Read Dr. Lillian Gilbreth's - two of her kids wrote about her in
"Cheaper by the Dozen" - critique of pads
in 1927 for Johnson & Johnson, maker of Modess. And read the influential
pad put-down "Tampons as Menstrual Guards"
from 1945. Criticism of the Rely tampon, later
associated with toxic shock syndrome, from
a tiny Rochester, New York, newspaper (1975-76). Safety
page. Tampax's defense: "Are Vaginal Tampons
Prejudicial to Health?" (Proof for a British Tampax ad, 1952)
See ads for menarche-education booklets:
Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday
(Kotex, 1933), Tampax tampons (1970, with Susan Dey),
Personal Products (1955, with Carol Lynley), and
German o.b. tampons (lower ad, 1970s)
And read Lynn Peril's series about these
and similar booklets!
See more Kotex items: First ad
(1921) - ad 1928 (Sears and Roebuck catalog)
- Lee Miller ads (first real person in amenstrual
hygiene ad, 1928) - Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday
(booklet for girls, 1928, Australian edition; there are many links here
to Kotex items) - Preparing for Womanhood (1920s,
booklet for girls; Australian edition) - 1920s booklet in Spanish showing
disposal method - box
from about 1969 - "Are you in the know?"
ads (Kotex) (1949)(1953)(1964)(booklet, 1956) -
See more ads on the Ads for Teenagers main page
 
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Facts and Frauds in Woman's Hygiene
by Rachel Lynn Palmer and Sarah K. Greenberg, M.D., The Sun Dial Press,
New York, 1936
A site visitor writes,
I am currently reading the above book, copyrighted 1936, subtitled "A
Medical Guide Against Misleading Claims And Dangerous Products" from
The Sun Dial Press, New York, and it is filled with interesting information,
including the following, taken directly from its first chapter entitled
"The Feminine Hygiene Field."
Thought you might find the above interesting and your readers might
also! This is a very interesting book. I would love to find more on
the subject of available brands of hygiene items from the past.
Read excerpts from this book criticizing
douching with Lysol - yes - and Zonite.
Read Dr. Lillian Gilbreth's - two of her kids wrote about her in
"Cheaper by the Dozen" - critique of pads
in 1927 for Johnson & Johnson, maker of Modess. And read the influential
pad put-down "Tampons as Menstrual Guards"
from 1945. Criticism of the Rely tampon, later
associated with toxic shock syndrome, from a tiny Rochester, New York, newspaper
(1975-76). Safety page. Tampax's defense: "Are Vaginal Tampons Prejudicial to Health?"
(Proof for a British Tampax ad, 1952)
From the book:
[Advertising for sanitary napkins]
The sanitary napkin people are far from laggards. During the first
two months of 1936, Kotex spent $50,000 in an attempt to convince women
that theirs was the best sanitary napkin on the market. [See a Kotex ad from 1933.]
The feminine hygiene advertising utilizes to the full the fear motive
that is such a favorite with all advertising copy writers. "Panicky?"
reads a Modess ad. "Like a shadow, fear haunts you. Every
minute you wonder----'Am I safe?'" This Modess ad probably would
be without effect on a mature woman. It might do a great deal of harm
to a young girl to whom the new function of menstruation constitutes enough
of a problem without the idea of "accident-panic" thrust into
her mind.
Today, with the women's magazines full of ads depicting women fearful
to go on the dance floor because they aren't wearing the right kind of sanitary
napkin, with news papers and subways sprinkled with ads for nostrums which
are supposed to relieve "periodic pain," the subject is no longer
shrouded with its old-time secrecy.
There are any number of sanitary napkins on the market as well as other
devices for taking care of the menstrual flow. Most women want a sanitary
napkin that is absorbent, comfortable, and which has a moisture-proof backing,
so that the menstrual fluid does not penetrate immediately. Consumers
Union, a non-profit membership organization, (located at 22 East 17th St.,
New York City), which tests consumers' goods and reports on quality for
its subscribers, has tested more than twenty brands of sanitary napkins
for the above three qualifications. The three which rated best and
most economical were Veldown, Modess [here] and
Belfair.
Of the three, Veldown had the most effective moisture-proofing, due
to the fact that the moisture-proof material extended over the sides as
well as the back. The napkin became thoroughly saturated before the
fluid penetrated either the sides or back. Modess napkins tested almost
as well, except that the sides were not moisture-proofed, therefore the
edges might become wet and irritating. Modess napkins are better than
many others in this respect, however, since the crepe paper pad is wrapped
in cotton which would help to keep the sides from becoming soggy. Other
napkins which rated fairly well were Lotus, Venida Nap and Dove, but Lotus
is the only one of these which had a moisture-proof backing.
Despite the extensive advertising of the Kotex Company [see a dispenser pad here], their sanitary napkin received a
poor rating in the Consumers union tests. It was found that moisture
penetrated the napkins almost immediately. Although the absorptive
power of Kotex is good, a Kotex napkin absorbs no more moisture than Sanovals,
distributed by the Kress stores, which are much cheaper. The "equalizer"
of which the Kotex Company makes so much, is nothing but a piece of corrugated
crepe paper inserted in the middle of the pad. Sanovals, representative
of a group of unadvertised sanitary napkins made of crepe paper wrapped
in gauze, showed as good, if not better, distribution of liquid than did
Kotex, with its much-touted equalizer, in a test designed to estimate penetration
qualities.
The International Cellucotton Products Company, makers of Kotex, recently
entered into an agreement with its wholesalers whereby the company is enabled
to fix the price of Kotex and eliminate "price cutting." Quite
probably other sanitary napkin manufacturers will follow suit, thus keeping
the selling price of the articles entirely disproportionate to their cost of
manufacture.
There are some napkins on the market for women with an excessive menstrual
flow. Among these are the Venus [here] brand
and Super-Kotex. The Super-Kotex proved, in the Consumers Union test,
to be highly absorptive, but, as with the regular Kotex, was easily penetrated. The
Venus napkins were much more absorptive than Super-Kotex and the liquid
did not penetrate nearly so quickly. Although very bulky, the Venus napkins
were especially soft and comfortable. They may meet very well the needs
of women with an exceptionally heavy flow, though it should be pointed out
that women with limited funds who have need of extra protection can make
up their own napkins of a good grade cotton and gauze for less than a third
of the price charged for the Venus brand.
[Tampons]
There are now on the market various cotton tampons, cone or plug-shaped,
to be placed in the vagina to care for the menstrual flow, as a substitute
for the usual pad. Among the brands now being sold are Tampads, Wix [here], Tampax [here] and Fibs
[here]. In answer to an inquiry regarding
tampons, the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that though
the possibility of any harm from their use was very slight, if not placed
properly, irritation might result. The Journal pointed out that although
their use might be a convenience during the latter days of menstruation
or for women who have a scant flow, they would not be satisfactory for women
with a moderate or profuse flow. [Read a later - 1945 - report
vigorously defending tampons and, um, poo-pooing pads.]
There is also the possibility that a woman who inserts a tampon in the
last stage of flow may forget its presence in the vagina. That
such a thing may occur will not be readily believed by many women
[!]. Yet doctors rather frequently report removing from the vagina
foreign objects whose presence was quite unsuspected by the patient.
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NEXT: See the cover aad read excerpts
from this book criticizing
douching with Lysol - yes - and Zonite.
Read Dr. Lillian Gilbreth's - two of her kids wrote about her in
"Cheaper by the Dozen" - critique of pads
in 1927 for Johnson & Johnson, maker of Modess. And read the influential
pad put-down "Tampons as Menstrual Guards"
from 1945. Criticism of the Rely tampon, later
associated with toxic shock syndrome, from a tiny Rochester, New York, newspaper
(1975-76). Safety page. Tampax's defense: "Are Vaginal Tampons Prejudicial to Health?"
(Proof for a British Tampax ad, 1952)
© 2001 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
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