Women's Medicine: Family Planning and British Female Doctors in Transnational Perspective, 1920-70

276 Pages·2021·2.856 MB·English

by  Caroline Rusterholz

SOCIAL HISTORIES OF MEDICINE SOCIAL HISTORIES OF MEDICINE
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Women’s medicine highlights British female doctors’ key contribution to the
production and circulation of scientific knowledge around contraception, o
family planning and sexual disorders between 1920 and 1970. It argues that m
women doctors were pivotal in developing a holistic approach to family
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planning and transmitting this knowledge across borders, playing a more
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prominent role in shaping scientific and medical knowledge than previously

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The book locates women doctors’ involvement within the changing landscape m ot
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of national and international reproductive politics. Illuminating women doctors’ p
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agency in the male-dominated field of medicine,this book reveals their ht
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practical engagement with birth control and laterfamily planning clinics in ri
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Britain,their participation in the development ofthe international movement c p
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of birth control and family planning and their influence on French doctors. i Cen
Drawing on a wide range of archived and published medical materials, n © m
Rusterholz sheds light on the strategies British female doctors used and e m cu
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the alliances they made to put forward their medical agenda and position cd
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themselves as experts and leaders in birth control and family planning es
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Caroline Rusterholz is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in the Faculty of History at sb
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Cover image: Set of 12 rubber diaphragms ISBN 978-1-5261-4912-1 lz Women’s medicine
(Science Museum/Science & Society
Picture Library)
Cover design: riverdesignbooks.com
Sex, family planning and British female
doctors in transnational perspective,
1920–70
9 781526 149121
www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
Women’s medicine

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SOCIAL HISTORIES OF MEDICINE
Series editors: David Cantor, Elaine Leong and Keir Waddington
Social Histories of Medicine is concerned with all aspects of health, illness and
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Women’s medicine

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© m Caroline Rusterholz
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Manchester University Press
Copyright © Caroline Rusterholz 2020
The right of Caroline Rusterholz to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by
her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons
(CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, thanks to the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation,
which permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction provided the author(s) and
d Manchester University Press are fully cited and no modifications or adaptations are made.
e Details of the licence can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
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e Published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation
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r Published by Manchester University Press
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Altrincham Street, Manchester M1 7JA
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g www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
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py British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
ot A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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© m ISBN 978 1 5261 4912 1 hardback
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mc First published 2020
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cd The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or
e.s third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content
hivthi on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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Cover image: Set of 12 rubber diaphragms
(Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)
Cover design: riverdesignbooks.com
Typeset by
New Best-set Typesetters Ltd
Contents

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ri List of figures page vi
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p Acknowledgements vii
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CnList of abbreviations x
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© mShort biographies of the main characters xi
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codoIntroduction 1
e.s 1 Giving birth control medical credentials in Britain:
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hit 1920–70 37

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et2 Sexual disorders and infertility: expanding the work
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sb of the clinics 85
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htri3 Medicalising birth control at the international
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ndi conferences (1920–37): a British–French comparison 137
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mor4 Building a transnational movement for family planning:

my 1928–70 169
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froco5 Testing IUDs: a transnational journey of expertise 196
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adal Conclusion 224
ogReferences 232
wnl illeIndex 255
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Figures

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ri 1 Pytram Pelvic model: demonstration pelvic front view.
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p Source: ‘Demonstration model of the teaching of
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Cn contraceptive techniques, designed to the specification
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© m of Dr Helena Wright, approved by the FPA. Produced
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m exclusively by Pytram Ltd’, Wellcome Library, London,
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codo SA/FPA/A19/9. page 54
e.s 2 Pytram Pelvic model: top view showing the interior
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hit cavity, with the removal wall. Source: Wellcome Library,

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et London, SA/FPA/A19/9. 55
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Acknowledgements

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ri The research for this project was generously funded by the Swiss
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p National Science Foundation, who also provided the funding to make
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Cnthis book open access. I am indebted to many people who actively
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© mcontributed to making this research possible. First, I would like to thank
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m Simon Szreter, who warmly welcomed me in Cambridge for a six-
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codomonth visiting fellowship, and provided institutional support, food for
e.s thought and friendship through this journey. In Cambridge, I was also
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hitlucky enough to count Jesse Olszynko-Gryn as a friend. Both Simon

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etand Jesse read many parts of this book. I am also deeply grateful to
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sbJoanna Bourke, Sean Brady and Matt Cook who supported my applica-
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htrition for an honorary position at Birkbeck College. There, I met wonder-
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ndiful people and colleagues. Particular thanks to David Byrdan, Marcia
a
morHolmes, Simon Jarret, Carmen Mangion, Sarah Marks, Francesca

myPiana, Kathryn Schoefert, Dora Vargha and Mark Volovici.
p
froco A special thank you to Lesley Hall, who has been invaluably kind and
d o helpful during this research by sharing her knowledge, insights and
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adal sources. Yuliya Hilevych also deserves a special mention as she has been
ogthere for me from my first year as a PhD student to my current position.
wnl illeHer support, friendship, stimulating brain and encouragement, as well
Dot isas the time she spent reading my work and commenting on earlier drafts
iof this book, have been essential for me. Special thanks also go to Laura
Kelly and Agata Ignaciuk for their friendship, detailed and useful com-
ments and proofreading drafts of this manuscript.
For encouragement, advice, proofreading and feedback at different
stages, and in different contexts, many thanks to Laura Beers, Nicole
Bourbonnais, Jessica Borge, Sandra Bree, Fabrice Cahen, Sylvie Chap-
eron, Charlotte Cree, Chris Crenner, Ivan Crozier, Donna Drucker,
viii Acknowledgements
Kate Fisher, Alana Harris, Claire Jones, Wendy Kline, Tracey Laughran,
Virginie de Luca Barrusse, Helen McCarthy, Ben Mechen, Pauline
Milani, Bibia Pavard, Anne-Françoise Praz, Stéphanie Roulin, Tiphaine
Robert, Gabrielle Storey and Dawn Wibberley.
I have presented parts of this research at different international con-
ferences and seminars, including the American Association for the

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e History of Medicine; European Society of Historical Demography;
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c Graduate Institute, Geneva (Gender Seminar); University of Exeter
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ot (Sexpertise Conference); Society for the Social History of Medicine;
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p University of Brussels (European Sexology Conference); University of

ht Cambridge (Gender Research Seminar); Leuwen University (Social
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ri History Seminar); Institute of Historical Research, London (Women’s
y
p History Seminar); University of Cambridge (Reproductive Politics in
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Cn France and the UK Conference). I am grateful for the comments I
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© m received from members of the audience.
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m I am very grateful for the assistance of the librarians and archivists
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codo at the Wellcome Library, Archives du Planning Familial in Paris, and
e.s the Butler Library, Columbia University.
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hit Thank you to Thomas Dark, to Anthony Mercer and to Keir Wad-

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et dington for support and advice during the publication process at Man-
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sb chester University Press, and to the anonymous peer reviewers who
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htri provided such thoughtful and constructive advice.
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ndi Friendship has also helped me to survive long hours of solitary work
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mor at the library and moments of doubt. Thank you to Paz Irarrazabal,

my Ermioni Xanthopoulou, Guillermo Jimenez, Alberto Coddou, Antonia
p
froco Asenjo, Cathy Herbrand, Claire Horn, Katie Dow and Natalia Delgado.
d o Portions of this research were originally published as Caroline Rust-
et
adal erholz, ‘English women doctors, contraception and family planning in
og transnational perspective (1930s–70s)’, Medical History, 63:2 (2019),
wnl ille pp. 153–72 (reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press),
Dot is Caroline Rusterholz, ‘English and French women doctors in interna-
i tional debates on contraception (1920–1935)’, Social History of Medi-
cine, 31:2 (2018), pp. 328–47 (reprinted by permission of Oxford
University Press), and Caroline Rusterholz, ‘Testing the Gräfenberg
ring in interwar Britain: Norman Haire, Helena Wright, and the debate
over statistical evidence, side effects, and intra-uterine contraception’,
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 72:4 (2017), pp.
448–67 (reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press).
Acknowledgements ix
For the support and love over the years, thank you to my parents,
siblings, in-laws, colleagues at the University of Fribourg and my closest
friends.
I am grateful to my husband Matthieu, who has read and commented
on countless drafts of articles and chapters, emotionally supported me
through this journey, cheered me up and helped me to get my confi-

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e dence back when I thought this project was going nowhere. Thank you
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c for your love and patience. I finished the revisions of the book while on
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ot maternity leave. A big thank you to my son Louis, who, though he did
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p not nap for long, still allowed me to find time to revise this manuscript.

ht I love you both.
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ri Finally, this book is for all the women doctors and individuals who
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p fought for our reproductive rights and are still fighting to treat women’s
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Cnbodies with the respect and care they deserve.
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