[net.women] Gyn/Ecology by Mary Daly

srm@nsc.UUCP (Richard Mateosian) (03/02/85)

In article <700@ccice5.UUCP> rdz@ccice5.UUCP (Robert D. Zarcone) writes:
>
>I have never heard of this book or author

It's generally available in paperback.  Mary Daly is (was?) on the
faculty at Boston College.  She describes herself as a revolting hag
and crone--which sent me scurrying for my OED.

>MILLIONS of women were burned as witches or whatever in Europe? 

Yes.

>Female mutilations; is this like foot-binding or is there more?

Clitorectomies, histerectomies, removal of healthy kidneys and other organs.
In nineteenth century America, surgery was the cure for dissatisfaction
with women's lot.

>Are you saying lobotomies and shock treatment are used to torture
>(for pleasure or control) women? 

More than 70% of reported shock treatments are given to women, usually
older women.  These statistics do not count shock that is performed in
doctors' offices, so the actual percentage is probably higher.

Lobotomies are rarer today than they were in the 1950s, but they also 
were used primarily against women.  Did you see the movie about Frances
Farmer?  Did you think they made that up?  I'm sure you've heard about 
American women's great backward step, described in The Feminine Mystique.
Psychiatry was used at all levels to effect and enforce that change.
-- 
Richard Mateosian
{allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!srm    nsc!srm@decwrl.ARPA

ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould) (03/04/85)

> >Female mutilations; is this like foot-binding or is there more?
> 
> Clitorectomies, histerectomies, removal of healthy kidneys and other organs.
> In nineteenth century America, surgery was the cure for dissatisfaction
> with women's lot.

Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, as I'm sure most all of us
know.  However, the word means "removal of hysteria,"(!) which shows
how the practice originated.

-- 
Ed Gould		    mt Xinu, 739 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA  94710  USA
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed   +1 415 644 0146

jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman) (03/04/85)

> 
> Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, as I'm sure most all of us
> know.  However, the word means "removal of hysteria,"(!) which shows
> how the practice originated.
> 
> -- 
> Ed Gould		    mt Xinu, 739 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA  94710  USA

Perhaps this belongs in net.nlang, but here goes:

"Hysterectomy" and "hysteria" both come from the Greek root "hystera", meaning
"womb" or "uterus".  It is "hysteria", and not "hysterectomy", which is the
word with the sexist etymology.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Professor Wagstaff) (03/06/85)

>>>Female mutilations; is this like foot-binding or is there more?
>>
>>Clitorectomies, histerectomies, removal of healthy kidneys and other organs.
>>In nineteenth century America, surgery was the cure for dissatisfaction
>>with women's lot.

> Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, as I'm sure most all of us
> know.  However, the word means "removal of hysteria,"(!) which shows
> how the practice originated.  [ED GOULD]

Actually, the word "hysteria" comes from the Latin, which comes from the Greek
"hUsterikos", which means womb.  Womb-ectomy seems a proper formation.  It's
interesting though that the word "hysteria" actually comes from the root
"hyster-" (from hystericus and husterikos, "hustera" = womb), since it was
believed that hysteria (an obviously female disease - ?) was caused by
uterine disturbances.
-- 
Anything's possible, but only a few things actually happen.
					Rich Rosen    pyuxd!rlr

sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) (03/06/85)

> > >Female mutilations; is this like foot-binding or is there more?
> > 
> > Clitorectomies, histerectomies, removal of healthy kidneys and other organs.
> > In nineteenth century America, surgery was the cure for dissatisfaction
> > with women's lot.
> 
> Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, as I'm sure most all of us
> know.  However, the word means "removal of hysteria,"(!) which shows
> how the practice originated.
> 
> -- 
> Ed Gould		    mt Xinu, 739 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA  94710  USA
> {ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed   +1 415 644 0146

Go play in net.jokes, Ed
-- 
{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny (Ms. Sunny Kirsten)

srm@nsc.UUCP (Richard Mateosian) (03/06/85)

>Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, as I'm sure most all of us
>know.  However, the word means "removal of hysteria,"(!) which shows
>how the practice originated.
>
Small quibble: it's the other way around.  The Greek word for uterus
is hustera; the modern label hysteria is derived from the ancient word for
uterus.
-- 
Richard Mateosian
{allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!srm    nsc!srm@decwrl.ARPA

jss@brunix.UUCP (Judith Schrier) (03/10/85)

>  (Hysterectomy) means 'removal of hysteria'...

not quite. It means removal of the uterus. HOWEVER, 'hysteria' means a
condition caused by having a uterus (more or less).

judith