Tampax tampon from the early 1930s - Main Tampax patent - Ad from 1936 - World War II Tampax sign - Go to early commercial tampons page. See a real American douche set from the 1920s. 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.) Vaginal hygiene in The Intimate Side of a Woman's Life, by Leona W. Chalmers (1937, Pioneer Publications, Inc., Radio City, New York), with photo of American bulb syringe from the 1960s or 1970s. ***The Perils of Vaginal Douching*** (essay by Luci Capo Rome) - the odor page CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? | Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religi�n y menstruaci�n | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruaci�n | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads Leer la versi�n en espa�ol de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepci�n y religi�n, Breve rese�a - Olor - Religi�n y menstruaci�n - Seguridad de productos para la menstruaci�n. Pond medical (not menstrual) tampons, U.S.A., 1910s Ads in the Oakland [California] Tribune Doctors and others have used tampons for thousands of years. A famous mid-20th century American physician even wrote that "tampons used to pay the office rent." One early example is for contraception in an ancient Egyptian text (here). Any wound or orifice needing a cylindrical object to carry medicine did the trick. Why did Pond make this tampon? Maybe to enable women to absorb vaginal discharge or as a way to absorb medication to treat many kinds of ailments. Untold numbers of patent medicines existed for people to doctor themselves - Wampole's vaginal cones, for example, or Mrs. Pinkham's concoctions. And maybe women even used them to absorb menstrual fluid. I suspect the product failed since a researcher couldn't find any later ads. It seemed to be a strictly California product. I thank again the retired college teacher who has contributed so many newspaper items for MUM! I put the latest ads first because they tell more about the product to the consumer. But the earliest two ads, at bottom, hint at the way the company operated while searching for employees. All ads are found in the Oakland [California] Tribune.      Below: (last box): September 10, 1910    Below: October 18, 1910   See "tampon" in newspaper advice columns, an article and in a menu parody - Tampax tampon from the early 1930s - Main Tampax patent - Ad from 1936 - World War II Tampax sign � 2006 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 [email protected]