Lec 7- Women And Medicine

Front 1

From Duffin: Birthing as a women's domain, key points

Back 1

- women’s body always seen as mysterious: bleeding, childbirth,
- menstruation often viewed as unclean
- women kept in feminine tasks: agriculture, procreation, birth, rebirth, healing
- shown in religious figures
- Birthing was the women’s domain: when men had to care for women special provisions were made.

Front 2

Tuskegee syphilis experiment: when?where? what?

Back 2

- 1930- 1972 wasn’t stopped till after
- southern US→ Alabama
- medical ethics gone wrong **after nazi experiments
- 400 African American men
- conducted by US public health service
- some nurses and doctors were black but most were white
- no intention of curing
- didn’t tell them they had syphilis → you have bad blood
- men were poor, no reading
- wanted to see how it affected black people
- given aspirin
- painful procedure→ spinal taps
- manipulated→ told free med treatment
- by 1940’s people knew treatment = penicillin could cure syphilis→ they were denied this cure

Front 3

Outcomes?

Back 3

o 28 men dies
o 100 from complications of syphilis
o 40 wives got it
o 19 kids born with congenital syphilis
- despite horrors regarding Nazis
o program ran until 1972
- Us public health service sued
o Denied complete responsibility
o Very “useful”

Front 4

Technology→

Back 4

greek word for craft
- tools, machines, software and hardware, tech and devices, instruments and systems, usually has practical application

Front 5

Technological Determinism

Back 5

- refers to idea in society that tech is the primary force in history that drives society
- people who believe this are technological determinists

Front 6

Whiggish view

Back 6

History is about advancing and moving all the time- if you believe this you have a whiggish view

Front 7

Birth control

Back 7

= prevention of conception or of birth

Front 8

1. Pessary:

Back 8

made of wood, blocks cervix
- today resembles a diaphragm

Front 9

2. Crocodile Dung

Back 9

made into paste and inserted into vagina.
2 reasons: 1. Thought paste would block cervix 2. Acidic= kills sperm

Front 10

more attempts: focused on who?

Back 10

3. Most attempts focused on women: alcohol and dried beaver testicles
4. Sea sponge dipped in vinegar and lemon juice
5. Olive oil and honey → paste dabbed onto cervix
6. Douching with soap water and vinegar

Front 11

7. Condoms:

Back 11

- 1500’s to present, may have been the last 12000 years
- initially made from animal intestines
- ribbon and linen
- some covers for head of penis
- then rubber
- latex 1920’s

Front 12

Diaphragm,
IUD: works how? what material

Back 12

works by hormones, used to be Cu, irritate uterine walls, lining of uterus wont thicken

Front 13

1. Rhythm Method:

Back 13

most women not regular enough to predict this, anything can throw of cycle, bad counting, very easy for young people to get pregnant

Front 14

2. Coitus Interruptus
3. STD’s still possible

Back 14

2. Coitus Interruptus
3. STD’s still possible

Front 15

What is the oldest diagnostic tool?

Back 15

Vaginal Speculum

Front 16

Does what?

Back 16

- Opens vagina, ducks beak, can look @ cervix for abnormalities and infection
- Pap test: scraping of cells in the cervix

Front 17

Unwanted pregnancy becomes very common

Back 17

- married women: having so many children- health issues for women, econmic issues
- getting pregnant young, after repeated pregnancies would increases chances of problems
- men would have to remarry after wives died

Front 18

Abortion becomes what? english law? early views?

Back 18

Abortion becomes the backup method
- history in law: English law
- Early → abortion was never a crime until quickening, because women cant feel child until 3-4 months
- Why? Irregular periods don’t notice

Front 19

Small timeline of abortion history and laws

Back 19

19C crime: Before and after quickening and it’s a crime for women and doctor
1869→ 1st attempt to criminalize abortion
1892→ Another law → illegal to advertise info regarding contraception and

Front 20

abortfashion:

Back 20

drugs and devices that procure an abortion

Front 21

why did abortion become illegal?

Back 21

Because they thought the white class wasn’t having enough children eugenics , religion

Front 22

Killing unborn child= crime, so what was the loophole?

Back 22

good faith to save mothers life,
- protects doctors

Front 23

Why did doctors prevent midwives from dealing with women's health issues?

Back 23

- wanted to cut out competition
- men controlling medical profession

Front 24

Why abortion?

Back 24

backup:

- most women were married
- more chances of risk
- more kids
- no resources
- affair→ reputation
- didn’t wanna destroy health

Front 25

Women tried to do it themselves. how?

Back 25

o Lots of instruments: pencil, needle, candle, chrocet hooks, folk drugs (irritate uterus= fetus expelled)
o Douche with: Lysol, soap water
o Cotton ball= infection
o Physical injury: dislodge fetus, stairs, hot bathes, whisky

Front 26

So the laws work?

Back 26

Abortion Illegalization Laws= never work
Infection, poison, hemorrhage
Air bubbles in arteries

Front 27

1969- birth control reform laws

Back 27

Omnibus Bill
- contraception is legal
- abortion is liberalized: made legal under certain circumstances

Front 28

1. legal abortion only if therapeutic committee (3-5 doctors) in a hospital decides on a case to case basis whether continuing pregnancy is against women’s health

- problems?

Back 28

a. arbitrary decision making (different committees
b. rape
c. personal biases
d. allocation a resources
e. all men
f. no personal choice

Front 29

so women still....?

Back 29

- women continue to have illegal abortions
- women travel for abortions: Mexico, USA, Sweden, Japan
- only some women can afford this

Front 30

what do women do to get the law on their side?

Back 30

- women start organizing around safe abortion and contraception
- women determine that control is critical
o rise of 2nd wave feminism
o womens health movement
- we need control
- we need to figure this out

Front 31

Henry Morgentaller

Back 31

- doctor
- a child at nazi camp, family killed
- clinic in Montréal where women come for abortions: because of no control feeling he felt in in nazi camp he decides to help women
- Jailed, physically attacked, does the abortions @ his own clinic
- Technically breaking the law: not in hospital or approves
- Trail: acquitted

Front 32

Finally Abortion Law done in

Back 32

1988

Front 33

how? and what are the problems now?

Back 33

- contradicts Canadian charter of rights
- no law at federal levels but not regulated
- individual hospitals have their own rules
- abortion access is very unequal across province PEI no devices
- women still have to travel
- northern Canada → need money

Front 34

Canada Health act

Back 34

- allows that abortion is a medically necessary benefit
- principal of portability
- cost
- anti abortion argument has shifted

- kinder and gentler phase
- all these laws do is drive abortion underground

Front 35

Questions to think about

Back 35

1. Does tech work for or against women’s reproductive health
2. does tech have any meaning on its own
3. What Is the relationship between medicine, law, religion
4. What is the relationship between tech, history, society