‘There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she
had so many children she didn’t know what to
do… Obviously.’
 |
Barry Cryer, I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue, BBC radio quiz, 1979
‘Protestant women may take the pill. Roman Catholic women must
keep taking the tablet.’ Irene Thomas, broadcaster and writer
PACK OF NINE
♦ Vagina comes from the Latin for ‘sheath’ ♦ In Japan, condoms have traditionally been available in leather, tortoiseshell and horn ♦ Witch hunts were used by the Church to stamp out the teaching of birth control
♦ Rumoured historic alternatives include: Asia: oiled paper as a cervical cap; Europe: beeswax; and Egypt: acidic pessary with honey ♦ Casanova called the sheath the ‘English overcoat’ and experimented using half a lemon as a cap
♦ Sheik Condoms displayed a silhouette of Rudolph Valentino ♦ The oldest condoms found were from 1640 at Dudley Castle, England ♦ The Durex 2005 Global Survey found about 47 per cent of adults worldwide have had unprotected sex with no knowledge of their partner’s sexual history ♦ The word ‘condom’ may have come from a Dr Condom or Conton who kept up a constant supply of sheaths to King Charles II.