University Health Network - Academy of Medicine Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Classification
General Treatment
Accession Number
002050001 a-f
Description
Enema syringe consists of a pewter cylindrical (a) barrel; screw-on (b) nozzle extends from top of syringe and a wooden (c) plunger extends from the bottom; plunger head has detached from handle and is stuck inside barrel; plunger handle ends in (d) washer and a thin long (e) nut which is clogged w…
Enema syringe consists of a pewter cylindrical (a) barrel; screw-on (b) nozzle extends from top of syringe and a wooden (c) plunger extends from the bottom; plunger head has detached from handle and is stuck inside barrel; plunger handle ends in (d) washer and a thin long (e) nut which is clogged with calcified residue; bottom of barrel has a screw-on (f) cap.
Number Of Parts
6
Part Names
a - barrel - Size: Length 19.5 cm x Diam 5.0 cm
b - nozzle tip - Size: Length 15.0 cm x Diam 2.7 cm
c - plunger - Size: Length 28.5 cm x Diam 4.0 cm
d - washer - Size: Depth 0.3 cm x Diam 4.0 cm
e - nut - Size: Length 4.0 cm x Diam 2.0 cm
f - cap - Size: Length 6.0 cm x Width 5.3 cm x Depth 1.7 cm
Provenance
Originally belonged with Dr. Drake's collection of medical artefacts and ceramics; later bequested to Academy of Medicine.
Date taken from donor file and book on Dr. Drake's collection
Material
metal: silver;
wood: brown;
rubber: brown;
residue: white
Inscriptions
Stamped in metal on bottom cap: "No.4"; handwritten in pen on barrel and plunger: "DD123".
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-E6-15
Condition Remarks
Barrel has some dents and scratches; plunger shaft is scuffed with faded lacquer; washer, nut and insides of barrel are covered in a white calcified substance; build up of calcified residue inside nut; rubber disk around nozzle is stiff and bristle.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
JPG
Reference Comments
"Antique Medical Instruments", Ellisabeth Bennion, 1979, pp. 169-173.; "Nurturing Yesterday's Child: A Portrait of the Drake Collection of Paediatric History", Mary Spaulding and Penny Welch, 1994, pp. 1-3, 222-225; "The Evolution of Surgical Instruments: An Illustrated History from Ancient Times to the Twentieth Century", John Kirkup MD, FRCS, 2005, pp. 228-230; CD #1.
Research Facts
Enema syringes, also known as clysters, were popular around the 1800s, and reflected the then current belief in the benefits of purging the body on a regular basis. Doctors, apothecaries and individuals themselves could administer enema solutions via clyster syringes for the purposes of colonic irrigation. These clysters could have different nozzle attachments and hoses for an easier reach for the self-administering user. Clysters evolved to be smaller and sometimes more discrete as in the case of travelling clysters which were shaped to look like a book. This item was a part of a large collection of items belonging to Dr. Drake, a paediatrician and nutritionist who co-developed the Pablum cereal.