See another Jews' bath, from the 18th century.
See douche apparatus: Germany (1933, as Hitler was coming to power), Australia, an
American
book promoting the practice, and instructional material for an American company
that sold douche equipment and menstrual cups at Tupperware-like parties in women's houses!
See an American douche set, Mon Docteur (My Doctor in French), with instructions and booklets, from about 1929.
See also Australian douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche powder (U.S.A.) (date ?) - Kotique douche liquid ad, 1974 (U.S.A.) - Liasan (1) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Liasan (2) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1948 (U.S.A.) - Marvel douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Midol menstrual pain pill ad, 1938 (U.S.A.) - Midol booklet (selections), 1959 (U.S.A.) - Mum deodorant cream ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Myzone menstrual pain pill, 1952 (Australia) - Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) - Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Vionell genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs (Germany) - Zonite douche ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
***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.)
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links:
homepage | LIST OF ALL TOPICS | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

 

Jews' bath (mikvah) for after menstruation, built 1260
Friedberg, Germany, plan (1902)

Jews came very early to what is now Germany and for millennia had some good times and many bad times under Christian domination, just as was true in the rest of Europe.

Jewish women who have just completed their menstrual period used this bath. There are still very old mikvahs in Speyer and Worms, Germany.

Many people today think that women were discriminated against by this practice. But the same book of the Bible required men to undergo ritual cleansing after ejaculating semen in their sleep.

The drawing, by Hubert Katz, comes from the city archives of Friedberg and is found in the catalog "Menstruation: Monatshygiene im Wandel von 1900 bis heute," Text und Katalog: Sabine Zinn-Thomas und Walter Stolle. Eine Ausstellung des Hessischen Landesmuseums Darmstadt in der Außenstelle Lorsch, 26.11.1998 bis 31.7.1999. My translation: "Menstruation: Changing menstrual hygiene [in Germany, mostly] from 1900 to today [1998]." Text and catalog: Sabine Zinn-Thomas and Walter Stolle. An exhibition of the Hessian State Museum, Darmstadt, in the branch at Lorsch, from November 26, 1998 to July 31, 1999.

In March, 2012, a woman e-mailed the following about menstrual practices:

Hello. I just stumbled upon your piece on menstruation behaviors of women in past generations - fascinating. I just wanted to mention that it would probably have been highly unlikely that Jewish women did not wear underwear or pads of some sort, as menstruation has many halakhic ramifications (in regard to intercourse and other marriage laws) which are still very much in use today by Jewish women the world over. Jewish law (halakha) requires menstruating women to count five days after the start of their period, then insert clean white cotton cloths vaginally twice daily to assure that the flow of blood has stopped, as well as wear white underwear and sleep on white bedding [a practice which was, indeed, probably instituted because bloomers were not pressed tightly against the skin, or not worn to sleep] for a week before they may ritually wash in a mikva, or ritualarium. These laws are among the top two or three laws that Jews consider "defining", that is, a "if he/she keeps these laws, he/she is practicing Jew" sort of thing.†

So - in summation - not only are/were Jewish women highly aware of their menstruation, and not only was it not considered something abominable or embarrassing, it was governed by a strict and encompassing set of laws that makes me think that there must have been undergarments of some sort worn. I wonder if the Talmud addresses this interesting issue?†

In any case, just an interesting cultural side point. Thanks for bringing up the topic!

Most sincerely
****
This relates specifically to my contention (and here) that many women used nothing to absorb menses during menstruation. I need reliable information about the subject world wide.

I translated some of the German and added it to the drawing. The white arrow (bottom) points to the bath, about 82 feet (24.97 meters) beneath the street.
 

See another Jews' bath, from the 18th century.
And speaking of cleaning, see some douche apparatus: Germany (1933, as Hitler was coming to power), Australia, an
American
book promoting the practice, and instructional material for an American company
that sold douche equipment and menstrual cups at Tupperware-like parties in women's houses!
See an American douche set, Mon Docteur (My Doctor in French), with instructions and booklets, from about 1929.

© 2006 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on
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