# saloon prostitutes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367 "2000-06-04T15:15:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![craiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@craiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/craiger)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/1 "2000-06-04T15:15:13Z")
While watching an episode of Gunsmoke on my favorite channel TV Land, I wondered about saloon prostitutes in the old west and how they avoided pregnancy. What were the popular methods of birth control in those times? ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/2 "2000-06-04T16:19:47Z")
silk condoms, withdrawl, ovulation timing(rythym method?), strange spermacides, and abortion. the history of abortion in the US is very interesting if you get a chance to read about it one day. Basically at the turn of the century many types of profession were performing abortions. Medical doctors, midwives(both school trained and on the job trained), doctors(who didn’t go to school), vets, dentists, that old widow hag down the street, and basically anyone with a speculum and a piece of wire. The first anti-abortion laws were passes by much lobbying from real medical school doctors(MDs) for to reasons. To protect the lives of the women involved, and to gain a legal monopoly over a very profitable procedure by the MDs. Abortions were very common in the pre-birth control pill days. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/3 "2000-06-04T17:13:44Z")
I remember there was a thread just recently about this topic and I cannot find it now… maybe someone will. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/4 "2000-06-04T20:03:26Z")
They also had an early version of the diaphragm known as a “dutch cap”. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/5 "2000-06-04T20:24:08Z")
My specualtion in the last thread was that large numbers of these prostitutes were probably sterile due to pelvic inflamitory disease caused by STDs. Furthermore, concepetion probably often lead to miscarrige due to the high rates of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as malnutrition and poor general health. In the event of live births, infant and child mortality was probably quite high, due once again to alcohol abuse, poor parenting skils, lack of medical resources, etc. Finally, they may well have had kids–many prostitutes today do. They just left them at home when they went to work. Mandatory disclaimer to any 15 year olds reading this: inventitive contraceptives used prior to the sixties which are created from commen household goods were not necisarily _effective_ contraceptives. Don’t read thins looking for ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/6 "2000-06-04T21:03:14Z")
My, but Western hookers are popular. The older thread sailor refers to can be found [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23856). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/7 "2000-06-04T21:38:14Z")
Various herbal compounds were also used. Consult the book “The Story The Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell : Sex In The Civil War” by Dr. Thomas Lowery, M.D. Birth control & abortion in the Civil War era is discussed intelligently & at some length; some postwar information is listed , also. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/8 "2000-06-04T21:48:11Z")
Well, quiver my paddle! Someone else knows about that book! Mrs. O, who is a women’s clinician RN and a Civil War enthusiast, has a copy. A most instructive read on this and several other aspects of gettin’ some a hundred and forty years ago. Highly recommended from us two! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saloon-prostitutes/21367/9 "2000-06-05T04:07:30Z")
And the photographs of the effects of untreated syphilis are a great diet aid.