1st Edition

The History of Medications for Women Materia Medica Woman

By M.J. O'Dowd Copyright 2001
    472 Pages
    by CRC Press

    472 Pages 219 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    The first work of its kind, The History of Medications for Women: Materia medica woman is a richly detailed, far-ranging illustrated history of medications for women in all the great cultures and civilizations, from ancient times to the present. Compiled by an acclaimed author of medical history literature, this is the only book that extends from the earliest uses of ergometrine, lettuce, and mummy medicine, through the history of women's medications in ancient Assyria and Egypt, and into the 16th through 20th centuries.

    With the main sections organized by origin and timeline, the book contains lists of medications used by women from earliest times to the present accompanied by historically-based text. The author includes botanical, chemical, pharmacalogical, and therapeutic details where appropriate, as well as extensive quotations from both contemporary and old, rare books. The text is complemented with the history of obstetrics and gynecology, along with short biographies and illustrations. Additionally, the author presents a unique fund of hard-to-find information in sections devoted to topics such as anesthesia and analgesia, antiseptics, antibiotics and chemotherapy, blood transfusion and Rhesus disease, eclampsia, family planning, menopause, and uterine stimulants. Interesting and thought-provoking, The History of Medications for Women will not only provide an enjoyable read, but will allow you to appreciate the past and look at the future with a new perspective.

    Introduction. ORIGINS: The Prescription. Ergot. Lettuce. Mummy Medicine. CHRONOLOGY: Assyria. Egypt. Biblical Times. Greece and Rome. Byzantium. The Arab Influence. The Late Middle Ages. The Sixteenth Century. The Seventeenth Century. The Eighteenth Century. The Nineteenth Century. The Twentieth Century. SPECIAL SUBJECTS: Anesthesia and Analgesia and the Curse of Eve. Antiseptics, Antibiotics and Chemotherapy. Blood Transfusion and Rhesus Disease. Eclampsia. Family Planning. The Menopause. Uterine Stimulants. CIVILIZATIONS: The Orient. The Americas. APPENDICES: Therapeutical Classification of Remedies. Abbreviations Commonly Used in Prescriptions. Sources of Illustrations. Index.

    Biography

    O'Dowd\, M.J.