In 16th-century Italy, Gabriele Falloppio authored the earliest uncontested description of condom use. As Jared Diamond describes it, "when syphilis was first definitely recorded in Europe in 1495, its pustules often covered the body from the head to the knees, caused flesh to fall from people's faces, and led to death within a few months." (The disease is less frequently fatal today.) By 1505, the disease had spread to Asia, and within a few decades had "decimated large areas of China". The first well-documented outbreak of what is now known as syphilis occurred in 1494 among French troops. : 60–1 In England, there is evidence that condoms made of animal organs were available in the time of Henry VIII (the mid-1500s). In Japan, condoms called Kabuto-gata(甲形) were made of tortoise shell or animal horn. In China, glans condoms may have been made of oiled silk paper, or of lamb intestines. Glans condoms seem to have been used for birth control, and to have been known only by members of the upper classes. Prior to the 15th century, some use of glans condoms (devices covering only the head of the penis) is recorded in Asia. Published in 1564, it describes what is possibly the first use of condoms. : 38–41 1500s to the 1800s Renaissance A page from De Morbo Gallico (The French Disease), Gabriele Falloppio's treatise on syphilis. Some of these writings might describe condom use, but they are "oblique", "veiled", and "vague". : 33, 42 In the writings of Muslims and Jews during the Middle Ages, there are some references to attempts at male-controlled contraception, including suggestions to cover the penis in tar or soak it in onion juice. If condoms were used during the Roman Empire, knowledge of them may have been lost during its decline. : 18 Ĭontraceptives fell out of use in Europe after the decline of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century the use of contraceptive pessaries, for example, is not documented again until the 15th century. To protect his sexual partner from these animals, Minos used a goat's bladder as a female condom. This legend describes a curse that caused Minos' semen to contain serpents and scorpions. Historians may also cite one legend of Minos, related by Antoninus Liberalis in 150 AD, as suggestive of condom use in ancient societies. Records of these types of loincloths being worn by men in higher classes have made some historians speculate they were worn during intercourse : 13–15, 18–20 others, however, are doubtful of such interpretations. The loincloths worn by Egyptian and Greek laborers were very sparse, sometimes consisting of little more than a covering for the glans of the penis. : 17, 23 The writings of these societies contain "veiled references" to male-controlled contraceptive methods that might have been condoms, but most historians interpret them as referring to coitus interruptus or anal intercourse. : 12, 16–17, 22 However, these societies viewed birth control as a woman's responsibility, and the only well-documented contraception methods were female-controlled devices (both possibly effective, such as pessaries, and ineffective, such as amulets). : 11 Societies in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome preferred small families and are known to have practiced a variety of birth control methods. Whether condoms were used in ancient civilizations is debated by archaeologists and historians. Condoms have also become increasingly important in efforts to fight the AIDS pandemic. In the second half of the 20th century, the low cost of condoms contributed to their importance in family planning programs throughout the developing world. Prior to the introduction of the combined oral contraceptive pill, condoms were the most popular birth control method in the Western world. Rubber condoms gained popularity in the mid-19th century, and in the early 20th century major advances were made in manufacturing techniques. Condoms have been made from a variety of materials prior to the 19th century, chemically treated linen and animal tissue (intestine or bladder) are the best documented varieties. For most of their history, condoms have been used both as a method of birth control, and as a protective measure against venereal (sexually transmitted) diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B and more recently HIV/AIDS. The history of condoms goes back at least several centuries, and perhaps beyond.
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