Glossary

Apotropaic: refers to a formula, gesture, ritual or object used to ward off bad luck or avert danger.

The Roe v. Wade ruling: on 22 January 1973, the United States Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade ruling, granting American women the right to abortion throughout the country. The ruling is named after the two litigants: Jane Roe (pseudonym of Norma McCorvey) challenged the State of Texas, which prohibited voluntary termination of pregnancy, before the Supreme Court. The State of Texas was represented by Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade. In 1973, federal protection of the right to abortion was based on the 4th and 14th amendments to the Constitution: terminating a pregnancy falls under the right to privacy. For almost fifty years, this federal decision prevented states from restricting access to abortion. On 24 June 2022, the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling at the request of the State of Mississippi. From now on, individual states are free to authorise or ban voluntary termination of pregnancy, as they were before 1973. Several states in the south and centre of the country quickly banned abortion (Missouri, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Wisconsin, etc.). Around 20 states retained this right, or even extended it in the months that followed.

Ectogenesis: the term, coined by British geneticist John Haldane in 1923, refers to the process of formation and development of a mammalian embryo (genesis) outside (ecto) the uterine organ; the latter is replaced by an artificial womb. Currently, while in vitro conception of human and non-human animal embryos has become commonplace, the continuation of gestation outside the uterus still remains in the realm of science fiction.

Etiology: the set of causes of a disease and, by extension, the study of the causes of a disease.

Ex-voto: an object offered to a deity, usually after a vow (votum) or to ask for divine intervention.

Homunculus: originally a small human-shaped being that alchemists claimed to be able to create; by extension, a very small man.

Venereal diseases: diseases named after Venus, the goddess of love and sexuality. Now referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), they are caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites and can be transmitted during sexual intercourse.

Pessary: a type of suppository used to administer medication into body orifices (e.g. the vagina). Also refers to a gynaecological device used in cases of genital prolapse to support the affected organs.

Scopic impulse/scopic drive: a concept originally developed by S. Freud to indicate the desire to possess another person through gazing at them. By extension, the expression is used to indicate a powerful desire to observe.

 

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