Description

An unused 1920s contraceptive sponge in its original case (diameter of case= 1.5″ or 3.75cm approx.).The marine sponge was held in cotton netting with a  string  attached to aid in its extraction. The case is cardboard. It was  sold as a “Sanitary Health Sponges”, or similar,  because promoting  them as a birth-control device would have violated the 19th-century law regarding what could be shipped through the mails: the so-called Comstock Laws, which are still in effect but largely not enforced in the USA. . Such sponges were inserted into the vagina before intercourse and then, after at least 6 hours, removed and carefully washed to facilitate reuse. This sponge is being sold for display only.