The Humble Little Condom: A History [Paperback]

Aine Collier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2007

One of the most basic--and ancient--forms of birth control is the condom. Utilized by all cultures for millennia, and referred to by many colorful euphemisms--baudruche, preservativo, machine, peau divine, rubber, and safety--it has featured in the lives, loves, and letters of some of the most famous men in history. Shakespeare, Casanova, George Bernard Shaw, to mention only a few, all appreciated and wrote about the importance of using "preventatives."

Aine Collier provides a unique glimpse into human sexual habits, customs, beliefs, and attitudes in this first history of the prophylactic device that goes back to at least the ancient Egyptians. As she amply demonstrates, the story of this humble piece of paraphernalia is full of intriguing insights into human character with all its flaws and foibles as well as many fascinating historical details:

- Clergymen of the Middle Ages have left records of birth control methods, including condoms, documenting just "what worked."
- The modern history of the condom begins when Columbus's men returned from the New World infected with the "Great Pox" (syphilis). This led to the rediscovery of the condom as a disease preventative
- Sixteenth-century Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio (discoverer of the Fallopian tube) should be considered the father of the modern condom; he was the first to add a pink ribbon to his sheaths, a flourish that remained standard for centuries.
- When women had few choices in the world of commerce, a significant number found a legitimate and profitable business niche producing and selling sheaths.
- During the Great Depression, while other businesses went bankrupt, condom manufacturers found themselves doing a booming trade throughout the 1930s, one of Wall Street's few successes. Sadly, it was cheaper to pay 25 cents for a rubber than to have children.
- German gummis were acknowledged to be the finest in the world, until the Nazis made them illegal, fearing Jewish doctors had coerced innocent young Germans into using them as birth control.
- AIDS has brought the condom full circle. Not for the first time in history has the little device been vilified as a promoter of dirty, illicit sex and lauded as a life-saving device.

Thoroughly researched yet presented in a witty, enjoyable style that will keep you turning the page for more, The Humble Little Condom is both an entertaining read and an educational, impeccably researched popular history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aine Collier, EdD, is an adjunct associate professor of English at the University of Maryland University College. She holds degrees in European history, international business, and English education. She has been a historian for the Hughes Flying Boat Museum and a 1932 Olympics archival project, as well as an oral historian for a series of interviews with famous figures from the peace movements of the 1930s and 1960s.

Product Details

• Paperback: 371 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591025567
• ISBN-13: 978-1591025566
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to the History of an Important Invention, February 12, 2008

By 

R. Hardy "Rob Hardy" (Columbus, Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Humble Little Condom: A History (Paperback)

"It is the story of the human spirit, with all its flaws and foibles." A book on this subject must surely be about something lofty, like aviation or inoculations. But the words are from Aine Collier's introduction to her book, _The Humble Little Condom: A History_ (Prometheus Books). For a long while, even into the twentieth century, merely mentioning the condom in print could get you into trouble, so just looking into the pages of this funny and idiosyncratic history should be a reminder that we are living in an unprecedented time of open communication on sexuality, though, darn it, there are reminders in the last chapters of just how backwards we still are in some ways. There seems to be through the centuries the same sort of pattern, where cultures discover that sheathing the male member has benefits in reducing disease or pregnancies, but then the established church or government rail against such sheaths because they don't think the delights of sex should be unlinked from the punishment of the consequences. Collier is an academic, but this is a fizzy, fact-filled text with lots of sidebars. It is as if Collier is saying that using a condom ought to be fun, so reading even a history that goes back twelve thousand years ought to be fun, too.

The ancient Egyptians used papyrus, the Chinese used oiled silk or paper, and also, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, used animal gut, still available today. The Renaissance guilds of the sausage makers didn't just make sausages. They cleaned and treated animal intestines and sold them to condom-makers. Glovers, those who made gloves (Shakespeare's father was one), were allied to the sausage makers, and it isn't just coincidence that "glove" was used as a synonym for the condom. The great innovation in materials for condoms came with the development of rubber. The firms Goodrich and Goodyear are synonymous with rubber goods like tires, but before tires they were producing rubber diaphragms, sexual toys, and condoms. Those first rubbers were nothing like the ones we have now. They were advertised as lasting for a lifetime, as long as they were washed after every use, an indication not only of durability but of how thick, stiff, and uncomfortable they must have been. It was only when they became thinner, and disposable, that they could compete against those made from guts. The latex version debuted in 1920.

In World War I, America's soldiers were the only force in Europe that were not given a standard issue of condoms. In World War II, the lesson had been learned. Posters promoted the slogan: "If you can't say no, take a pro." Again, the military was operating out of simple practicality; a soldier in the hospital for venereal disease was as negligible a fighting asset as one wounded by shrapnel. Some civilians complained that soldiers were not being taught to control themselves and were being issued excuses to behave immorally. This attitude toward members of our military seems to have faded; twenty years ago any of them could go to a military pharmacy and get condoms free just for asking (as could members of their families). Our concern has shifted to our young people, with official funding for sexual education only as long as it promotes having no sex. Dr. C. Everett Koop, with full conservative credentials, worked against the silence of the Reagan administration on AIDS and condoms, but people still get upset at the idea that their children may learn about condoms in the schools. We are not doing nearly so well as in Sweden where advice to young people about contraception was made explicit and condoms were made free to them, or Norway where the attitude has been encouraged that it is an insult for a man not to use a condom with any partner to whom he is not married. Collier quotes condom pioneer Phil Harvey: "They are so simple and so effective. They're cheap, they work anywhere in the world, and they fit everybody." Collier's amiable, informal review (it is arranged chronologically, but is within each chapter often a grab-bag of facts) helps show a history of ambivalence toward what ought to be a tool that is not only fun to use but can prevent the scourges of disease and overpopulation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but no references and U.S.-centric, June 14, 2008

By 

V. Brock (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Humble Little Condom: A History (Paperback)

This is a fascinating history of this product, but it's a dead end: the author lists no references. Especially in the ancient history section of the book, where the author is honest that her opinion that condoms were used is controversial among historians, it would be nice to have more information to judge the reliability of her claims. And when she refers to something as a "legend" (like the Roman muscle condom), where did that information come from?

While a significant part of the book is devoted to Europe, the preponderance of the details in the book are about the U.S. and, to some extent, Britain. For example, the author mentions that "advanced manufacturing methods" were "developed in Germany" (p.156), but neglects to include that these techniques were developed by Julius Fromm, one of the major names in condom history. Japan and Russia get a few paragraphs, and some other countries are mentioned briefly. But I was disappointed that the introduction of condoms to the developing world was largely glossed over as "U.S. AID promoted condoms in the developing world", full stop.

I was also disappointed in her coverage of testing methods. She talks about early testing methods in some detail, but makes no mention of the electrolytic testing (every condom) and burst testing (a percentage of each batch) now required by the U.S. FDA. And while she mentions quality requirements in the U.S. and Britain, international quality standards for condoms (such as ISO 4074) didn't make it into the book. References are again a problem here; on p.311 she says the FDA found that 20% of U.S. condoms did not meet quality requirements in the "mid-nineties". This may be of significant importance to people who rely on condoms, but no other details are given that would enable a reader to find the original FDA report.

Another reviewer commented that this book was meant for "light reading". While the first chapter or two of the book is rather choppy, the rest of the book is a fascinating and informative read. I learned a lot from the author's good presentation of facts. But overall, I guess I was looking for something more "serious".

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It ought to be illegal!, November 4, 2007

By 

Walt Conrad - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Humble Little Condom: A History (Paperback)

That's how good this book is. Collier has taken a Traditionally a taboo subject and written A page turner. Nonfiction that is a joy to read is a rare commodity . Collier has hit paydirt with this funnyand enlightening facet of unreported human history.