Read 1930s criticism
of Zonite and Lysol.
See an 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) - Sterizol
douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Zonite douche liquid
ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - the Odor
page
See how a woman wore
a belt in a Dutch ad. See a classy 1920s ad for a
belt and the first ad (1891) MUM has for a belt.
See how women wore
a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See a modern belt for
a washable pad
and a page from the 1946-47 Sears
catalog showing a great variety.
More ads for
napkin belts: Sears,
1928 - modern
belts - modern washable - Modess, 1960s
Actual belts in the museum
And, of course, the first Tampax AND -
special for you! - the American fax
tampon, from the early 1930s, which also
came in bags.
See a Modess True
or False? ad in The American Girl
magazine, January 1947, and actress Carol Lynley in
"How Shall I Tell My Daughter" booklet ad
(1955) - Modess . . .
. because ads (many dates).
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The Perils of Vaginal Douching
by Luci Capo Rome, Family
Nurse Practitioner (© 2000
Luci Capo Rome)
Vaginal douching has been a great
concern for me, as a health-care
professional. During my many
years of caring for women, I
have found that many douche on a
regular basis. I have informed
my female patients of the
reasons not to douche. Vaginal
infections can be eliminated by
its cessation. My purpose in
writing this article is to
educate and support women with
regard to this needless
practice.
Vaginal douching is a
centuries-old practice that is
still done today. The most common
reason for its use is hygiene. It
is being done by more than
sixty-seven million women in the
U. S. It goes back to the time of
Hippocrates when douching was the
only means of cleansing the pelvic
cavity due to lack of medications,
such as antibiotics. Only
physicians and nurses were to
perform vaginal douching when
absolutely necessary.
Through time, it was determined
that vaginal douching was an
ineffective method for vaginal
cleansing. This practice has been
done by many ethnic groups
following sexual intercourse
and/or after completion of the
menstrual cycle. Many devices were
invented to continue with this
so-called form of feminine
hygiene. Multiple solutions were
developed, vinegar and water being
the most common one.
The healthy, normally developed
vagina is self-cleansing. Daily,
the feminine public continues to
be subject to wide-spread false
advertising which emphasizes the
need for douching in order to
attain the ultimate in feminine
charm and freshness. These ads
seen in women's magazines and on
television foster, especially
among the ill-informed, a
primitive attitude toward the
vagina. This is a potential threat
to female sexuality, suggesting
that it is a dirty place.
During the 1920's through the
1940's douche ads were seen in
popular women's magazines such as
Cosmopolitan, and McCalls. These
douche solutions carried such
names as Lysol,
Sterizol,
and Zonite.
The so-called disinfectants
destroyed the normal bacteria in
the vagina. Today, we still have
douche products on the market such
as Massengill and Summer's Eve. It
is unfortunate that these products
exist. They are taking money and
time from women by emphasizing
their use and benefits.
Vaginal douching has many risks.
Actually, what is does is wash
away the normal bacteria that are
friendly. Lactobacilli give off a
natural form of hydrogen peroxide
that keeps the vaginal pH balance
more acidic. Thus, the bacteria
that can lead to serious concerns
do not get the chance to grow and
multiply into the upper
reproductive tract. Many studies
have been done in regard to the
risk factors that are associated
with vaginal douching. Among them
are sexually transmitted diseases,
tubal pregnancy, inability to
become pregnant and, possibly,
cervical cancer.
Through education and
communication, my hope is that
such a senseless activity be
stopped, that the vaginal health
in women improves and that the
risk factors be reduced. My wish
is that the commercial douching
products come down off the shelves
when women no longer purchase
them.
© 2000 Luci Capo Rome
Slate had an interesting
article (
"What’s
in Your Vagina? A
healthy microbiome,
hopefully")
about the connection
between bacteria in
the vagina and
pregnancy, and
emphasized NOT
douching
(January 2013).
See a 1959 Midol
pain-pill booklet recommending
douching
See an older American douche
syringe and read what a
woman once famous in "feminine
hygiene" wrote about douching. And
see a still older American
douche set, Mon
Docteur (My Doctor in
French) with instructions, from
about 1929.
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© 2000 Luci Capo Rome.
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
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.)
- 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 liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
The Perils
of Vaginal Douching (essay
by Luci Capo Rome) - the odor page
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