Publication

1998-11-01 - University Of Chicago Press

Language

English

Word Count

105,000 words, Guess

Page Count

420 pages

Physical Format

Paperback

Identifiers

  • ISBN-100226669548
  • ISBN-139780226669540
  • Goodreads1212093
  • LibraryThing942398
  • Better World Books9780226669540
and 1 more

Description

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. Clara Pinto-Correia traces the history of this much maligned theory through the cultural capitals of Europe.

First Sentence

IT IS THE MIDDLE of the seventeenth century, and a highly mystical Dutchman, blessed with the most refined microscopic talent, is present at a convention of learned people in the country home of the Parisian gentleman Melchisedec Thevenot, a former representative of the French king in Genoa and well-traveled citizen of the world.

Subjects

Other Editions

  • The Ovary of Eve: Egg and Sperm and PreformationPaperbackUniversity Of Chicago Press1998-11-01

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