The History of Prostitution: Its Extent, Causes, and Effects Throughout the World

This pioneering Victorian study applied scientific rigor to one of society's most taboo subjects. Written by physician William W. Sanger in 1858, it represents one of the first comprehensive English-language examinations of prostitution as a social phenomenon rather than merely a moral failing. Drawing on historical records, legal documents, and his own clinical work at a New York Magdalene asylum, Sanger traces the trade from ancient Jewish customs through Victorian-era practices, analyzing how different civilizations have regulated, tolerated, or condemned it. His revolutionary approach, gathering statistical data on arrest records, ages, and backgrounds, aimed to understand systemic causes rather than simply condemn individuals. The book sparked fierce debate upon publication, with Sanger attacked by moralists who felt he legitimized vice through serious study, and by reformers who questioned his conclusions. Today it serves as an invaluable window into 19th-century attitudes about gender, class, sexuality, and the limits of social reform. For scholars of social history, Victorian studies, or the evolution of sociology, this remains a foundational, and genuinely surprising, text.