Protection and prevention
Condom shops in the 1700s sold condoms made of sheep intestine with silk ribbon at the end to tie them on. Even today it is possible to buy 'lambskin' condoms made by modern manufacturing processes.
Rubber became the main material for condoms in the mid 1800s, after the process of vulcanising rubber was developed. Vulcanising (treating rubber with sulphur and heating it to make it more durable) made it possible to mass produce condoms that were thin, strong and relatively cheap. Although people knew that they could be used to prevent pregnancy, men generally wore condoms to guard against 'the clap' (gonorrhoea) and 'the pox' (syphilis). So for centuries condoms carried the stigma of being associated with disease and prostitution.
Ironically, it has been another disease that has made condoms popular again. Since the 1980s, safe sex campaigns have promoted the use of condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
People are now accustomed to seeing them advertised and displayed in shops. As a result, in Australia today young people are choosing to use condoms, not only for disease prevention but also as their main method of contraception.
Sheep intestine condom from around 1900. Powerhouse Museum collection.
A box of rolled-up condoms from the 1940s, with instructions on how to check them for holes. Powerhouse Museum collection.