The Newtonians and the English Revolution, 1689-1720.

Abstract

Reviews historians. The author, a historian, has, therefore, prepared this book, which deals with some aspects of human sexuality, but concentrates on ". . .a history of attitudes toward sex and their relationship to certain forms of stigmatized sexual behaviour . ." (p.viii).There are six sections: the background (culture and sexuality, sources of Western attitudes and the Jewish contribution); the European inheritance (Greeks, Romans, Christian hostility, early Christianity); attitudes toward sex in the non- Western world (Islam, India, China); the Christian world (Byzantium, early Middle Ages in the West, later Middle Ages); new horizons and the New World; the twentieth century, trends and assumptions.Although some of the material has been published already, this is the first compre- hensive survey of the history of stigmatized sexual behaviour.It includes primarily homo-sexuality, but also masturbation, transvestism, transexualism and bestiality, with information about celibacy, incest, rape, adultery, eunuchism, pornography, phailicism, sadism, masochism, and fetischism to support the main theme.Al- together, this scholarly book forms a mine of information, and Professor Bullough has documented his sources impeccably.But in addition to being an excellent historial survey it also deals with modern attitudes and the reasons for current changes.An understanding of the social and cultural factors that have determined present-day attitudes towards sex and its deviations will be of the greatest assistance to those who are at the moment grappling with its problems.Professor Bullough's book can, therefore, be recommended to a wide circle of readers, including the historian of medicine, the social historian, the social worker and all those dealing with the sexual deviant.