History of condoms
For most of their history, condoms have been used both as a method of birth control, and as a protective measure against sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B and more recently HIV/AIDS.
Prior to the introduction of the combined oral contraceptive pill, condoms were the most popular birth control method in the Western world.
[3]: 11 Societies in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome preferred small families and are known to have practiced a variety of birth control methods.
[3]: 12, 16–17, 22 However, these societies viewed birth control as a woman's responsibility, and the only well-documented contraception methods were female-controlled devices (both possibly effective, such as pessaries, and ineffective, such as amulets).
[3]: 33, 42 In the writings of Muslims and Jews during the Middle Ages, there are some references to attempts at male-controlled contraception, including suggestions to cover the penis in tar or soak it in onion juice.
As Jared Diamond describes it, "when syphilis was first definitely recorded in Europe in 1495, its pustules often covered the body from the head to the knees, caused flesh to fall from people's faces, and led to death within a few months."
[4] After the publication of De Morbo Gallico, use of penis coverings to protect from disease is described in a wide variety of literature throughout Europe.
The first indication these devices were used for birth control, rather than disease prevention, is the 1605 theological publication De iustitia et iure (On justice and law) by Catholic theologian Leonardus Lessius: he condemned them as immoral.
[3]: 56 The first explicit description that un petit linge (a small cloth) was used to prevent pregnancy is from 1655: a French novel and play titled L'Escole des Filles (The Philosophy of Girls).
[3]: 61 The oldest condoms ever excavated were found in a cesspit located in the grounds of Dudley Castle and were made from animal membrane; dating back to as early as 1642.
The French medical professor Jean Astruc wrote his own anti-condom treatise in 1736, citing Turner as the authority in this area.
18th-century condoms were available in a variety of qualities and sizes, made from either linen treated with chemicals, or "skin" (bladder or intestine softened by treatment with sulphur and lye).
[3]: 90–2, 97, 104 The first recorded inspection of condom quality is found in the memoirs of Giacomo Casanova (which cover his life until 1774): to test for holes, he would often blow them up before use.
[14] Despite legal obstacles, condoms continued to be readily available in both Europe and America, widely advertised under euphemisms such as male shield and rubber good.
[3]: 154–6 In 1912, a German named Julius Fromm developed a new, improved manufacturing technique for condoms: dipping glass molds into a raw rubber solution.
Causes cited by historians include effects of the American Civil War, and the ignorance of prevention methods promoted by the Comstock laws.
[3]: 169, 181 Early-20th-century experiments by the American military concluded that providing condoms to soldiers significantly lowered rates of sexually transmitted infections.
[3]: 192–3 Through the 1920s, catchy names and slick packaging became an increasingly important marketing technique for many consumer items, including condoms and cigarettes.
[3]: 220 In Britain, the London Rubber Company's fully automated plant was designed in-house by Lucian Landau[23] and the first lines were installed from 1950 onward.
[14][16] In 1927, senior medical officers in the American military began promoting condom distribution and educational programs to members of the army and navy.
[3]: 217–9 The U.S. military was not the only large organization that changed its moral stance on condoms: in 1930, the Anglican Church's Lambeth Conference sanctioned the use of birth control by married couples.
[3]: 227 The Roman Catholic Church responded by issuing the encyclical Casti connubii affirming its opposition to all contraceptives, a stance it has never reversed.
[19] In 1938, over three hundred birth control clinics opened in America, supplying reproductive care (including condoms) to poor women all over the country.
[3]: 223–5 During World War II condoms were not only distributed to male U.S. military members, but enlisted men were also subject to significant contraception propaganda in the form of films, posters, and lectures.
Captain Beate Uhse in Germany founded a birth control business, and fought a series of legal battles to continue her sales.
[3]: 305 Condoms began to be sold in a wider variety of retail outlets, including in supermarkets and in discount department stores such as Wal-Mart.
[3]: 54, 68 Also exploration Latex by Charles Marie de La Condamine A variety of Latin etymologies have been proposed, including condon (receptacle),[24] condamina (house),[27] and cumdum (scabbard or case).
[28] William E. Kruck wrote an article in 1981 concluding that, "As for the word 'condom', I need state only that its origin remains completely unknown, and there ends this search for an etymology.
Population Planning Associates was a mail-order business that marketed condoms to American college students, despite U.S. laws against sending contraceptives through the mail.
Tyagi (a leader of family planning programs in India),[35] DKT International annually sells millions of condoms at discounted rates in developing countries around the world.
