Bibliography

1) Riddle, John. (1994). Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance
               Harvard University Press, Massachusetts

Summary – This book did a phenomenal job of outlining the many different abortion practices that have occurred throughout history. It starts from antiquity and details not only the medical practices, but also the ethics behind abortion in these ancient civilizations.

2) Lonie , Iain. (1981) The Hippocratic Treatises “On Generation” “On the Nature of the 
            Child” “Diseases IV”.  New York. 

Summary – This book allowed me to study the thought processes of Hippocratic writers and how they felt about women and children. It allowed me to explore ancient sexism and a few details about abortion.

3) Kapparis, Konstantinos (2002) Abortion in the Ancient World London: Duckworth Publishers

Summary – This book was a great supplement to Professor Riddle’s book. In it Kapparis clearly describes the different abortion practices that took place in the ancient world; surgical, herbal, oral and mechanical means are all explained. What I found truly remarkable was that it also explored in great detail the thought processes of women who performed abortions knowing the immense risk involved.

4) King, Helen (1998) Hippocrates' woman: reading the female body in ancient Greece London:
              Routledge

Summary – Since Hippocractes had and continues to have an enormous impact on philsophy and politics, I wanted to see what hippocractic writers thought about the nature of women. It supplemented the Hippocratic Treatises well, but mostly it was a discussion on how women differ from men both in physiology and thought.

5) Aristotle Politics  (1885)

Summary – Along the same lines of The Hippocratic Treatises, I wanted to know how Aristotle felt about abortion and the rights of the unborn.

6) Riddle, John. (1992) Eve's Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West (Cambridge,
                MA:Harvard University Press, 1997)   

Summary – Was a great help in allowing me to compare the differences between the herbs that were used to perform abortion in ancient Egypt and Rome.