Mr. Henderson notes Paul M. Romer’s ideas relating the structure of incentives to innovation using the profoundly crucial role patent policy has played in pharmaceutical innovation. But in the 21st century governments have countered the otherwise positive impact of patents with all manner of pharmaceutical price controls.

If we view the lives of Western women through the lens of 21st-century age demography, the limitations of the lifestyles Ms. Komisar describes become even more apparent.