re: #454 BatGuano

Condoms were also called in the 19th century a “French Overcoat”. Those French seemed to be in forefront of all things sexual.

I never knew that!
I seem to remember that gonorrhea or was it syphilis? was called ‘the french disease” by the British, and “the English disease” by the French. :)

edit: wikipedia says something different:

as Fracastoro notes, syphilis had been called the “French disease” in Italy and Germany, and the “Italian disease” in France. In addition, the Dutch called it the “Spanish disease”, the Russians called it the “Polish disease”, the Turks called it the “Christian disease” or “Frank disease” (frengi) and the Tahitians called it the “British disease”.

Wiki says it’s because it was spread by foreign sailors, but I think it’s probably slightly more xenophobic reasons as well. No one would want to think of syphilis as ‘their’ disease, after all.