Rectangular bar of antiseptic surgical soap, wrapped in cream paper with green text and stripe running vertically along the right and left sides; lists active ingredients, manufacturing information, and instructions for use on the front, back, top, and bottom.sides.
Rectangular bar of antiseptic surgical soap, wrapped in cream paper with green text and stripe running vertically along the right and left sides; lists active ingredients, manufacturing information, and instructions for use on the front, back, top, and bottom.sides.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Originally owned by the Brockville Psychiatric Hospital.
Dihydroxyhexachlorodiphenyl is a chemical compound created during the Second World War as an antiseptic. It was made to kill bacteria and smell nice. Because its name was so long, it was often shortened to hexachlorophene.
In 1971, the American Food and Drug Administration warned against using products with more than 3% hexachlorophene, as it was shown to have been susceptible to being absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream and causing damage to the white matter of the brain. In 1972, the American FDA halted the production of products containing more than one percent hexachlorophene. Canada did not issue the same precautions.
Formerly known as the Eastern Hospital for the Insane, the Brockville Psychiatric Hospital opened in 1894; in 1903 the School of Nursing opened with one student who was given a two year course in nursing the mentally ill, this was one of Ontario's first nursing programs to specialize in psychiatric care; early in the 20th Century, the population expanded to 800 patients with as many as 100 patients at work on the grounds daily, the facility had a bakery, farm, garden, and a variety of shops including a butcher, tailor and carpenter (none of which are operational today); systems of treatment used throughout the years consisted of hydrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and vocational therapy; in 2000 the hospital was officially transferred from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.
Exhibit History
On loan for exhibit "Clean up your Act - S Sanitization Methods Over Time" Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites Inc. on display at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Central Branch 6 April – 8 July, 2022.