The Ovary of Eve: Egg and Sperm and Preformation Hardcover - 1997
by Clara Pinto-Correia
In the mid-17th century, a theory of reproduction called "preformation" proposed that miniature creatures waiting to be born existed inside each potential parent, much like Russian nesting dolls. In this book, Pinto-Correia traces the fascinating and often amusing history of this much maligned theory, ultimately revealing its critical influence on modern views of conception. 55 illustrations.
From the rear cover
The Ovary of Eve is a rich and often hilarious account of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century efforts to understand conception. In these early years of the Scientific Revolution, the most intelligent men and women of the day struggled to come to terms with the origins of new life, and one theory - preformation - sparked an intensely heated debate that continued for over a hundred years. Preformation assumed that, during Creation, God had placed infinite generations of perfect miniature creatures inside their future parents, much like nested Russian dolls. But were these perfect beings in the egg or the sperm? The answer mattered a great deal, because both the Church and the larger society held women accountable for the Fall and Original Sin, as well as for birth defects and failures to conceive, while inheritance of social position and titles, even kingdoms, passed through the male line. The "ovists" debated the "spermists" in palaces and cafes, in churches and at family dinner tables, as the aristocracy, the Church, and the intelligentsia tried to resolve what the ancient Greeks called "the mystery of mysteries". Clara Pinto-Correia weaves the strands of this debate into the cultural and social history of the day and shows why intelligent men and women became committed to a view of life that seems unbelievable to us today.
Details
- Title The Ovary of Eve: Egg and Sperm and Preformation
- Author Clara Pinto-Correia
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 420
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher University of Chicago Press, Chicago
- Date 1997-12
- Illustrated Yes
- Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index
- ISBN 9780226669526 / 0226669521
- Weight 1.69 lbs (0.77 kg)
- Dimensions 9.32 x 6.29 x 1.18 in (23.67 x 15.98 x 3.00 cm)
- Reading level 1500
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 17th Century
- Chronological Period: 18th Century
- Library of Congress subjects Science - Europe - History - 18th century, Science - Europe - History - 17th century
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 97014011
- Dewey Decimal Code 509.409
Media reviews
Citations
- Kirkus Reviews, 09/01/1997, Page 1367
- Library Journal, 09/15/1997, Page 99
- Publishers Weekly, 10/27/1997, Page 66
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