Vasectomy in Interwar Europe: From Medical to Political Practices.

The article focuses on the complex history of vasectomy in Europe during the inter-war period, highlighting its dual use as both a eugenic tool and a clandestine contraceptive method. It traces the transfer of vasectomy knowledge from medical professionals to political activists, particularly within anarchist and neo-malthusian circles, where it became a form of militant expertise and social struggle despite legal prohibitions. The case of Austrian doctor Hermann Schmerz and the anarchist Norbert Bartosek exemplifies how vasectomy was practiced clandestinely among working-class men, combining medical knowledge with logistical and political activism. This history reveals vasectomy’s role in challenging traditional gender norms by involving men in contraception and underscores its significance within broader debates on reproductive rights, class struggle, and bodily autonomy in early twentieth-century Europe.