The Ubiquitous Coitus Interruptus

This evening I'm studying the Roman Empire (Chapter 6). In a section entitled "The Upper-Class Roman Family", we learn that in the early 2nd century there was a noticeable decline in the number of children among the upper classes. There were several imperial laws aimed to increase the number of kids, but it just didn't seem to work. Couples continued to use all sorts of contraceptive methods, from amulets and potions to the rhythm method (the kamikaze method, if you will) and creepy early versions of condoms made of goat bladders. And of course, as always throughout history, women used the wire hanger when all else failed. But here's what made me pause: "Although the medical sources do not mention it, the Romans may also have used the ubiquitous coitus interruptus". I had to stop and really think about this. Ubiquitous, fine, I understand that to mean universal or something like it, but I had to stop and think a moment about coitus interruptus. I think my brain just had trouble reading "pulling out" in a history textbook.

I know this whole post sounds really childish, like I just found the chapter on reproduction in my encyclopedia or something, but the part that I find so amusing is imagining the decision to include that bit of information. It wasn't a particularly necessary statement. The author even admits that there is no real source suggesting that men have been making that promise for all these years (but we already knew they'd say anything, didn't we ladies?). But no, he had to throw it in, and what a dilly it must have been while trying to figure out how to phrase that.

Hey, at least now you know what I'm so busy studying!