Full elliptical based semi-transparent brown glass Speci-Fix Urine Preservative bottle with non-removable cylindrical black plastic cap; full with small cylindrical tablets and wad of white cotton; base has slight push up, stippled surface, and manufacturer information embossed; curved front and ba…
Full elliptical based semi-transparent brown glass Speci-Fix Urine Preservative bottle with non-removable cylindrical black plastic cap; full with small cylindrical tablets and wad of white cotton; base has slight push up, stippled surface, and manufacturer information embossed; curved front and back walls with rectangular cream and pale blue paper label with printed product information and directions attached to nearly the entire surface; round shoulders taper to short cylindrical neck, round neck ring, and cylindrical finish with external continuous thread; mold lines from base to top and around neck and base; cal flat top, vertical indents in sides, internal continuous thread, and circular white paper insert in interior top.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Received from anonymous donor via Kingston General Hospital Public Affairs.
Presence of Owens-Illinois “I in O” logo adopted in 1954 and date code “5”; presence of Ingram & Bell logo introduced in late 1960s (at least after 1968); company became Ingram & Bell Inc. in 1986
Material
glass: brown
paper: cream
ink: pale blue, navy, black
plastic: black
Inscriptions
Printed on label: “No. T2400 // Compressed Tablets // SPECI-FIX // URINE // PRESERVATIVE // INGRAM & BELL LIMITED // TORONTO // MONTREAL // WINNIPEG // CALGARY // VANCOUVER // CANADA // Directions: Dissolve one // tablet in each two fluid // ounces of urine specimen.”; stamped on label in black ink: “100 // (L) 9589”
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A4-6 Box 4 Row F
Length
6.7 cm
Width
3.5 cm
Depth
2.6 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Minor tears on bottom edge of label; label attached to bottle by strip of clear adhesive tape wrapped completely around label and bottle
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Document
Document (online)
Website
Reference Comments
Ingram & Bell Limited. Instruments, Surgical Equipment, Supplies, for Physicians, Hospitals, Clinical Laboratories and Industrial First Aid Departments, 1959.
Ingram & Bell Limited. Pharmaceutical Catalogue, 1964.
MDS Inc. “Mds Inc. Annual Information Form for the Year Ended October 31, 2002.” MDS Inc., 2003.
“Cardinal Health Canada Inc.” Canadian Business Resource, Canadian Newspaper Services International Limited, 2019. Accessed 7 August 2019.
Lockhart, Bill and Russ Hoenig. “The Bewildering Array of Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Logos and Codes.” Society for Historical Archaeology, 2015.
Research Facts
Speci-Fix was a urine preservative distributed by Ingram & Bell Limited; it was sold as compressed tablets and was marketed directly for use in medical laboratories and hospitals; it was used to preserve urine samples that could not be analyzed immediately, especially those that needed to travel by mail; the formula was capable of preserving the sample without interfering with testing procedures.
Ingram & Bell Limited was a medical supply company first established in Toronto in 1905; the company became a Canadian leader in the distribution of medical products; their wide selection included equipment, surgical tools, and pharmaceuticals; as the company grew, they established branches in Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver; became Ingram & Bell Inc. and 49% owned by MDS in 1986; MDS acquired 100% in 1993; became Source Medical Corporation after merger with Allegiance Healthcare Canada Inc. in 1997; acquired by Cardinal Health Canada Inc. in 2005.
Owens-Illinois Glass Company introduced its “I in O” logo in 1954 and it was used into 21st Century; “2” code to the left of the logo on bottom of bottle indicates it was manufactured at the Huntington, West Virginia factory, which operated from 1930 – 1990; basal stippling was introduced in 1940s.