Contraception and the medical profession

Abstract

Birth control practice is to-day regarded by a substantial and influential majority of doctors as an important element in preventive medicine and the provision of contraceptive advice an appropriate activity for the medical practitioner. This viewpoint is, however, a product of the last forty years and its adoption represents one of the major achievements of the English birth control movement whose past activities have been as much impeded by the hostility of the medical profession as by the opposition of religious groups and the indifference of public opinion.

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Notes on contributors

John Peel

The writer gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance afforded him by the University of Sheffield Research Fund Committee in carrying out research for this paper.