french letters...

[White, Rich]

This is supposed by other sources to be completely fanciful, on the order of 
Thomas Crapper and the toilet.
I've also heard that the word is derived from con (fr. slang, female 
genitals) + dum (to render ineffective).
Qui sait?
 ----------
.*++From: Stephen Tomaske
.*++To: CO27447; SY19058; pynchon-l; boneill
.*++Subject: Re: french letters...
.*++Date: Monday, October 02, 1995 5:49PM
.*++
.*++<<File Attachment: HEADERS.TXT>>
.*++
.*++In-Reply-To: french letters..., From: boneill at allinux1.al
.*++
.*++Hello all,
.*++
.*++     From Hendrickson, Robert. Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and 
Phrase
.*++Origins; New York, Facts on File Publications, 1987;p. 131...
.*++
.*++    "...traces the word derivation to a Colonel Condum of Britain's 
Royal
.*++Guards. This authority notes that the colonel devised the _French 
Letter_
.*++early in the mid-17th century to protect his troops from the French. 
(The
.*++French, chauvinistic, too, called _condoms_ '_English_ letters.') In 
1667
.*++three English courtiers--Rochester, Roscommon, and Dorset--even wrote a
.*++pamphlet entitled _A Panegyric Upon Condom_, extolling their 
countryman's
.*++invention. A new and excellent monograph of the origin of _condom_ is 
William
.*++E. Druck's _Looking for Dr. Condum_ (University of Alabama Press, 
1982.)"
.*++
.*++    A fine departure point, but you'll probably want to consult 
additional
.*++sources.
.*++
.*++                                Steve T.
.*++