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 pill, 1952 (Australia) - Pristeen genital spray
ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) - Spalt
pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid
ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Vionell
genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs
(Germany) - Zonite
douche ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
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Vaginal
hygiene (douching) in The Intimate Side of
a Woman's Life, by Leona W.
Chalmers (1937, Pioneer Publications,
Inc., Radio City, New York)
Leona Chalmers, who patented her menstrual cup
the year this book appeared (read her
discussion
of it in this book), advocated
douching, the
flushing out of the vagina with
water or another liquid. Many
writers and doctors also promoted it
until recently. Experts today do not
recommend routine douching and
douching for many special purposes
because it upsets the healthy ecology
of the vagina, sometimes worsening the
very condition it's supposed to cure.
Read an essay
about this.
Remember when you read her
discussion of gonorrhea that this
chapter appeared before the use of
antibiotics. You'll note several other
outmoded beliefs and practices, as
well as some substandard editing of
the text, including capitalization of
the wrong words, by today's standards,
at least. Chalmers emphasizes sex
appeal and uses the word feminine in
the way many menstrual products
companies do, to lessen the
unpleasantness many women felt, and
feel, about things and processes "down
there." "Dainty" and "daintiness"
often have the same function and crop
up on boxes and in advertising. Both
words appear on the sparsely worded
box for the "Faultless" syringe
pictured here.
Read a general
discussion of the book and
douching information from Mon Docteur,
a company roughly contemporary, and
associated with the Daintette
menstrual cup - yes, Daintette.
The
director of the cytology section
of a state public health
department kindly donated the
book.
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The next section deals
with Mrs. Chalmers'
menstrual cup,
part of her vaginal hygiene chapter.
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End of douching section;
she discusses menstrual
cups next.
© 2000 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
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