Little Doozee, an after-the-party
contraceptive douche nozzle for a soda bottle.
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 pills ad, 1952 (Australia)
- Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) -
Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Vionell genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs (Germany)
- Zonite douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
The Perils of Vaginal Douching (essay by Luci
Capo Rome) - the odor page
Read 1930s criticism of douche
products Zonite and Lysol.
See Lysol information
in old newspapers
and Lysol ads from 1948
and 1934.
Visit the odor page.
 
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MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND WOMEN'S HEALTH
New Knowledge for Women:
A Manual of Marriage Hygiene
American Health Association, 1933, U.S.A.
Family planning (contraception), sex education, nurse, abortion,
diseases & health of women, vaginal douche techniques,
birth control, reproduction, menstruation
Wrapper for manual
Not long ago, Americans had to search dark alleys
for sex and (illegal) birth control information, figuratively speaking.
This booklet was one of those alleys.
Appearing in 1933 in terrible economic times, the manual reflects another
of today's struggles, that of providing sex information to the public. Folks,
things were even worse then.
The charming text sneaks around birth control,
nudging you and winking, never saying the forbidden words until the very last and then denying
it ever had such an idea!
Its style reminds me of the contemporary Marjorie
May booklets Kotex made to teach girls about menstruation, although
those booklets were direct. You might laugh but the subject was serious
and the public was probably used to learning through stories.
Read why this indirecxt approach kept the writers out of jail:
"The Comstock Act, (ch. 258 17 Stat. 598 enacted March 3, 1873)
is a United States federal law which made it illegal to send any 'obscene,
lewd, and/or lascivious' materials through the mail, including
contraceptive devices and information. In addition to banning contraceptives,
this act also banned the distribution of information
on abortion for educational purposes following the ideal of 'Hear
no Evil, See no Evil.' Twenty-four states passed similar prohibitions on
materials distributed within the states.[1] Collectively, these state and
federal restrictions are known as the Comstock laws.
"The sale and distribution of obscene materials has been unlawful
in most of the American states since the early 1800s, and has been prohibited
by federal law since 1873. The federal anti-obscenity laws are still in
effect in 2008 and are enforced,[2] though there are extensive debates
on what is 'obscene.' . . .
"In 1932, [Margaret] Sanger arranged
for a shipment of diaphragms to be mailed from Japan to a sympathetic doctor
in New York City. When U.S. customs confiscated the package as illegal
contraceptive devices, Sanger helped file a lawsuit. In 1936,
a federal appeals court ruled in United States v. One Package of Japanese
Pessaries that the federal government could not interfere
with doctors providing contraception to their patients.
"In 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut struck
down one of the remaining Comstock laws, the bans on contraception in Connecticut
and Massachusetts. However, Griswold only applied
to marital relationships. Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972) extended its
holding to unmarried persons as well."
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comstock_Law [I added the red emphasis])
In Devices & Desires, Andrea Tone describes the organization
that created this manual:
"Like Dilex, the AHA [American Health Association] borrowed
a concept key to the burgeoning public health movement: house-by-household
nursing visitations.The company hired women to be visiting nurses and equipped
them with certificates of membership, badges of identification, and sacks
full of AHA contraceptive merchandise. No training or experience was required
to be a saleswoman, although each applicant had to pay thirty-five cents
for 'membership privileges' and sign a pledge of allegiance to the company
and its mission. This the AHA articulated as bringing 'healthful living
through public education' to the masses." (P. 330, note 49, New York,
2001)
It's interesting that another organization
visited homes to sell women douches and menstrual cups.
Mon Docteur douche
set from the 1920s.
More: Little Doozee,
an after-the-party contraceptive douche nozzle for
a soda bottle. SECRET contraceptive tampon: Lehn
& Fink New Improved Tampon - Birth control
and religion | Birth control drugs, old | Birth
control douche & sponges
|
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.)
SarahAnne Hazelwood kindly donated the booklet.
|
Below: Back and front wrappers (not rappers),
each measuring 4 5/8 x 6 5/16" (11.6 x 15.9 cm).
The paper is heavy and stiff.
The NRA graphic right below is not the National Rifle Association but the
National Recovery Administration.
More about it: "The National Recovery Administration (NRA) came into
being through a significant
measure in 1933. The NRA attempted to revive industry [affected by the Great
Depression] by raising wages, reducing work hours and
reining in unbridled competition. The NRA was ruled unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court in 1935;
however, the majority of its collective bargaining stipulations survived
in two subsequent bills." (From
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1569.html)
|
 |
NEXT: Wrapper - contents/front cover - The Case
of Nancy Lee - The Nurse Calls - The American Health Association -
A Bride[']s Prayer Answered - The
Usual Preparation for Marriage - Sex Organs and
Their Functions -
The Female Organs/Their Physiology and Functions
- The Internal Organs - Menstruation
- Process of Reproduction -
The Vulva - The Vagina
- The Distending Douche - The
Health Shield - Preventing Infection - The Womb -
Amenorrhea - Dysmenorrhea
- Menorrhagia - The Fallopian
Tubes - The Ovaries - Leucorrhea
-
A Few Precautions - Birth
Control disclaimer: This manual is not what you
think it is!
SECRET contraceptive tampon: Lehn & Fink
New Improved Tampon - Little Doozee, an after-the-party contraceptive douche nozzle for a soda
bottle. -
Birth control and religion | Birth control drugs, old | Birth control douche
& sponges Read 1930s criticism
of douche products
Lysol & Zonite and.
See Lysol information
in old newspapers
and Lysol ads from 1948
and 1934. All
tampons on this site.
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.)
© 2008 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\
|