The role of the condom, as a protective prophylactic device, is one of the most important tools, if used appropriately, against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. It should be used by every man, worldwide, who is having casual penetrative sex. The word condom is derived from the Latin condere. This contribution describes its history from the first descriptions in English in the 18th century through rapid improvements in manufacture after the commercial cultivation of rubber. The age-old phony arguments against its use by men are noted. Recent studies of its acceptability to women are described, as well as the introduction of the female condom.
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