A Brief Note on Rubber Technology and Contraception: The Diaphragm and the Condom

Abstract

The 19th century development of rubber technology which made possible the widespread use of condoms and the growth of the contraceptive industry is outlined. The use of pessaries for medical as well as contraceptive purposes enabled their history to be traced. The Mensinga pessary of 1842 was a widely used early rubber contraceptive device; in its later version it incorporated a vulcanized rubber diaphragm held in place by a coiled spring. A rubber device similar to the Mensinga diaphragm was introduced into the U. S. in the early 1860s but pamphlets recommending its use were destroyed under the Comstock act. Several pessaries not labelled as contraceptive devices were patented in the 1870s but it was not until 1923 that contraceptive diaphragms were mentioned in respectable American medical journals. Condoms were more widely used but less is known about their early history than is the case with diaphragms. Manufacture of rubber condoms was apparently possible by the 1850s. The first types were designed to cover only the tip of the penis but by 1869 a regular condom is mentioned in the literature. Rubber condoms were ubiquitous by 1900 and were often effective. The seamless cement process was the standard manufacturing technique until well into the 20th century. Quality control remained a problem until after World War II when the U. S. government entered the field.