Unveiled at the conclusion of a meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in 1861, ‘Dr Nelson’s Improved Inhaler’ was one of the most important milestones in the genesis of reliable treatment of respiratory ailments in the modern era. Affordable and suitable for self-medication, the Dr Nelson’s Inhaler offered simple and reliable relief for patients with respiratory and pulmonary ailments. Conspicuous for its modesty and simplicity, it was one of the most widely produced, reproduced, and used inhalation devices in the final third of the nineteenth century. A version of Dr Nelson's Inhaler is still available today.
The Directions for Use were printed on the side of the inhaler:
REMOVE MOUTH PIECE. HALF FILL INHALER WITH BOILING WATER. DROP REMEDY ON SPONGE OF MOUTHPIECE. APPLY LIPS TO IT. BREATHE FREELY IN AND OUT AS IN FULL RESPIRATION. WHEN ONLY THE VAPOUR OF HOT WATER OR ANY INFUSION IS DESIRED, REMOVE THE SPONGE FROM THE MOUTHPIECE.
The glass bottle is 7cm tall, 2.7cm wide and 1.8cm deep. The letters 'JC Eno's Effervescing Fruit Salt' are raised across the length of the bottle. The cork surrounds a glass stopper.
James Crossley Eno (1827 - 1915) was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He was appointed as Dispensing Chemist at the Newcastle Infirmary in 1846. He acquired the lease of a small Chemist's shop at 57 Groat Market in 1851.
Eno introduced Fruit Salts, an indigestion remedy, in 1868. The salts comprised of sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid and citric acid. The Fruits name represented the sources of the 2 acids: tartaric from grapes and citric from citrus fruit.
Seamen using the East Coast ports became heavy users of Eno's Fruit Salts and helped to establish the reputation of the brand across the country and overseas.
Cachous are small scented tablets for sweetening the breath. They first appear to have come on the scene in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The clear glass bottle contains silver spherical tablets. The front of the bottle features a colourful label with 2 parrots to each side of the title. The registered trademark is the shield at the top of the label. The cap is metallic and printed in various colours. It is marked with MA Craven & Son Ltd with the shield, which was the registered trade mark, with 'York England' at its edge.
On the back of the bottom of the bottle is a label stating that 'The charge for the bottle is 4d., which amount will be credited when the bottle is returned. Bottles without this label will be credited at the price charged when sent out.'
This is an Ingram's 'Eclipse' Enema kit. An enema is a procedure used to inject fluid into the lower bowels to relieve constipation. In the past, doctors sometimes recommended an enema for women in labour, however, that practice has since determined that the procedure is not necessary during child birth.
The wooden apothecary’s tray features a brass carrying handle on the top and 61 holes for the insertion of glass bottles with cork stoppers. Some of the bottles contain pills and many are homoeopathic remedies.
Leather bound Complete Edition of Buchan’s Domestic Medicine with a Compendium of Anatomy with 12 engravings. The inside cover shows that it belonged to Mr Joseph Taylor of Huddersfield and is dated February 10 1866. The open page shows that ipecacuanha was used for vomiting.
