Caduceus Newsletter:
VALENTINE'S DAY 2001 SPECIAL EDITION
|
Caduceus Newsletter: VALENTINE'S DAY 2001 SPECIAL EDITION |
|
|
Table of Contents:
|
|
è 1. Chocolate has WONDROUS effects on relationships… |
|
|||||
|
|
è 1. Chocolate has WONDROUS effects on relationships… |
|
|||||
|
|
The following items are available from the Anatomical Chart Company, located at 8221 Kimball Avenue, Skokie, Illinois 60076-2956, where ordering is SOOOOOOOO EASY!: |
|
|||||
|
|
Chocolate Brain Treats: One bite reveals the surprise inside! Each of our twelve delicious anatomically correct Chocolate Brains are filled with a blood-red cherry. Express shipping necessary during the host months. |
|
|
||||
|
|
Chocolate Body Parts |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
è 2. Did you know that the week from Valentine's Day through February 21 is National Condom Week? Here is an article from the Indiana Daily Student, a publication of the Student Government of Indiana University |
|
|||||
|
|
Clinics celebrate National Condom Week From animal intestines in ancient Egypt and Rome to Casanova's linen sheaths and latex discs in foil packets, the condom has a long and illustrious history. In honor of this method of sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy prevention, safe-sex advocates are educating people and shattering myths about latex prophylactics for National Condom Week, which takes place between Valentine's Day and Feb. 21. National Condom Week was started in 1978 by students at the University of California-Berkeley and now involves more than 350 universities, high schools, AIDS/STD education organizations, family planning clinics and pharmacies who sponsor educational activities during the week. In Bloomington [where IU is located], Planned Parenthood clinics are offering free condoms. "The more young people know about condoms, the better equipped they will be to make educated, responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior," said Kathleen Baldwin, director of education and training for Planned Parenthood of Central and Southern Indiana. The IU Health and Wellness Center was unaware of National Condom Week, but it distributed condom valentines during last week's AIDS Awareness Week. Organizers of National Condom Week emphasize the importance of using education through humor. "Our upbeat images make people smile. They break the tension and help people join the condom bandwagon," said Karen Hughes, director emeritus of National Condom Week. Humorous slogans such as "don't be silly, protect your willy" and "sex is cleaner with a packaged wiener" abound on the Internet. But some groups disapprove of National Condom Week's message. In 1995, Christian Leadership Ministries sponsored a series of advertisements on more than 30 college campuses to encourage marriage as the only appropriate arena for sex. One ad asks, "Love or Latex?" while another reads "Who needs a condom when you have a commitment?" Several ads claim sexual activity outside of marriage can lead only to a broken heart. According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when used properly and consistently, condoms are more than 97 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. In response to public concern about failure rates for condoms, the CDC studied how often couples actually use condoms. Researchers found only 30 to 60 percent of men who claimed to use condoms for contraception used them every time, which accounts for much of the "failure rate." The CDC reports it costs 43 times more to treat STIs than to prevent them. In European studies of sexually active couples where one partner had HIV, 98 to 100 percent of those who used condoms consistently remained uninfected. Laboratory studies show that contrary to popular myth, the HIV virus cannot pass through latex condoms. In 1995, the World Health Organization reviewed 19 studies of sex-education programs in schools and found comprehensive sex education that included information on condoms did not cause an increase in the numbers of teens having sex and in several instances, delayed the onset of sexual activity. Laura Taflinger Thursday, February 19, 1998 )1998 Indiana Daily Student
è 3. Slogans for National Condom Week (From http://www.thewaitegroup.com/jokes/j85.html ) |
|
|||||
|
|
3. DON'T BE SILLY, PROTECT YOUR WILLY 4. WHEN IN DOUBT, SHROUD YOUR SPOUT 5. DON'T BE A LONER, COVER YOUR BONER 6. YOU CANT GO WRONG IF YOU SHIELD YOUR DONG 20. A CRANK WITH ARMOR WILL NEVER HARM HER 21. NO GLOVE, NO LOVE! (Ed. Note: As you can tell from the intervening numbers, there are LOTS more. But you get the point, n'est-ce pas?) |
|
|||||
|
|
è 4. Inflation Burst Test of Selected Condoms |
|
|||||
|
|
Introduction: In June 1999, Consumer Reports released a study of 33 different condoms, in which they compared the reliability and durability of these condoms by measuring how much air could be compressed into them before they burst. The purpose of THIS study was to verify their conclusions regarding Trojan condoms, which are the most frequently sold (and presumably used) condoms in the United States. |
|
|||||
|
|
Materials and Methods: Four types of Trojan condoms were used:
The lubricated varieties were purchased as part of a single "variety pack", purchased at the Pharmacy Department of a local Supermarket. The length of each condom was measured both prior and after attachment to a battery-operated air pump (Figures 1). After attachment to the pump (Figure 2), air was added to the condom until it burst. During that time, its length and diameter were monitored (Figure 3). |
|
|||||
|
|
Figure 1: Measuring the condom before attachment. |
|
|
||||
|
|
After attachment to the pump (Figure 2), air was added to the condom until it burst. During that time, its length and diameter were monitored (Figure 3). Three condoms of each type were tested in this manner. |
|
|||||
|
|
Figure 2. Attachment of a condom to the pump. The yellow coil is the air tube leading from the pump to the condom. |
|
|
||||
|
|
Figure 3. The length and diameter of the condom was constantly monitored as it expanded. |
|
|
||||
|
|
Results: Unlike the findings of the June 1999 Consumer Reports, we found greater variation within groups than between groups: |
|
|||||
|
|
Type of condom |
Maximum length attained (cm): Average of 3 values |
Range of Maximum length attained (cm) |
Range of Maximum Diameter Attained (cm) |
|
||
|
|
Unlubricated Trojan-Enz |
33.8 |
22.5 - 56 |
14-22 |
|
||
|
|
Lubricated Trojan-Enz |
59 |
49-72 |
21-31 |
|
||
|
|
Lubricated Ultra-Thin |
41.7 |
26-70 |
10-14 |
|
||
|
|
Lubricated Ribbed |
33.7 |
12-74 |
10-19 |
|
||
|
|
Surprisingly, the Ultra-Thin variety did no worse than the other, thicker, varieties. Anectodal data suggest that the ribbing process in the manufacture of the Ribbed line weakens the latex of the condom. |
|
|||||
|
|
Discussion: We cannot explain why there is a marked difference in performance between the Unlubricated and the Lubricated Trojan-Enz condoms. The extreme variation that we observed suggests that quality control is inconsistent with respect to withstanding inflation pressure. |
|
|||||
|
|
Acknowledgements: You may be wondering, "WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WOULD ENGAGE IN THIS KIND OF RESEARCH??" The following photographs should answer that question… |
|
|||||
|
|
What kind of people would engage in this research -- Part 1. Pictured left to right: |
|
|
||||
|
|
What kind of people would engage in this research -- Part 2, Pictured left to right: |
|
|
||||
|
|
What are the implications of this research? Here is an example of PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT!! |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
Ready for testing!! |
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
è 5. Ya gotta feel kinda sorry for a guy afflicted with Peyronie disease (aka bent-nail syndrome.) (From McCance, K.L. and Huether, S.E. 1994. Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basic for Disease in Adults and Children, edition 2, Mosby-Year Book Inc., Figure 20-13) |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Dr. Stan Eisen, Director
Preprofessional Health Programs
Christian Brothers University
650 East Parkway South
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 321-3447
FAX: (901) 321-4433
Mail to:
|
|
|
|
