See an actual set of the company's early
Mon Docteur douche apparatus from the 1920s.
See the company's Daintette menstrual cup
See instructions for the cup; information
about the Dainty Maid douche apparatus; and covers of Mon Docteur and Daintette
booklets.
Why shouldn't you douche?
The Perils of Vaginal Douching (essay by
Luci Capo Rome) - the odor page
DIRECTORY of all topics (See also the
SEARCH ENGINE, bottom
of page.)
 
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Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health
Personal want ads in American newspapers to sell
Dainty Maid douche, enema and ear irrigation ("earigator") apparatus
that could be sold in Tupperware-like - Charm - parties
1932 - 1961
In twentieth-century America, and probably in Europe, douching the vagina
at home - flushing it out, usually with a special apparatus - was very popular,
as least to judge from the advertising (see some ads in the links column
at left). But just as with the sanitary napkin belt and thick pads - the
industries making them almost disappeared (see a Sears
catalog page from the 1940s advertising the gear women used, and the
early beltless pads New Freedom and Stayfree) - douching has declined, fortunately. Flushing
out the vagina rids it not only of odor but of bacteria necessary to keep
the tube acidic, the acid reducing the number of harmful microorganisms
that can survive there. Douching is normally bad (read The Perils
of Vaginal Douching).
The Dainty Maid Company, starting probably in the 1920s in Meriden,
Connecticut, made douche apparatus and a menstrual cup that company representatives
could sell at "parties" of neighborhood ladies, relatives and
friends. My mind reels at the thought. According to the testimonials here, sales people could earn enough to send their
kids to college and for cars. I suspect this form of selling things was
more common than we might think.
In 1998, an unidentified person in Middlefield, Connecticut, the company's
last home, faxed me what look like package inserts or promotional material,
here.
See an actual set of the company's early
Mon Docteur douche apparatus from the 1920s and the company's Daintette
menstrual cup.
Read testimonials for an old American patent medicine, Cardui.
I again thank the industrious and kind retired teacher who found
these ads!
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Below: From Reno [Nevada] Evening Gazette,
January 30, 1932.
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Below: From the Vidette Messenger, Valparaiso,
Indiana, March 4, 1946.
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Below: From the Syracuse [New York] Herlad
Journal and The Joplin [Missouri] Globe, January 22, 1950.
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Below: From the Nevada State Journal, Reno,
February 12, 1950
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Below: From Valley News, Van Nuys, California,
July 2, 1961.
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Dainty Maid testimonials 1 2 3 and description
of products.
See an actual set of the company's early
Mon Docteur douche apparatus from the 1920s and
the company's Daintette menstrual cup.
© 2007 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute
any of the work on this
Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author.
Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
Harry Finley is the founder and director, and he
created, writes and maintains this site.
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