Small empty rectangular transparent S. O. S. Tooth Ache Remedy bottle (a) with removable cylindrical black plastic screw cap (b) and rectangular tan, green, and black cardboard box (c); bottle has flat rectangular side walls with beveled corners and top arches; round shoulders, round neck ring and …
Small empty rectangular transparent S. O. S. Tooth Ache Remedy bottle (a) with removable cylindrical black plastic screw cap (b) and rectangular tan, green, and black cardboard box (c); bottle has flat rectangular side walls with beveled corners and top arches; round shoulders, round neck ring and cylindrical finish with external continuous thread; rectangular cream and green paper label with product information in English and French on front, right, and left sides; mold lines on sides from base to top and around neck; circular mold mark and embossed manufacturer information on bottom; cap has curved indents on sides, slightly rounded top, internal continuous thread, and circular grey metallic covered paper insert in interior top; box has product information and directions on front and proper left side and in French on back and proper right side.
Number Of Parts
3
Part Names
a – bottle – Length 5.7 cm Width 2.0 cm Depth 2.0 cm
Presence of Dominion Glass Company factory mark, first introduced in 1940; presence of Dominion Glass Company diamond logo, discontinued in 1970
Material
glass: clear
paper: tan, cream
ink: light green, dark green, black
plastic: black
metal: grey
Inscriptions
Printed on bottle label: “- S O S - // S. O. S. relieves toothache. // Not to be swallowed. // S. O. S. soulange la mal de dents. // Ne doit pas être avalé. // Proprietary or Patent Medicine // Act No. 11476 // The Toronto Pharmacal Co., Limited // Toronto, Canada”; embossed on bottom of bottle: “D” // 6”; printed on front of box: “S // O // S // Relieves // Tooth- // Ache // Quickly !”; printed on proper left side of box: “Effective whether // there is a dental // cavity or not. // Has local // anesthetic action // but no // narcotics. // DIRECTIONS: // Saturate a small // piece of cotton with // S. O. S. and fill // cavity; if no cavity, // rub on gums. // Repeat frequently // if necessary. // Proprietary or Patent // Medicine Act 11476. // THE // TORONTO // PHARMACAL // COMPANY // Established 1896 // TORONTO, ONT.”
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A4-6 Box 4 Row A
Condition Remarks
Fading all over bottle label, especially along top; minor soiling on proper right side of bottle label; top missing from box; proper right top flap detached; major tear to proper left top flap; minor soiling all over exterior of box, especially on top front and top proper right side
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Website
Document
Reference Comments
“Anaesthetic.” English Oxford Living Dictionaries, Oxford University Press, 2019. Accessed 8 June 2019.
Miller, George L. and Elizabeth A. Jorgensen. “Some Notes on Bottle Mould Numbers from the Dominion Glass Company and its Predecessors.” Park Canada, 1984.
Lockhart, Bill et al. “The Dominion Glass Companies of Montreal, Canada.” Society for Historical Archaeology, 2015.
Research Facts
S. O. S. was marketed as remedy for toothaches; the label claims that the formula contained no narcotics.
S. O. S. had anaesthetic action, which means it caused insensitivity to pain; this means it was a form of pain relief, not an actual treatment for a dental condition.
The D in diamond symbol embossed on the bottom indicates the bottle itself was made by Canadian glass manufacturer Dominion Glass Company; the Dominion Glass Company factory mark, first introduced in 1940, indicates this bottle was manufactured in Hamilton, Ontario; the Dominion Glass Company diamond logo was discontinued in 1970.