positive effects of the pill, Marks shows how it has been transformed from a tool for the prevention of conception to a major weapon in the fight against cancer.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations, Figures, Tables

Acknowledgements

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Introduction: 'A Whole New Bag of Beans'

1 The Population Problem and the Pill

2 The Contraceptive Challenge: The Search for a Pill

3 Sexual Chemistry

4 Human Guinea Pigs?

5 Doctors and the Pill

6 Handling Health Concerns of the Pill: Thrombosis

7 The Pill and the Riddle of Cancer

8 'A Dream Come True': The Reception of the Pill

9 Divisive Device: The Pill and the Catholic Church

10 Panacea or Poisoned Chalice?

Bibliographical Abbreviations

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-18011-X

9780300180114

OCLC:

1024024153