In this book, Dean-Jones gives a close analysis of theories concerning women's bodies in such authors as the Hippocratics and Aristotle. She demonstrates the centrality of menstruation in classical theories of female physiology, pathology, and reproduction, and suggests that this had both negative and positive repercussions in attitudes towards women's bodies in that society. Many of the primary sources dealt with are not yet accessible in English, therefore, her book is important in assembling and presenting both original texts as well as her research on the texts.