Devices & Desires
2002-01-05 23:50:58+00 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
My pleasure reading right now is Devices & Desires, a history of contraception in America, or at least since roughly 1865, when the first of the Comstock pushed legislation was enacted and birth control became illegal in the United States. There were various devices available previous to this, various semi-effective pessaries have been around since Egyptian times, condoms have existed for centuries, but the fact that the industrial revolution provided an economy where families might not want children, and that technologies were advancing such that rubber was a viable material, makes this a reasonable starting point. And this is a great view too of the birth of modern medicine, and the shysterism that has accompanied health care. This should be mandatory reading for anyone who favors anti-pornography legislation, but is also an amazing reminder that freedoms are temporary, and that we must be forever vigilant. Highly recommended as of the first half.