關於避孕套的十大有趣事實(上)

Like them or loathe them, condoms are a part of daily life. Experts predict that 18.6 billion will be used worldwide in 2015. They live in our nightstands, our wallets, our handbags and frequently go where we go, double entendre not intended. But just how much do we know about them? "Enough" is probably the most popular answer to that question, and a fair answer it would be. But read on anyway, and the next time a conversation about contraception pops up, double entendre again not intended, you'll be able to amaze or disgust your friends with your knowledge.

不管是喜歡還是討厭避孕套，它都已經成爲人們日常生活的一部分。有專家預測說，2015年世界人民可能會消耗掉186億個避孕套套。牀頭櫃、皮夾、手提包，似乎所有角落都能出現它的身影。這可不是有意諷刺調侃，話說回來，我們對安全套到底瞭解多少呢？大多數人估計都會含糊回答："嗯，足夠了解了。"讀完這篇文章漲漲知識，下次再和朋友聊此話題，侃侃而談的你絕對令他們震驚又佩服。可別會錯意，看看文章說正經的。

're Ancient

10.避孕套源遠流長

The very first representations of condoms were discovered in a cave in France, and are dated at around 12,000 to 15,000 years old. The oldest extant condom was found in Lund, Sweden. It's made from pig intestine, is reusable and dates back to around 1640. It came with a handy user manual written in Latin, which recommended washing it in warm milk in order to avoid disease. Keep that in mind the next time you complain about having to use one.

第一次有關避孕套套的記錄是在法國的一處洞穴裏發現，距今已經有12000年到15000年的歷史。而現存最古老的避孕套則出土於瑞典南部的隆德市。這隻最古老的避孕套用豬大腸做成，還能被反覆使用，追溯起來也有將近四百年的歷史。它被挖掘出土時旁邊還附帶一封拉丁文使用指南：記得用溫牛奶浸泡清洗，可以預防疾病。下次再用避孕套，不妨試試哈。

Used to be Hard to Get

9.避孕套在以前也不是人人都有

Once available in the United States by prescription only, condoms first became available via a vending machine in 1928. Before that prescriptions weren't easy to get, unless you were a man who happened to enjoy the company of prostitutes. Some doctors, adverse to giving them to women interested in birth control and STD prevention, would happily dish them out to husbands for their extra-curricular activities. But if you're famous, the condoms will come to you (like most other things if you're famous). At the Sochi Olympics, athletes at Olympic Village received 100,000 condoms. That works out to 35 condoms per athlete, or more time spent employing them than actually competing.

在美國有段時期，避孕套只能憑醫生開的處方纔能買到。而處方也不是輕易可得，特殊情況要跟應召女郎共度春宵時，也許醫生會給你一副。直到1928年第一臺避孕套自動販賣機出現在街頭，它才普及開來。有些醫生，不願把避孕套給想要節育或者預防性病的女性，反而把它們給那些喜歡在外面拈花惹草的男人們。如果你是個名人，避孕套套會自動找上門來（樹大招風呀）。在索契奧林匹克運動會期間，住在奧運村裏的運動員竟收到10萬個避孕套！平均下來每個運動員可以分到35個。想象一下，運動員們用完這些避孕套花的時間估計比競賽時間還多。

Were Developed to Combat Syphilis

8.發明避孕套的初衷是用來防治梅毒

In 16th century Italy, a man named Gabriele Falloppio (of Fallopian tubes fame) wrote a paper on syphilis. This was once known as the French disease, a name we'll leave up to you to decide the fairness of. It was a major killer at the time, and Falloppio performed the first reported test using linen sheaths. These were soaked in a chemical solution, dried and used to cover the glans of the penis, while being held on ever so quaintly with a ribbon. A test involving 1100 participants showed that the men did not contract syphilis. We're not sure if said test would have been enjoyable given the subject matter, or nerve-wracking given the stakes.

在16世紀的意大利，有一個叫加布裏瓦·法羅皮奧（以對輸卵管的描述而出名）的人寫了一篇關於梅毒的文章。梅毒有多個學名，歷史上英國人稱之爲法國病，法國人則稱之爲英國病，除此之外還有各種隱語。這個病在當時屬於生命殺手。法羅皮奧用亞麻布做了第一個關於避孕套的實驗。把亞麻布用化學溶劑浸溼，然後晾乾，再蓋在陰莖頭上，然而蓋上去的時候就很巧合離奇的形成了一個袋狀。這個測試大約有1100個人參與，這就表明在當時很多男性對於梅毒其實沒有什麼概念。我們並不確定這個實驗是否能真的指出問題所在，或者是它只是個非常傷腦筋的篤定。

Materials Have Evolved

7.做避孕套的材質在不斷的改變

It's common knowledge that condoms weren't always made from latex, but the variety of what they've been made from in the past is surprising. Animal intestines, linen, silk and, questionably, leather have been used throughout history. Different countries used different materials. In the Roman Empire goat bladders were the go-to option, while in Japan leather and tortoiseshell were once used. Linen was used in Ancient Egypt as early as 150 AD. Casanova, the notorious womanizer of the 19th century, was also said to have used linen condoms, and referred to them as "English riding coats." That must rank as perhaps the most graceful of the many nicknames the condom has acquired through the ages.

衆所周知，避孕套並不總是隻用乳膠製作的，但是之前製作避孕套的材料卻是五花八門，令人震驚。動物的腸子、亞麻、絲綢，甚至有點不清楚的是，也有人說皮革也曾經被用來製作避孕套。不同的國家制作避孕套的材料也不一樣。在羅馬帝國時代羔羊的膀胱是製作避孕套的首選材料，而在日本，皮革和龜甲曾經也被用來製作避孕套。公元150年的古埃及用亞麻來製作避孕套。19世紀臭名昭著的浪蕩公子卡薩諾瓦也曾說過使用過亞麻避孕套，並且把亞麻避孕套稱爲"英國騎士的外套"，而這個暱稱肯定是這麼多年來避孕套獲得的最優雅的稱呼。

The latex we all know today was invented in 1920. The London Rubber Company, now known as Durex, was the first European nation to sell latex condoms in 1932.

而乳膠製作的避孕套在1920年後才被髮明出來，由倫敦橡膠公司發明的，就是我們今天所熟知的杜蕾斯。1932年，英國成爲首個賣乳膠避孕套的歐洲國家。

Were Reusable

6.避孕套可重複使用

In the 1600s, condoms made from animal intestines were first made available to the general public. But due to their cost, they were re-used repeatedly. Until the advances of the 19th century, a single condom cost around the equivalent of several months pay for a prostitute in the United States.

17世紀，可供廣大民衆使用的避孕套大都是由動物大腸製成。由於其製作成本高昂，所以經常的被重複使用。發展至19世紀，美國單隻避孕套的價格竟已等同於一位妓女數月的收入！

Reusable condoms were popular much later than many might imagine. The invention of rubber vulcanization by Charles Goodyear and Thomas Hancock in 1844 revolutionized the industry, making it possible to mass-produce condoms cheaply and quickly. But these weren't available worldwide — the rubber would perish on the long journey by sea to isolated places. Thicker, reusable condoms therefore remained commonplace in New Zealand in the 1950s. And in Japan during World War Two, many of the women who worked in the brothels noted that the most degrading job was "cleaning the condoms at the end of the day." Your job doesn't sound so bad now, does it?

然而，你根本無法想象當時這種可重複使用的避孕套的風靡程度。1844年，由查爾斯·古德伊爾和漢考克·托馬斯發明的通過橡膠硫化法制備避孕套的方法一經普及，便徹底改變了整個避孕套製造行業。這使得避孕套的生產流程變得更加快速便捷，也使得避孕套的成本更加低廉親民。但這種方式無法在世界範圍內普及——因爲橡膠這種物質會在海運至偏遠地區的過程中損壞。在20世紀50年代的新西蘭，使用厚的、可重複使用的避孕套依然司空見慣。第二次世界大戰期間，日本妓女說到，最具侮辱性的工作就是"每日結束時清洗避孕套"。這樣看來，你的工作就不那麼糟不可言了吧？

審校：喵喵 編輯：listen 來源：前十網