Contraception and Community
The birth control movement was a reflection of greater social change occurring in Great Britain. Gender and class struggles in the late 19th and early 20th century contributed to the highly charged nature of the contraceptive movement. While writing about the taboo topic caused a stir, the practical application of such matters was momentous. It was driven once again, by Dr. Marie Carmichael Stopes.
Stopes was not content to simply write about these issues. She soon remarried and her second husband, Humphry Vernon Roe fully -and financially- supported the birth control movement. They founded the first birth control clinic in Great Britain in 1921. Set in a working class neighborhood, Stopes hoped to assist the the "common woman" with family planning.
At the time Stopes' clinic opened, a number of contraceptive devices were already in use. However, many were unsafe or too expensive for the working class woman to obtain. Inexpensive, easy to use devices and health education were desperately needed for the campaign to be successful. Stopes and other advocates worked with manufacturers to create innovative new contraceptive devices. Experimenting with device design on the clinic's patrons naturally led to criticism of Stopes and the clinic.
Stopes was not content to simply write about these issues. She soon remarried and her second husband, Humphry Vernon Roe fully -and financially- supported the birth control movement. They founded the first birth control clinic in Great Britain in 1921. Set in a working class neighborhood, Stopes hoped to assist the the "common woman" with family planning.
At the time Stopes' clinic opened, a number of contraceptive devices were already in use. However, many were unsafe or too expensive for the working class woman to obtain. Inexpensive, easy to use devices and health education were desperately needed for the campaign to be successful. Stopes and other advocates worked with manufacturers to create innovative new contraceptive devices. Experimenting with device design on the clinic's patrons naturally led to criticism of Stopes and the clinic.
The Concip-Calendar was one of the least invasive means of regulating conception in the early 20th century. This particular device was enclosed in a letter to Marie Stopes from a birth control advocate in Austria, H. Heyssur. The accompanying pamphlet claimed that the calendar could be used to determine certain times in the month when "there is a natural sterility and conception [is] not possible". Women adjusted the color-coded calendar to their monthly cycle to determine the 9 -day window when conception was likely to occur and practiced abstinence accordingly. This natural method was approved by the Roman Catholic Church but ultimately proved unreliable due to variance in women's monthly cycles.
[Reiner Emil Hobart], The Concip-Calendar and Instructions for Its Use.
Senefelder Graz, Austrian in origin. 1931.
The sponge was a simple contraceptive device promoted by Marie Carmichael Stopes. It was inexpensive and unobtrusive, both of vital importance for the working class women Dr. Stopes explained its use in her pamphlet Wise Parenthood. It was soaked in a substance such as olive olive, then inserted. Ever the innovator, Stopes tested different varieties available and eventually patented the Clinocap sponge for use in her clinics.
Sponge. 1920-30s.
Origin unknown.
Sponge. 1920-30s.
Origin unknown.
The beginning of the 20th century saw a rising interest in developing chemical contraceptives among the scientific community. Ortho-gynol was one such item developed through laboratory experimentation. It was intended to be used as a spermicide along with a device such as a cervical cap. Gamble (of Proctor & Gamble) performed numerous laboratory tests on chemical contraceptives and results showed Ortho-gynol to be quite effective. As the century progressed, many chemical contraceptives (including Ortho-gynol) were shown to have severe side effects.
"Ortho-gynol". Johnson & Johnson, 1931.
The cervical cap was a well-established birth control technology used long before the 20th century. In 1838, German gynecologist Friedrich Wilde re-invented the device for modern use.[1] Early versions were made of metal, but soon replaced with rubber. The cervical cap was the primary device endorsed by Marie Stopes (over Margaret' Sanger's diaphram) and offered at her clinics. The device was difficult to insert and uncomfortable. A doctor was often required to ensure its proper placement. Additionally, it could prove unsafe without education and correct use. A London obstetrics professor, Louise McIlroy, testified about its dangers in a 1923 libel suite brought by Stopes. Despite its uneven results, Stopes won the trial and the cervical cap remained a popular form of birth control well into the century. [1] Neushul 1998, 255.
Cervical Cap. Date unknown.
Cervical Cap. Date unknown.
First used in the early 1900s, the cervical stud was one of the earliest intrauterine devices. The light colored device is likely made of bone and the other two are made of wood. As you can imagine, such devices would be excruciatingly uncomfortable. Use of the device frequently caused injury and infection. It was not in use for very long.
Cervical Stud. Date unknown.
The sponge dome pessary was a hybrid device. A combination of the traditional sponge and the rubber cervical cap, it was intended to be easier to insert and use than the traditional cervical cap. The string ensured that it could be easily removed. Highly selective about the devices she endorsed, Marie Stopes called this contraceptive a "commercial freak" and did not promote its use.
"Gem". Sponge Dome Pessary.
Lambert's. Date unknown.