A seminal and unique work of great importance. After all, pre-modern women had as much or more interest as moderns in effective contraceptives and abortion. The point is crucial and elsewhere thoughtlessly neglected. These chapters ought to be required reading for those who believe that the conceptual world of Greek medicine is wholly alien to and disjoint from ours. Riddle evaluates the prescriptions of Soranos 1.61-3 by reference to numerous modern pharmacologic studies which show that nearly every plant claimed as contraceptive by Soranos and which has been tested, in fact works.
Modern tests validate such of Dioskorides' prescriptions as have been tested as well.
Literary references and modern folklore parallels show they were wide-spread indeed. 3.72 and Scr. Aristophanes Pax 706-12 and Lys. Already the Kahun papyrus of ca. B.C. contains contraceptive pessaries, of doubtful efficacy, but the recipe of the Ebers papyrus of ca.