A history of women's menstruation from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century : psychological, social, medical, religious, and educational issues / Glenda Lewin Hufnagel ; with a foreword by Carolyn Stout Morgan
Published
Lewiston, New York : The Edwin Mellen Press, [2012]
Chapter 1. The Ancient Construction: The Classical Greek and Roman Period Through the Eighteenth-Century -- Chapter 2. The Modern Construction: Nineteenth-Century Europe and America -- Chapter 3. The Contemporary Construction: Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Europe and America -- Chapter 4. Implications for Education -- Chapter 5. Summary, Recommendations, Future Research
Summary
"Hufnagel chronicles the historical inaccuracies in understanding menstruation which have contributed to viewing women as a 'second sex' and perpetuated feelings of shame. Her argument claims that only in the last few decades has science begun to fully understand the issue. Subsequent social and psychological treatment of menstruation in recent years has helped women to have an increased sense of comfort with their bodies. From Ancient Greece where Aristotle claimed that women were closer to animals, to contemporary misunderstandings about menstruation leading to increased acne, which was viewed as a sign of sexual immorality beginning with pubescence, the book tells the tawdry tale of women learning to accept themselves through successive scientific breakthroughs"--Provided by publisher
