Merrell's Dousan
date: label: date made
content: 1930-1950
label: trademark renewed (Dousan)
content: 1950-05-06
label: trademark registered (Dousan)
content: 1930-05-06
name: label: maker
content: William S. Merrell Company
notes: label: Description
content: The indications or uses for this product as provided on its packaging: A delightful aid for personal hygiene. 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls to a quart of water.
label: Description
content: By the early twentieth century, the idea that regular vaginal douching was a necessary part of women’s hygiene had gained traction and spurred the creation of a whole category of consumer products for women. Douching involves the insertion of fluids into the vagina to “cleanse” it, and manufacturers offered a range of powders and liquids for making up these solutions. Douche products at this time typically included antiseptic and astringent ingredients such as boric acid, zinc sulphate, salicylic acid, alum, thymol, and menthol. While advertising emphasized the cleansing, deodorizing, refreshing and soothing effects of douching, douching after sexual intercourse was widely employed (however ineffectively) for the purpose of contraception. Historian Andrea Tone states that by the 1940s, douching had become the most prevalent form of birth control used by women in the United States and remained so until the introduction of oral contraceptives in the 1960s.
label: Description
content: The William S. Merrell Chemical Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, first marketed Dousan douche powder in late 1929. Like many personal hygiene products for women, the package design is decidedly feminine. The bottle’s distinct shape, and the metallic colors and design of the label, reflect the art deco style popular at this time. The label on the bottle does not include ingredients or provide directions for use although this information may have been on an outer box and/or package insert. Based on newspaper advertisements in the 1930s, Dousan sold for 50 cents to $1.25 (probably representing two different sizes) but could be found on sale for half that amount. The product appears to have been discontinued by 1950.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Ohio, Cincinnati
topic: label: Subject
content: Women's Health Products
label: Subject
content: Women's Health
label: Subject
content: Feminine hygiene products
label: Subject
content: Birth Control/Contraception
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Menstruation: Odor
label: See more items in
content: Beauty and Hygiene Products: Feminine Care
label: See more items in
content: Beauty and Health
label: See more items in
content: Balm of America
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mary E. and Joseph F. Melfi, Jr., Tupper's Drug Store, Summerville, South Carolina
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1980.0698.149
label: accession number
content: 1980.0698
label: catalog number
content: 1980.0698.149
objectType: label: Object Name
content: douche powder
label: Other Terms
content: otc preparation; Patent Medicines; Drugs; Non-Liquid
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (container material)
label: Physical Description
content: white powder (product material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (container, cap material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (container, label material)
label: Physical Description
content: printed (container, label production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 5/8 in x 2 3/8 in x 2 1/4 in; 14.2875 cm x 6.0325 cm x 5.715 cm