The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World - Hardcover

Asbell, Bernard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679435557 ISBN 13: 9780679435556

Publisher: Random House, 1995

Synopsis

With as many twists and turns as a thriller, this biography of the birth control pill tells the story of the committed people--Margaret Sanger, Katharine McCormick, and Dr. Gregory Pincus, among others--who pioneered the its development, as well as the two scientists who defied the law to advance its research. Photos.

About this title

Review:

This is a complex and riveting tale involving eccentric scientists, the power of the Catholic church and a group of women and activists who would not take "no" for an answer. Rather than assign a "father" of the pill, Asbell credits two women as its mothers. Created in an era when women struggled to control family size by such horrific methods as Lysol douches, the pill changed women's lives forever in ways far more reaching than sexual freedom.

From Booklist:

Was the Pill the catalyst for the sexual revolution, or did the demand for an effective contraceptive lead to the Pill? After reading Asbell's fascinating account, the first in-depth look at the intriguing tale behind the Pill's development and dissemination, we see that it's a combination of the two. The story of the Pill is full of surprises, serendipitous events, and controversy. For starters, the search for an oral contraceptive was not instigated by scientists or drug companies, but by two women: world-famous birth-control pioneer Margaret Sanger and Katherine McCormick, a little-known woman of wealth and conviction. Sanger and McCormick commissioned Dr. Gregory Pincus to create the "perfect" contraceptive during the 1940s, when knowledge about the female reproductive system was still appallingly sketchy. Meanwhile, several chemists, including the enigmatic and eccentric Russell E. Marker, were working, unbeknownst to each other, on synthesizing hormones and discovering the very chemistry Pincus needed. Asbell skillfully profiles all the major players and their roles in creating and defending the Pill, then moves on to an insightful overview of the Pill's reception, especially the wrenching conflict with the Vatican, a battle over reproductive freedom that still rages. Because understanding the impetus behind the development of the Pill and the implications of its use is essential to understanding our times, Asbell's chronicle is invaluable. Donna Seaman

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0679435557
• ISBN 13: 9780679435556
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 411
• Illustrator: Illus. With Photos