Medicine for Women in Imperial China

In this collection of four articles, a review article, a book review and a bibliography--the first collection of its kind in print--contributors from North American and East Asia describe women's bodies, illnesses and childbirth, based upon the archeological record and historical texts. The topics of the papers include an analysis of recent trends in the study of medicine for women in imperial China, an preliminary survey of medicine for women in early China, and the depiction of female bodies in medical texts from early imperial China. The review article covers gender and medicine in the Ming Dynasty, the review examines a recent work by Zhang on obstetrics and gynecology in ancient China and the bibliography is of secondary sources. Annotation 穢2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)