Read 1930s criticism
of Zonite and Lysol.
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.)
Myzone
menstrual pain pills ad, 1952
(Australia)
Pristeen
genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.)
Spalt
pain tablets, 1936 (Germany)
Vionell
genital spray ad, 1970, with
Cheryl Tiegs (Germany)
Zonite
douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
Zero-Gel
Vaginal Cream magazine ad
(U.S.A., 1932)
The Perils
of Vaginal Douching (essay
by Luci Capo Rome) Odor page
|
Historical ads for
douches, menstrual pain
remedies and "intimate"
deodorants
Women have probably
always squirted fluids
into their vaginas -
"douched" in English,
but the word usually
means a full-body shower
in other languages. Your
basic adult vagina is a
6-7 inch (28-31 cm) tube
with huge amounts of
bacteria (mostly good
and necessary) and
connects to the inside
of a woman's body. It's
warm and can create odor
that the world's
cultures value in
different ways. Besides
reducing odor,
douching can wash out
and/or kill sperm,
sometimes preventing
babies. But read
why women should
normally not
douche.
Pain associated with
menstruation is a
controversial topic but
we read about it at
least as far back as the
Greek physician
Hippocrates, who noticed
that women's peculiar
pain usually stopped
when the bleeding
started. He felt that
taking blood from men
(and women) - bleeding -
might stop their
nonmenstrual pain and
illness, a practice that
continued at least
through the 19th
century.
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.) - Myzone
menstrual pain pills
ad, 1952 (Australia) -
Pristeen
genital spray ad, 1969
(U.S.A.) - Spalt
pain tablets, 1936
(Germany) - Vionell
genital spray ad,
1970, with Cheryl
Tiegs (Germany) - Zonite
douche liquid ad, 1928
(U.S.A.) - Zero-Gel
Vaginal Cream magazine
ad (U.S.A., 1932) -
The Perils
of Vaginal Douching
(essay by Luci Capo
Rome) - the odor
page
Start
your tour with Zonite,
below.
See an American
douche set, Mon
Docteur (My
Doctor in French),
with instructions and
booklets, from about 1929.
And see an American douche
syringe from
probably 1960-70 and
read what a woman once
famous in "feminine
hygiene" wrote about
douching.
Visit the odor
page.
Zonite
douche liquid
advertisement
Zonite
was an American douche
liquid produced for
decades. It probably at
least irritated many
women, besides
destroying normal
bacteria - and sperm -
in the vagina, just as
many douche products
did, ironically creating
the conditions for
disease rather than
eliminating them.
Zonite is Dakin's
solution (sodium
hypochlorite),
essentially weak bleach
(see comments
here). Chlorinated
drinking water using
sodium hypochlorite
started in the United
States in 1908 in Jersey
City, New Jersey, and
within the next couple
of decades had helped
(with filtration) to
almost eliminate cholera
and typhoid fever in
America.
Compare the later
Australian menstrual
pain pill Myzone,
which also "zones" off
the woman's body from
the rest of the world.
Read 1930s criticism
of douching with
Zonite and Lysol.
The ad is from September
1928.
|
NEXT:
Zero-Gel Vaginal Cream
magazine ad (U.S.A.,
1932) - See more
Zonite ads.
© 2005 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
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.) - Myzone
menstrual pain pills ad,
1952 (Australia) - Pristeen
genital spray ad, 1969
(U.S.A.) - Spalt
pain tablets, 1936
(Germany) - 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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