Enovid brochure,
1960 (Physicians' Product Brochure No. 67,
G.D. Searle & Co., U.S.A.)
Ad for Ergoapiol, treatment for painful or
missing menstrual periods or other
irregularities of the menstrual cycle - or
for abortion,
1904.
Read Malcolm Gladwell's riveting New Yorker
magazine article
about the invention of the birth control pill.
See early
contraceptive sponges disguised for other uses.
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The
Museum of Menstruation and Women's
Health
An early (1964) birth control
pill (The Pill): Enovid-E
(in a package labeled "Physician's
professional sample"), U.S.A.
Birth control pills were first
offered for approval to the Food and
Drug Administration (read
more
here) in 1957 not as
contraceptives but as a way to treat
menstrual disorders and infertility.
Only in 1960 did the manufacturer
submit the same oral contraceptive
(Enovid) for approval to the FDA to
explicitly prevent conception and
therefore babies. ("Pill" is often
capitalized when referring to a
birth control pill.)
There was controversy and tragedy
around the development of the Pill,
involving the scientists, the public
and the Roman Catholic Church.
In 2009 the
largest German news magazine, Der
Spiegel, used my
(larger)
image below in its online
series about birth control.
A woman who has donated other
items to MUM kindly donated this
package to the museum. Thanks!
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Above:
The package holding the Pills and
insert. The top flap, which holds
the Pills
on the other side, arrived at MUM
separated along the perforations.
The top and bottom parts fold over
to form a package.
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NEXT
page || Interior
of
the package with Pills - The
product insert explaining
composition, usage, precautions,
contraindications and side effects
(pages 1-3,
10; 4-7)
- Planning
Your Family: family
planning booklet: covers &
pp. 2-3, pp. 4-7, 8-11, 12-15, 16-"inside
back cover," 19-20 |
Enovid brochure,
1960 (Physicians' Product Brochure
No. 67, G.D. Searle & Co.,
U.S.A.) - See early
contraceptive
sponges
disguised for other uses. Ad for Ergoapiol, treatment for
painful or missing menstrual
periods or other irregularities of
the menstrual cycle - or for abortion, 1904. Patent
medicine
at this museum.
© 2004-8 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
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