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assignment 02

The interests of the science of the female anatomy were not random, but sought out to be focused for political reasons. One reason comparing the anatomy of women and men was an important project in the medical community was to provide evidence for the inferiority of women.  For example, the  French anatomist Marie- Genevieve-Charlotte Thiroux d’Arconville delineated the female skull to be smaller than a male skull. This was to “prove” the idea that a woman’s intellectual capabilities were less than a man’s.  Similarly the women pelvis were drawn larger than a man’s pelvis. This was done to normalize and prove the idea that women were destined for giving birth.  This gives me an understanding on why the study of both female and male bodies were important.  Scientists and Politicians needed to know the differences in the anatomy of males and females order to impose social norms and laws against women.  d, Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Galen all attempted to provide proper justification on why women were seen as inferior in their social status. They all used the female body as evidence, claiming it is the weaker body, resulting into them being more lazy, and less likely to want to do “manly” work.  The study of the female body in comparison to the male body, in my opinion, was an important project of study in order for the men to use “scientific” justification for oppression of women. Let’s not forget all these scientists were men. Also there probably were no female scientists because of the lack of education and jobs for women, which relates back to the idea that women were seen as destined as birth givers. Although it was found that women do have the capabilities as men, women were denied of the freedom and rights that were asked for.