Definition and development history of sanitary towels

Definition and development history of sanitary towels

Definition

Sanitary towels are a kind of polymer and polymer composite paper formed by cotton, non-woven fabrics, pulp or composite materials of the above materials, mainly used as sanitary products for women during menstruation. It is divided into three layers from the inside to the outside: the surface layer, the absorbent core, and the bottom layer. There are two "ears" on the side, which are mainly used to prevent side leakage. When using it, tear off the middle paper strip first, stick the glued side to the middle of the underwear first, and stick the two "ears" to the narrowest part of the crotch.

Development history

As a necessity for women's lives, there have been prototypes of products similar to sanitary napkins for a long time. In the 15th century BC, Egyptian women used soft papyrus to meet their menstrual needs. Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, once wrote that the Greeks used tampons made of a small piece of wood wrapped in a cotton strip in the 5th century BC. Ancient Chinese women used long white cloths to deal with menstruation, and washed them with clean water and alum after each change. The ancient Romans used wool. Other materials similar to "sanitary napkins" include paper (Japan), plant fibers (Indonesia), sponges and grass (Central Africa).

The Menstrual Museum shows that most pre-modern women usually did not use menstrual products, but just let the menstrual blood flow onto their clothes. Until the first half of the 20th century, women in some countries and regions still used reusable cloth strips. During World War I, French nurses observed that cellulose materials used to bandage wounds could absorb menstrual blood better than cloth strips. The invention of "fiber cotton" was applied to disposable bandages and related products. Inspired by this, nurses made their own "disposable sanitary napkins" with cotton or cheese-wrapped cloth, referring to the production method of disposable bandages. Modern sanitary napkins were born. In the early 1920s, Kimberly Clark launched the Kotex brand of sanitary napkins, which they named after the combination of "cotton" (changing the "c" in English "cotton" to "k") and "texture". All brands of sanitary napkins at the time required a belt to secure them in place. Most sanitary napkins today have an adhesive liner that fits snugly over underwear, so a belt is no longer necessary.