Dutch Methods of Birth Control

In the late nineteenth century, a wave of controversy and curiosity surrounded the question of how families might limit their size without resorting to abortion. After a high‑profile trial in England sparked public debate, activists gathered at an international medical congress in Amsterdam, planting the seeds for a Dutch branch of the Neo‑Malthusian League. The movement quickly attracted educated reformers and, soon after, a determined effort to reach the country’s poorest households.

The book follows the practical work of pioneering figures such as Dr Aletta Jacobs, the first woman physician in Holland, who opened a free clinic to teach women about contraception. It describes how district nurses, trained by Dr Rutgers, supplied inexpensive pessaries and instructed users in proper hygiene and usage. Through vivid accounts of classroom lessons and clinic visits, listeners gain a clear picture of early grassroots birth‑control education and the social challenges its advocates faced.