Stags, Smokers, and Coochies: Adventures in Old-Timey Porn

By Jacqueline Antonovich

Well it’s the day after Valentine’s Day, faithful Nursing Clio readers, and what better way to nurse our romance hangovers than a good, old-fashioned chat about the history of porn. Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I spent a good deal of this past semester looking at lots and lots and lots of porn. In fact, between September and December of 2012, I probably viewed more “pornographic” images than I have in my entire life. This immersion into “adult entertainment” was not something I ever envisioned as being a part of my graduate school journey, but it’s a funny thing where one finds herself on the way to a PhD. Don’t get me wrong, as a historian of gender and medicine, I have seen my fair share of historical lady parts and man bits – just not quite from this perspective. But you see, when acclaimed cultural anthropologist, Gayle Rubin offers a graduate seminar on the infamous Feminist Sex Wars of the 1970s and 80s, you don’t hesitate to jump right into the porn fire.

Sunday Morning Medicine

Sunday Morning Medicine

By Jacqueline Antonovich

-The biggest poisoning in history.
-16th century warfare apparently included cats . . .with bombs attached to their backs.
-America’s long and complicated history with guns.
-Is an antibiotic apocalypse imminent?
-We can now encode Shakespeare in DNA (How cool and weird is that?).
-Scientists tell us: Sex with condoms is pleasurable.

Sunday Morning Medicine

Sunday Morning Medicine

Sunday Morning Medicine

By Jacqueline Antonovich

-Recession babies more likely to be delinquents?
-Surreal textbook illustrations from the 1970s.
-Need to peruse the ancient letters of St. Paul? There’s an app for that.
-A new spin on historic sites – digital caves.
-The class politics of vaccinations.
-The entrepreneurial historian.

Sunday Morning Medicine

Sunday Morning Medicine

Sunday Morning Medicine

By Jacqueline Antonovich

-What’s in your belly button? (Hint: ewww…gross.)
-The forgotten history of 20th century drugs.
-The history of female genital mutilation.
-The nautical roots of the modern tattoo.
-The troubled history behind the stolen babies of Spain.
-1860s fundraising efforts for emancipated slaves.

Sunday Morning Medicine

By Jacqueline Antonovich

-A new reality show will shame women who had abortions.
-Where are all the female geniuses?
-7 ways women are sexualized, stereotyped, or underrepresented in media.
-A history of disability.
-Can Viagra make better athletes?
-A small Colorado town’s big role in shaping the National Mall.