Wikinventia — Atlas of discoveries and inventions · Exploration Age

First systematic medical description of the condom — Fallopius

1564 AD · Transmission: Global
MedicineMethodItalian

The anatomist Gabriele Falloppio described in De Morbo Gallico (1564) a linen sheath fitted to the glans as a prophylactic against syphilis, claiming to have tested it on more than a thousand men. Although his motivation was disease prevention, not contraception, the device is the documented direct antecedent of the modern condom. Falloppio is also the one who named the fallopian tube.

InstitutionUniversity of Padua
Historical regionItaly
Primary sourceFalloppio, G. — De Morbo Gallico (1564), published posthumously
Secondary sourceYoussef, H. — The history of the condom (J R Soc Med, 1993)
Original languageLatin
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