Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance

Abstract

Preface Population and Sex Evidence for Oral Contraceptives and Abortifacients Soranus on Antifertility Agents Terminology in Dioscorides' De materia medica Early Stage Abortifacients in Dioscorides and Soranus Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents Egyptian Papyrus Sources Greek and Roman Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen The Late Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages The Middle Ages: The Church, Macer, and Hildegard Salerno and Medicine through the Twelfth Century Islam, Arabic Medicine, and the Late Middle Ages Knowledge of Birth Control in the West The Renaissance Later Developments Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index