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Apart from sexual abstinence, the condom is the oldest method of STD prevention. Indeed, for centuries it was better known under the name “prophylactic”. Already in the 16th century, Gabriele Fallopio invented a linen sheath which, put over the glans of the penis, was supposed to protect against in infection with syphilis. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, condoms made of sheep gut or specially treated linen became more common, and after the middle of the 19th century, the vulcanization of rubber made the mass production of condoms possible. When syphilis and other bacterial STDs became curable in the 1950s, condoms were mainly used as contraceptives, but with the arrival of AIDS in the 1980s, they regained their popularity as tools of STD prevention. Indeed, public health authorities began to recommend condom use, and many governments, trying to control the new epidemic, started national condom campaigns aimed at the general public.
Unfortunately, some men do not use the condom either because they do not like the procedure of putting it on during their love-play or because they claim that it dulls their sensation. However, the newest condoms are so thin that this complaint is less valid than before. Some people are allergic to latex, but for them non-latex condoms are now available. Therefore: All things considered, the condom is still the simplest, safest, and therefore best protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are not expensive and can he bought without a prescription in pharmacies, drugstores, or from public vending machines.
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