'With unrivaled expertise and a wealth of classical and contemporary detail the author weaves
historical knowledge of medicine anatomy literature art and religion into a narrative that
surprises informs excites and frequently amuses' Adrian Thatcher author of Vile
BodiesThroughout history religious scholars medical men and - occasionally - women themselves
have moulded thought on what 'makes' a woman. She has been called the weaker sex the fairer
sex the purer sex among many other monikers. Often she has been defined simply as 'Not A
Man'. Today we are more aware than ever of the complex relationship between our bodies and our
identities. But contrary to what some may believe what makes a woman is a question that has
always been open-ended. Immaculate Forms examines all the ways in which medicine and religion
have played a gatekeeping role over women's organs. It explores how the womb was seen as both
the most miraculous organ in the body and as a sewer uncovers breasts' legacies as maternal or
sexual organs - or both probes the mystery of the disappearing hymen and asks did the
clitoris need to be discovered at all?
