Focusing on gold medal times in the women's 100-meters freestyle from the 1912 to 1996 Olympics, we compare the effects of anabolic steroids to other innovations. Following a discussion of factors such as changing conceptions of femininity, improved facilities and training methods, and the recruitment of elite athletes, we conclude that anabolic steroids have had a significant but relatively minor impact.
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Timothy J. Curry (1999) studied this question.