The Full History of Condoms from animal to rubber

Condoms are so widespread today that it’s hard to imagine the times when they weren’t available. Although people were concerned about birth control since ancient times, they didn’t come up with an effective solution until the Middle Age. Here is a brief history of condoms and contraception methods that preceded it.

Ancient Period

Even people during the Ancient period had some idea about the way babies were conceived. If you’ve carefully read the legend about King Minos from ancient Crete, you may have noticed that he was wearing animal tissue over his skin when he was spending time with his wife. That doesn’t sound very comfortable, but they did the best they could from the materials that were available at the time.

However, protection was reserved only for rich people and it didn’t become widespread until the syphilis epidemic in the Middle Age. Syphilis spread from France to other parts of Europe quicker than any other venereal disease before it. At the time, there wasn’t a cure for syphilis and a lot of people died from the disease. In an attempt to stop the epidemic, one Italian priest came up with a solution – thin linen that was the ancestor of the condom as we know it today.

Controversies

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, people used different types of protection – from animal tissue to thin linen. Even though it’s hard to compare these condoms to the ones that are available today, they were pretty effective. They were used both as birth control and as a way to prevent infections and venereal diseases. Even the famous Casanova mentioned them in his diary.

With the invention of rubber, which was first used for tires, condoms became more convenient but they still weren’t available to the whole population. Latex condoms were a real revolution in the 1920s – they were easier to produce and therefore much cheaper, which made them available to different social classes.

At that point, something else happened. Religious communities were prohibiting condoms and birth control. They thought that advertising condoms were controversial and obscene and they made the government prohibit the advertisement of condoms, even though they were also protecting from harmful diseases. However, condom manufacturers were creative and they started using a different term to describe condoms – they called them the rubber safe.

The World War I

The Comstock laws, that were prohibiting the manufacturing, advertising, and selling of condoms lasted almost one century – until 1965! During World War I we witnessed an enormous outbreak of venereal diseases among soldiers, both in the US and overseas. In fact, the cost of treatments reached $50 million – which would be around $860 million today! But that wasn’t the only problem, as soldiers were unable to fight and had to spend several weeks in the hospitals.

As a way to solve this situation, American doctors started encouraging the use of condoms – they wanted them to be promoted as medical devices rather than birth control. The government has learned the lesson and during World War II, they started distributing condoms to the soldiers, to avoid the situation from the previous war. When the war was over, things started to change. Fast forward to the 1950s and 1960s, American couples started using them as a birth control method and it became an essential part of family planning. This was especially important for the Hippie generation, when it became socially acceptable to have multiple partners before marriage.

The triumph of condoms

Big progress was made throughout the decades, but the final step happened during the 1980s. It wasn’t before the A.I.D.S. epidemic that people fully understood the importance of condoms. Then, this mysterious disease appeared and started spreading very fast. People were dying from A.I.D.S. and everyone was afraid of it, but at first, they didn’t know how it was spread. When the scientists discovered that A.I.D.S. was spread through sexual contact and that the only way to protect yourself is to wear a condom, people started taking their health more seriously.

As you can see, the history of condoms was full of ups and downs. There were many obstacles, but thankfully, finally, everyone realized how essential they are. Today, they are accessible to more people than ever before, there are various brands, and more than 450 million condoms are bought every year in the US.