The ‘Gamic appliance’, England, 1965-1974

Gamic appliance (urethra plug), with instructions, in original carton, by Gamic Genetic Laboratories, English, available in 1970

The ‘Gamic appliance’ is a male contraceptive. It consists of a short rubber bung with a small sheath fitted over the tip. The bung was pushed down in to the urethra. This is the tube leading down through the penis. Ejaculated semen was caught in the sheath. It was an unreliable form of contraception. The appliance was prone to come off in the vagina. However, makers Gamic Genetic Laboratories claimed it was designed to ‘uphold the permanence and prestige of marriage.’ This device was part of the Marie Stopes collection - Stopes herself condemned the Gamic Appliance as "wholly dangerous and absurd". Stopes was an early campaigner for contraceptives and family planning.