This textbook, a milestone in man's effort to control his environment by control of population growth, combines medical and sociologic aspects of contraceptive methods in a concise, easy to read, practical volume.
The first three chapters deal with the history of contraception, patterns of family planning and testing, and evaluation of contraceptive methods. Individual chapters are devoted to coitus interruptus, the condom, diaphragms and caps, chemicals (jellies and foams), rhythm, oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, and "minor methods." The reader may be surprised to learn about "coitus Saxonicus" in which the male exerts pressure on his perineum thus causing the spermatozoa to be refluxed into the bladder. Another unusual method, intrascrotal hyperthermia, utilizes a jock-strap with disposable paper insulation. If worn during working hours it results in a 75 percent reduction in sperm count.
The chapter on oral contraceptives is, perhaps, too concise considering the voluminous literature of the past decade.