American physicians and sexual defense -- Femininity, frigidity, and female heterosexual health -- Masculinity, sexual function, and male heterosexual health -- The premarital pelvic examination -- Artificial insemination and the American man -- Epilogue
Summary
In this lively and engaging work, Carolyn Lewis explores how medical practitioners, especially family physicians, situated themselves as the guardians of Americans' sexual well-being during the early years of the Cold War. She argues that many doctors believed that a satisfying sexual relationship with very specific attributes and boundaries was the foundation of a successful marriage, a fundamental source of happiness in the American family, and a crucial building block of a secure nation. Drawing on hundreds of articles and editorials in medical journals as well as other popular and professi
