Take Femicin

When are ‘women problems’ real problems? Quite simple: when it affects men. Vintage advertisements often emphasise the impact women complaints have on the man. For exemple: ‘I suffered from menstrual cramps’ is the now hilarious advertisement text from the 1950s and 1960s (!) by pharmaceutical company Femicin. A tensed-looking man claims he really feels sorry for any woman suffering from menstrual pain, but he also really feels sorry for her husband. ‘Cramps, headaches and body aches used to make my wife so depressed, so irritable that I suffered through those bad days each month, too.’ His wife tried about everything, but no success. Then one day the druggist told her to try Femicin. Naturally, that was the solution for everything: the woman’s – and especially the man’s – life went back to normal in a jiffy. ‘Thanks to Femicin she now acts like the woman I married. Every day of the month.’

Try Dr. Miles

Also dr. Miles Nervine Tablets – invented by Dr. Miles Nervine – cunningly responds to the mood swings that some men have to deal with every month. ‘It’s now fun to live with a wife with ‘nerves’, says the ad text from the 1930s. Fortunately, there is a pill that can elliminate PMS ymtones – and all other mental discomforts, such as stress due an unhappy marriage – so that life becomes a bit more bearable for HIM. Also useful for other nerve disorders, such as tension headaches, insomnia, restlessness, irritability. And so on-and so on. Main ingredient of the miracle pill: bromide. An addictive drug.

Use Lysol

In one of the advertisements for the disinfectant (!) Lysol in the 1950s, a woman asks herself why her husband becomes more and more indifferent. The answer, of course, is because she didn’t take the right hygienic precautions (in other words: she didn’t disinfect her vagina with Lysol). Naturally, this negligence leads to an unhappy marriage. And why didn’t the guy tell his wife he doesn’t want to get close with her anymore? Because he senses that important stuff like this is his wife’s business and she should take the necessary precautions so she stays ‘glamorous, dainty and lovable’. And that’s why: ‘For Feminine Hygiene – always use Lysol.’

More about vintage pharmacy adds? Visit New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. Or take a look at the Dutch Nationaal Farmaceutisch Museum.

Period! is an independent, online magazine about all aspects of menstruation. Period! is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you’re suffering from medical complaints, always visit your doctor or GP. Editorial articles can contain affiliate links. Sponsored collaborations can be found in the category Spotlight. Do you have any questions? Check our Contact page.

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