Ebonite and glass laryngeal syringe
For intra-laryngeal injections.
Marketed between May 1939 and sometime in 1940
Description
Ebonite and glass laryngeal syringe
For intra-laryngeal injections.
Designed for the treatment of upper respiratory tract conditions (chronic laryngitis, vocal cord care), its long, curved, fixed cannula allowed oily or medicated solutions (mentholated oils, eucalyptol) to be instilled directly beyond the soft palate, without damaging the sensitive mucous membranes of the throat.
The syringe still has its original label stuck to the glass, showing the price of ‘11f 30 / including armament tax’.
This reference serves as a chronological marker: the armament tax (at a rate of 1%) was introduced in France by the decree-law of 21 April 1939 to finance the nation’s rearmament. This syringe was therefore sold between May 1939 and sometime in 1940.
The cannula, the piston rod and its wide grip ring are made entirely of ebonite (vulcanised rubber). This material was a staple in medical instruments due to its thermal neutrality.
It comes from the former cellar-laboratory of a Parisian pharmacy. The vials and other items had not been moved from the shelves since the late 1950s. The cellar had served as a medical analysis laboratory and a laboratory for the pharmacy’s compounded preparations from 1900 until around 1950.
Length: 21cm
