Birth control: multiple meanings, continuing controversy.

The Encyclopedia of Birth Control, Edited by Vern L. Bullough. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC CLIO, 2001, 349 pages. Cloth, $75.00.

Reviewed by Peggy Brick, M. Ed., Kendal at Crosslands, Kennett Square, PA 19348; e-mail: [e-mail].

It's amazing how much one can learn about sex and society by examining Encyclopedia of Birth Control, edited by that persistently productive sexologist, Vern Bullough. From "abortion" to "Yarros, Rachell Slobdinsky (1869-1964)," the entries reveal the long struggle of humans to take control of their reproductive lives and the endless controversies that have surrounded this crucial enterprise. Throughout there is a special understanding of the human condition--a wry, often humorous appreciation of the human foibles that are exposed when discussing this fascinating topic.

This book examines birth control from broad historical, social, psychological, and biological perspectives and is clearly enriched by the previous works of its editor, especially Science in the Bedroom: A History of Sex Research (Bullough, 1994) and Sexual Variations in Society and History (Bullough, 1976). The facts are enhanced by numerous historical vignettes and quotations that illustrate wildly changing beliefs and attitudes, particularly from the distant past. For example, the condom entry, worthy of seven pages, tells us that, while the Earl of Rochester first used the term in 1665 when he wrote A Panegyric Upon a Condom, the earliest medical description is by Italian anatomist Fallopius in 1564:

   As often as man has intercourse, he should (if possible) wash the
   genitals, or wipe these with a clothe: afterward he should use a
   small linen cloth made to fit the glans, and draw forward the prepuce
   over the glans, if he can do so, it is well to moisten it with
   salve or with a lotion. However, it does not matter, if you fear lest
   caries (syphilis) produced (in the midst of) the canal (vagina),
   take the sheath of linen clothe and place it in the canal. I tried
   the experiment on eleven hundred men, and I call immortal God to
   witness that not one of them was infected. (p. 80)

This gallant early effort at explicit "safer sex" education is quickly balanced by the revelation that "one physician reported that many a libertine would rather risk getting the 'clap' than using such devices" (p. 80). Next we discover a burlesqued poem about the "happy man who in his pocket keeps ... a well made C--" (p. 80). This is followed by discussion of Casanova, who "reported having intercourse standing, sitting, and lying down in coaches, on boats, in beds and even in alleys" (p. 82). The reader also learns (with dismay) that it was common practice to use condoms repeatedly, washing them out after each use!

What makes this encyclopedia unusual is that the intriguing history of the condom is followed by health advice for the contemporary condom user: "Like any other barrier contraceptive, condoms require some skill in use ... it is a good idea to practice putting one on before trying to use one the first time" (p. 83). A full description of proper condom use follows, including tips for removal. Thus, this encyclopedia aims to be a sexual health manual as well.

As evidenced in the dedication to Planned Parenthood organizations worldwide, the Encyclopedia makes no pretense of neutrality when it comes to women's right to control their reproductive lives. Numerous biographies document the courage and dedication of advocates for birth control during the 19th and 20th centuries. Of course, Margaret Sanger stars and is shown in a wonderful photograph with Ghandi taken while she was in India promoting contraception internationally. The picture of a large family planning poster printed in English, Yiddish, and Italian illustrates Sanger's sensitivity to the needs of the women she aimed to serve. But there are many others whose work is honored here, including Charles Bradbury, a member of the British Parliament who was taken to court for selling books, with information about birth control: Emma Goldman, the pioneer advocate of birth control in the United States; and physician Hannah Stone, who was forced to resign her position at New York Hospital when she became director of the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau in 1925. Interestingly, many of the people who were willing to "break the barriers to convention and theological prejudice" (p. 256) to lead the birth control movement were socialists and free thinkers. Bullough seems to want the reader to appreciate that fact.

The biographical portraits of the major opponents of birth control, particularly Anthony Comstock, provide an important context for thinking about the equally powerful opponents of contraception and abortion today. They, too. sought to preserve old values and to impose their particular morality on the Entire nation. Anyone working in the health care field today should recognize that for the last part of the 19th century and first part of the 20th, the American Medical Association was one of the major opponents of the distribution of information and devices for contraception. This opposition included a vigorous campaign against midwives who historically had attended births and provided abortions. Taken together, many of the entries reveal how birth control has been politicized during the last two centuries, usually ensconced in moralistic rationale.

Illustrations from the ancient world demonstrate the many ways people have contrived to limit their offspring. For example, the Manicaens, prohibited from reproducing, apparently used both anal intercourse and fellatio if they were unable to live up to the abstinence ideal of the sect. However, the Encyclopedia's entry on "Anal Intercourse" is devoted almost entirely to discussion of contemporary practice, explaining the physiology of ailed pleasure and giving safer sex advice: "Feces that could become smeared externally or block entry should be emptied from the rectum beforehand by an enema" (p. 17). Yet, unfortunately, there's no discussion of the extent to which anal intercourse currently is being used to avoid pregnancy or to retain "virginity." Similarly, while Bullough argues that oral-genital sex was deliberately used in the Greco-Roman world us documented in the writings of Saint Augustine, there is little information on the intervening centuries. Nor is there discussion of the interesting and important question of the extent to which other peoples, including sexually sophisticated youth today, have used either fellatio or cunnilingus as a birth control method.

Five associate editors and nine contributors assisted in writing this encyclopedia, which probably accounts for some of the unevenness, in the coverage of topics. For example, "India and Birth Control" rates seven pages, including charts showing population growth since 1900 and comparing conceptions in couples with different levels of education, and a discussion of the sociocultural issues involved in any efforts to limit population. However, "China and Birth Control" lakes up less than three pages, offering less thorough treatment of a society where strict governmental control of reproduction has raised serious reproductive rights issues.

While the book gives vivid Examples that illuminate the Western past, it provides less insight into the modern world. No entries comparable to those on India and China explore current issues in Europe, Africa, or Latin America. An appendix, titled "World Survey of Birth Control Practices," includes basic data on population, birth rates, and percentages of women using contraception and brief summaries of the current policies and attitudes regarding contraception. However, one can find fuller discussion of contemporary birth control issues in Francoeur's (1997) The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality.

The Encyclopedia of Birth Control provides an easy-to-read introduction to the topic that will be an invaluable resource for teachers. Family planning workers, sexuality educators, and the general public. However, this volume deserved to be longer. I especially would have appreciated more Extensive treatment of the current, worldwide feminist movements regarding reproductive rights. Another important addition would have been a discussion of sexuality education and the devastating impact of the religious right's abstinence-only initiative that forbids teaching about contraception and abortion. Nevertheless, the information gathered in this all-too-brief encyclopedia provides a vital background for anyone who wants an interesting overview of birth control and the social complexities that continue to stand in the way of reproductive freedom.

REFERENCES

Bullough, V. I. (1976). Sexual variance in society and history: Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Bullough, V. I. (1994). Science in the bedroom: A history of sex research. New York: Basic Books.

Francoeur, R. T. (Ed.). (1997). The international encyclopedia of sexuality. New York: Continuum Publishing Company.

Michael W. Wiederman, Ph.D. Department of Human Relations Columbia College 1301 Columbia College Drive Columbia, SC 29203, USA [e-mail]