Contraception: from desperation to imagination

Unusual museums demand unusually exciting topics. The Museum for Contraception and Abortion certainly meets that requirement: with information about the angst-ridden era before the development of the pill, arbitrary contraception techniques and terrible abortion methods that will make even those who consider themselves enlightened sit up and take notice.

With his museum – the only one of its kind in the world – gynaecologist Dr. Christian Fiala aims to inform visitors about modern contraception options. The museum also explores the chapter in the history of gynaecology when contraception was little researched and fraught with uncertainty, and abortion was illegal and brought with it life-threatening risks. Thanks to Hermann Knaus and Kyusaku Ogino, we have known about a woman's fertile days and ovulation since 1930. It was with this knowledge that the development of modern contraceptives became possible. A retrospective at the museum reveals the desperation and at the same time the great imagination with which people have always tried to control their fertility.
 

Of vaginal douches and sheep’s intestine condoms …

In an attempt to curb family growth around 1900, people were advised to practise sexual abstinence, coitus interruptus and even homosexuality. When it was found that “flushing out the sperm immediately after the act” (19th century) was not dependable and the first coils (called pessaries) had little effect other than causing inflammation, people also realized that vaginal douches with vinegar or diluted lemon juice were not reliable contraception methods. In the 18th century, Casanova’s lovers were even thought to have placed half a squeezed lemon over the neck of their womb. Condoms were the first relatively successful method of contraception. Until 100 years ago, they were made from the swim bladder of a fish or a sheep’s appendix. A ribbon kept these non-elastic devices from slipping off, permitting safe sex but certainly not quite the same sensations. Latex, the sap of the Indian rubber tree, gradually became the material generally used for making condoms.



 

Diagnosis feared by many women: pregnant

What we still hear from other continents such as Africa was also commonplace in Europe in the early 20th century: abortion was prohibited by law, but visiting a so-called backstreet abortionist involved such huge risks that it was often safer to kill the child after it was born. The workroom of a backstreet abortionist (sometimes also called 'angel maker' in Austria) has been reconstructed in one corner of the museum: a kitchen table with a knitting needle in the drawer. Old documents record the fate of child murderers, women who were sentenced to be tortured for having an abortion, and other terrible tales. It was only in the mid 20th century that safe, effective abortion methods were developed. Today, the vast majority of European countries have provisions permitting abortion within the first three months of pregnancy. In some countries, such provisions have been in force for more than 25 years. This means that women can opt for an abortion within this period.



 

The pill that changed the world

Finally Gregory Pincus and Carl Djerassi, who was born in Vienna, succeeded in revolutionizing sexuality: they used the synthesis of the pregnancy hormone gestagen as the basis for the contraceptive pill. Djerassi emigrated to the USA but has recently started looking for a flat in Vienna again.

In 1957 the pill “Enovid” with a high estrogen content was approved in the USA for menstrual complaints and to promote regular menstruation. In 1961, the promising pill “Anoviar” (“no ovulation”) became available in the German-language market. It contained twice as much estrogen as today’s pill. Initially, the pill was given only to married women with several children. Sex before marriage was still considered taboo. However, the pill finally caught on in the guise of a remedy for menstrual problems that could lead to infertility. Despite vehement criticism of the pill by the church, the pill is now the most-used means of contraception, with 60 to 80 million regular users around the world.




With films, statistics and old newspaper clippings, the Contraception Museum tells many other interesting stories related to the most basic of people’s needs. For now, this much can be said about the future of contraception: it could take the form of anything from a nose spray to a three-month pill – and, as always, it will be up to women to take care of it.