To cite: Smith L. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2014;40:69–70. BACKGROUND For over a century, between 1540 and 1654, one piece of medical literature, The Byrth of Mankynde, was what would now be described as a bestseller and a huge commercial success. This is hardly surprising, as its contents offered information on some of the secrets of the human body that could transform the fortunes of the...