Yet in the event, population continued to grow – even though signs began to appear that coitus interruptus was beginning to be used systematically to reduce family size.
We have come some way since sheep's bladder condoms but male contraceptive options are still pretty basic. Not counting one Chinese invention - a small electronic device worn in the underpants, which causes infertility for a month after a current is switched on briefly - it is still down to the old favourites: abstinence, coitus interruptus, condoms or vasectomy.