Sharpey's fibres: the life of William Sharpey, the father of modern physiology in England

these initiatives. Girls were taught gymnastics and dance to improve their body tone and attractiveness, but were not encouraged to participate in competitive or team sports, which might make them less fertile and more masculine. Similarly, scientists who studied work conditions in factories focused on women's role as mothers. Arguments for shorter hours and better work conditions for women were made on the grounds of their responsibilities to their children. The war and the depression meant that these arguments for reform were mostly ignored. Ultimately, Stewart posits the dominance of pronatalist discourse in a country where fear of depopulation and degeneration equated femininity with reproduction. Yet, she also shows that this pronatalist discourse failed. Because doctors and hygienists were unwilling to provide candid sex advice and continued to emphasize the pains of labour, women did not have more babies. Disciplining women through education and fear did not work, but appealing to their vanity did improve hygiene. Stewart's conclusions are thoughtprovoking and the range of her research impressive. It is disappointing that to get to her main points you have to wade through pages of disconnected (and often contradictory) evidence with very little analysis or synthesis.