[Sca-cooks] A/S Entries and Experimental Design was Sausage

[Daniel Phelps]

Was written:

But how would you prove to the judges  that the condom actually works?
I have heard rumors that there is a RevWar reenactor who makes sheep bladder
condoms and will make the ribbons that hold the thing on in the appropriate
regimental colors.  Truly the mind wobbles.

In the case of "the hole" I did get some of the judges to test it for
comfort.  Hypothetically one might offer the items, with period
instructions, to the judges for testing.

It should be noted that Consumer Report recently tested latex condoms.  One
might use their methodology to determine loss of integrity.  That being
said, purely as a hypothetical, I suggest that one would have to define the
item's original intended purpose(s) in period, i.e. contraception vs.
disease prevention, and also determine what was considered successful use in
period.  Presumably success in the short term would be that "the raincoat"
stayed on in "the storm" and that it did not leak.   One could make up a
batch of such reproductions, solicit their use by consenting adults at some
major war, Pennsic perhaps.  Proper experimental methodology would be to
have the subjects of the experiment read a set of period instructions for
use, and then fill out before and after use surveys in order to quantify
short term failure rates for various designs.  Long term success would be
harder to define.  Perhaps if one had a sufficiently large experimental base
and the intend use was indeed contraception one could do a follow up the
next Pennsic as it would be 4 months past the gestation period.  Of course
the experimental subjects would have to pledge to use the items throughout
the test period, i.e. the two weeks of Pennsic.

While I do not intent to do this hypothetical A/S project it does suggest to
me that an article regarding how such a project could be done might be of
interest.  A "how to" article detailing documentation, experimental design,
construction, testing and results.

Daniel