Read an earlier discussion of this: What did European and American women use for menstruation in the 19th century and before? See the B-ettes tampon. See the tampon directory. Ads for teens (see also introductory page for teenage advertising): Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins and Quest napkin powder, 1948, U.S.A.), Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins, 1953, U.S.A.), Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins and belts, 1964, U.S.A.), Freedom (1990, Germany), Kotex (1992, U.S.A.), Pursettes (1974, U.S.A.), Pursettes (1974, U.S.A.), Saba (1975, Denmark) More ads for teens: 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). CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | 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.

The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health Some European women regularly menstruated into their clothing: More evidence (Part 3) A 19th-century German comments on menstruation, with a proposal for a menstrual pad and belt: from Friedrich Eduard Bilz's Das Neue Naturheilverfahren (about 1890) Read the discussion here. (translated text continued from here) Translation by Harry Finley (the original text is at the bottom of this page): When the woman lays the middle piece on, she attaches the middle buttons of the sling holding the wood shavings pillow; the flexible covering and soft, very absorbent filling do not annoy her at all. The pillow completely absorbs the blood. But even when the pillow is completely soaked, the middle piece is blood because of its rubber covering. Naturally no blood reaches the clothing and bed linen. According to need, the pillow can be changed to the still clean sling perhaps twice a day because of heavy bleeding before she burns the old pillow. It's a great advantage to have such a close-fitting pad, especially under tight dresses, for certain societal duties and for certain professions, such as the theater. [Early in tampon history, the 1930s and 1940s, at least two were promoted as benefiting women on the stage: Lox and Tamponettes.] The disinfecting characteristic of this mat of wood shavings comes to the fore especially when - as it happens with many women - the discharge starts to smell bad. 2. The antiseptic hygiene pad from the Saxon Bandage Factory in Dresden-Radebeul and 3. The moss pads from M. Warwede in Neustadt-Rübenberge, province of Hannover. Here's what he says about his pads: "My pads grant the amenity of comfortable wearing. There's no complicated belt with rubber inserts that are uncomfortable and squeeze. The inserts are buttoned to the simple belt. The absorbent ability is so good that not one drop of moisture escapes until the whole pad is soaked with secretions. The pad is equally soaked throughout and remains soft. The shagnum moss has the nice quality of not balling up and remains elastic, and because it's a bad conductor of heat, it warms when wet, thereby protecting from catching cold. The very pleasant disinfecting quality of moss is apparent here, and the secretions are absorbed with no odor at all: these are advantages that no other pad can brag about!" Wood shavings pads cost 95 pfennigs per dozen, and the necessary belt, 1 mark 25 pfennigs. A packet of moss pads costs 75 pfennigs (five per pack), the belt 60 pfennigs. One only needs half as many of the second pads as of the first because of the greater absorbency of the moss. The tiny expense of six to eight marks per year makes this pleasantness available to every lady. Both pads are available both from the maker as well as from special stores for natural health: from Karl Glöckner in Dresden-A., Amalienstrasse; in Austria, from Joseph Schmall, Vienna IV, 94 Lerchenfelderstrasse ["Field of Larks Street']. (continued) (continued) © 2004 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org