Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud

Making Sex examines how Western society understood biological sex and gender from ancient Greece through the late 19th century. The book traces medical and scientific writings about human anatomy and reproduction across two millennia. Laqueur presents extensive historical evidence from medical texts, anatomical drawings, philosophical treatises, and literary works. His analysis focuses on how doctors and scientists described male and female bodies, with particular attention to reproductive organs and their presumed functions. The narrative follows major shifts in European intellectual history, from medieval medicine through the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment to the Victorian era. Key figures include Galen, Vesalius, and other influential medical authorities whose works shaped understanding of sexual difference. This historical investigation raises fundamental questions about the relationship between scientific knowledge and cultural beliefs about gender. The book demonstrates how social and political contexts have influenced supposedly objective observations of human biology.

Readers note Laqueur's thorough research and detailed examination of historical medical texts and anatomical drawings. Many appreciate how he traces the evolution of scientific understanding about sex and gender, with one reader calling it "a fascinating look at how medicine and culture shaped each other's views." Readers liked: - Clear explanation of the one-sex to two-sex model transition - Extensive primary source documentation - Accessible writing style for a complex topic Common criticisms: - Dense academic prose that can be difficult to follow - Some sections feel repetitive - Limited discussion of non-Western perspectives Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (50+ reviews) Several academic readers noted it works well as a teaching text. One professor wrote: "My students found the core arguments compelling, though they struggled with some of the more theoretical chapters." Some readers disagreed with Laqueur's interpretations of historical sources, with one reviewer stating the evidence "feels cherry-picked to support his thesis."

The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1 by Michel Foucault This foundational text traces how Western society constructed sexual discourse and knowledge from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Sex and the Gender Revolution by Randolph Trumbach This study examines the transformation of gender roles and sexual identities in 18th-century London through court records and social documents.

Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex by Alice Dreger This work chronicles the medical and scientific attempts to define and categorize sex in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel P. Maines This historical investigation uncovers the medical treatment of female "hysteria" and the development of vibrators in Victorian medicine.

Nature's Body: Gender in the Making of Modern Science by Londa Schiebinger This analysis reveals how gender assumptions shaped scientific understanding of human anatomy and nature from the Enlightenment through modern times.

🔍 The "one-sex model" that Laqueur describes dominated Western medical thinking for over 2,000 years, viewing women's reproductive organs as inverted versions of male organs. 🎓 Laqueur wrote this groundbreaking work while teaching at UC Berkeley, where he remains a professor of history, specializing in the history of sexuality and the body. 📚 The book challenges the common assumption that sex differences were always viewed as binary, showing how the modern two-sex model only emerged in the 18th century. 🎨 The book features and analyzes numerous historical anatomical drawings, including those by Leonardo da Vinci, which illustrate how medical practitioners interpreted and represented sexual organs according to their cultural beliefs. 💉 Galen's ancient medical theories, discussed extensively in the book, remained influential until the Renaissance and shaped how doctors viewed gender differences—believing that women were essentially "imperfect men" who lacked vital heat.