Description

Lead iodide

Antique pharmacy bottle made of blown glass and enameled painted label. 

Red POISON label 

Signaling to the pharmacist that it is imperative to keep apart the other substances in the cabinet of toxic substances, the famous poison cabinet.

Laboratory or pharmaceutical dispensary bottle, typical of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

Made of blown transparent glass, it has a trace of pontil visible on the bottom, reflecting traditional artisanal manufacturing. It has its original cap honed with emery BUT the bottle is stuck, broken, and cannot be opened, sealed by time. The glass neck features significant period damage (a crack and breakage on the neck) and its original ground-glass stopper is stuck in the rim.

Beautiful enamelled label stenciled surrounded by a brown/red border. This baked enamel technique guaranteed great resistance to handling and chemicals in the pharmacy. A red regulatory label marked "POISON" is applied at the bottom, indicating the poisonous nature of the substance.

Mainly used in the nineteenth century as ointment, lead iodide was applied to the skin to treat ganglionic swellings, goiter and scrofulous tumors.

Formidable toxic, combining the risks of lead and iodine, its prolonged use exposed patients to lead poisoning, this heavy intoxication causing excruciating colic, nerve paralysis and serious neurological disorders.

Although the toxicity of lead has been known since ancient times, doctors in the nineteenth century continued to use lead iodide ointment. They believed that the skin was a sufficiently watertight barrier and favored its powerful astringent and resolutive properties to deflate ganglionic blockages and goiters, at a time when there were no safe therapeutic alternatives.

The glass neck has a significant period accident (crack/accident on the neck) and its original ground-glass cap is stuck in the hole. 

Height of the bottle: 11cm with blown glass cap - Diameter at the base: 4cm

Dating: 19th century

EMPTY - The glass neck features significant period damage (a crack and breakage on the neck) and its original ground-glass stopper is stuck in the rim.