Enovid brochure,
1960 (Physicians' Product Brochure No. 67,
G.D. Searle & Co., U.S.A.)
Enovid-E package
(1964)
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: Enovid-E
("Physician's professional sample"),
U.S.A.
"Planning Your
Family" booklet
A woman who has donated other
items to MUM kindly donated this
package to the museum.
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Below:
The hidden pages 19-20, revealed
after you open the flap facing p. 18,
which peeks in at left.
The Compack
appears to be something you bought
separately. Compack seems
to be a variation on "compact," a
small case for cosmetics that it
resembles.
Look how feminine the woman's
sleeve and nails, and the mirror,
are, probably associating
proper middle-class (and above) -
"nice" - women with the Pill, not slovenly tramps,
who would gobble it gleefully! The flowers
(roses), things often associated with
menstruation,
are yellow, not blood red, the
thing the Pill banishes.
Speaking of the fateful task of
preventing pregnancy, I feel awful
for the women with attention deficit
disorder
who read the instructions at right.
For them, the coup de
menstruation would be trying
the origami
tampon!
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End 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.
Enovid
brochure, 1960
Enovid-E: Exterior of
package - Interior of the
package with Pills - The
product insert explaining
composition, usage, precautions,
contraindications and side effects
(pages 1-3,
10; 4-7)
- family planning booklet: covers &
pp. 2-3, pp. 4-7, 8-11, 12-15, 16-"inside
back cover," 19-20
© 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
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