Feminine syringe kit in rectangular cardboard box; the box (a) is printed in blue ink and contains an illustration of a smiling nurse's head on the two largest sides of the box and a blue cross with an "S" in the middle; there is also an illustration on the front of the box of the syringe and bag i…
Feminine syringe kit in rectangular cardboard box; the box (a) is printed in blue ink and contains an illustration of a smiling nurse's head on the two largest sides of the box and a blue cross with an "S" in the middle; there is also an illustration on the front of the box of the syringe and bag inside the kit; the box contains information printed in blue, white, and red ink including the product title, the patent number, manufacturing information, ordering information, and information about the product; inside the box are a set of instructions printed in black ink on tan paper (f), a white plastic measuring spoon (e), and a tan latex case (c); inside the case are a long white plastic syringe (b), and a yellow latex bag with a white plastic nozzle (d).
Number Of Parts
6
Part Names
a) box: Length 15.4 cm X Width 6.5 cm X Height 2.0 cm
b) syringe: Length 13.6 cm X Diameter 1.9 cm
c) case: Length 14.3 cm X Width 2.0 cm X Height 6.1 cm
d) bag: Length 14.0 cm X Width 8.0 cm x Height 3.8 cm
e) measuring spoon: Length 5.9 cm X Width 2.1 cm X Height 1.1 cm
Date based on patent number as well as illustration and graphic style on box.
Material
paper: tan
ink: blue, black, red
latex: tan, yellow
plastic: white
Inscriptions
Printed on front of box (a): "Shush "tinykit®" // S // FEMININE HYGIENIC SYRINGE // BAG OF DIPPED LATEX WITH // CAPACITY FOR THOROUGH // HYGIENIC CLEANSING // SCIENTIFICALLY // DESIGNED NOZZLE // WITH A SPRAY // THAT GOES UPWARD AND OUTWARD FOR THAT CLEANSING ACTION. // RECOMMENDED BY DOCTORS FOR MAXIMUM HYGIENIC SECURITY. // U.S. PATENT 2,664,893 // Complete Feminine Syringe Kit in a water-proof case for home or travel"; printed on back of box: "Shush "tinykit®" // S // Fastidious women everywhere will welcome the new // Shush "tinykit' ... a kit for her most personal // necessities, compactly arranged in a tiny inconspicuous // travel container. She'll appreciate too, a great confidence // in Shush ... for the Shush "tinykit" is scientifically designed // for maximum efficiency. Truly, Shush is the modern answer // to M'Lady's personal daintiness - at home or away. // U.S. PATENT 2,664,893"; printed on long sides of box: "Shush "tinykit®" for personal daintiness // SHUSH INC., AKRON, OHIO, U.S.A."; printed on short sides of box: ""tinykit" for M'LADY'S // PERSONAL DAINTINESS"; printed on inside flap of box: "IF UNABLE TO BUY LOCALLY SEND ONE // DOLLAR WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS TO // SHUSH INC., AKRON 8, OHIO // LITHO IN U.S.A."; embossed on case (c): "Shush "tinykit®" // AKRON, OHIO"; raised on measuring spoon (e): "Lysol® // BRAND DISINFECTANT"; printed on instructions sheet (f): "INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE // ADD ONE-HALF TEASPOONFUL (ONE SPOONFUL OF THE ENCLOSED // MEASURING DEVICE) OF LYSOL BRAND DISINFECTANT TO ONE // PINT OF WARM WATER. MIX THOROUGHLY IN SEPARATE // CONTAINER BEFORE POURING INTO BAG. RINSE THE TINYKIT // WITH WATER AFTER USING."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-D8-10
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Minor tearing and fraying of cardboard box, paper instructions minorly crumpled.
This object was used for vaginal douching, a historically common practice of women's hygiene until recently. Today, doctors do not recommend douching as the vagina is self-cleaning and attempting to clean it with soaps and chemicals could be harmful to its pH balance and cause damage.
Beginning in the early 20th century, women would often use Lysol, a household disinfectant, as a douche. Lysol advertised this purpose, claiming that it would guard against odors (believed to be a euphemism for birth control).
Before 1911, there were a reported 193 poisonings and five deaths from Lysol douching, and women often complained of burning and blisters. In 1952, Lysol's formula was changed from cresol to become a quarter as toxic as before. The Lysol used in homes today is not the same as the one historically used for douching, and is no longer owned by the same company.
Advertisements for Lysol as a feminine hygiene product often targeted women's insecurities about their bodies and caused them to feel badly about them and feel the need to use a douche to remain clean and fresh. Lines used in different 20th century Lysol advertisements include: "Often a wife fails to realize that doubts due to one intimate neglect shut her out from happy married love", "Day after heartbreaking day I was held in [...] a web spun by my husband's indifference. [...] Was the fault mine?", "No woman who has a normal foundation of good health can be forgiven for failing to "stay young with her husband.""
The douche was the most popular “contraceptive” in the USA by 1940. In 1933, nearly half of a study of 507 women who used Lysol as a contraceptive became pregnant.
This particular douche design was invented by George P. Kempel and was made to be able to be disposed after one use according to its patent.