See the roughly contemporary Cashay and Dale tampons, and
very early Tampax
and fax.
See a longer
version of the report published in
the Journal of the American Medical
Association, 1945.
|
Tampons as "menstrual guards"
("The Dickinson Report," 1945),
U.S.A.
The report of Dr. Robert L.
Dickinson, entitled "Tampons as
menstrual guards," in the 16 June
1945
issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association, was
important for its promotion of
tampon use and the tampon
industry, and the discouragement
of the use of pads by women.
Using tampons meant inserting
something into the vagina,
territory mothers told their
daughters to stay away from for
sexual reasons. (Interestingly,
one reason Dickinson gives for
avoiding pads is the sexual
stimulation of the woman by the
friction of the pad against the
vulva.) Many women, even today,
believed that tampons could block
the menstrual flow rather than
absorb it. And there are other
reasons discussed by the doctor.
This is a version of the journal
article prepared and published by
Consumer Reports, in the September
1945 issue. It is less technical
than the JAMA original, although
approved by Dickinson, and
contains valuable information
about American practice and
beliefs from over 50 years ago.
Read the full version of this report.
Tambrands, the former maker
of the Tampax tampon, kindly
donated this report to MUM.
The report is copyright 1945
Consumers Union
|
See the roughly contemporary Cashay and Dale tampons, and
very early Tampax
and fax.
copyright 1998 Harry Finley
|