Blake rectangular clear glass bottle with long cylindrical neck and a tooled, flanged lip with a flat top and rounded edges; all four panels are recessed; the front and back panels are covered with printed paper labels which list product information, a trade mark and a picture of a woman using the …
Blake rectangular clear glass bottle with long cylindrical neck and a tooled, flanged lip with a flat top and rounded edges; all four panels are recessed; the front and back panels are covered with printed paper labels which list product information, a trade mark and a picture of a woman using the product; the bottle front is also embossed under the paper label; the bottle is about 1/3 full of Catarrhozone Vapor Treatment and is sealed at the neck with a cork.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Purchased by Dr. M. Chiong for his patent medicine collection, from Scott Jordan (Ottawa) in Sept. 1993.
Embossing on the bottle's front reads, "CATARRHOZONE // CATARRHOZONE CO. // KINGSTON, ONT."; front label reads, "CATARRHOZONE // VAPOR // TREATMENT // [listing of directions on how to use the product]"; back panel reads, "CATARRHOSONO // U.S. SERIAL GUARANTEE NO. // 6667 UNDER PURE FOOD AND // DRUG ACT // DIRECTIONS [listed] // PRICE 50 CENTS"; a signature (N.C. Polson) in red covers the back label directions diagonally
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A4-6 Box 4 Row E
Dimension Notes
Length: 10.6 cm. x Width: 3.2 cm. x Depth: 1.6 cm.
Condition Remarks
The bottle shows no chips, cracks or wear; the paper labels show only minor wear at the edges and all printing is clearly legible; the cork is missing small sections at the top, but does not let liquid leak out
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Document
Photo
Reference Comments
"Bottles" by Michael Polak, pp. 19 & 21; "Canadian Bottle and Stoneware Collector" (magazine) issue No. 16, April/May/June 1996, p. 27; there are three binders of information on the Polson Co. (Catarrhozone Co.) with Dr. Chiong's written records; a photograph (b & w) has been taken
Research Facts
After having studied at Queen’s University, Neil C. Polson established a drug business in Kingston in 1877. N.C. Polson & Co. became widely known across North America as a druggist and chemical manufacturer. One of their products, Catarrhozone, was widely advertised as an inhaled germ-killer and remedy for all respiratory ailments. The Vapor treatment was meant to be dropped onto a small piece of wool held inside the portable wood inhaler, then inhaled periodically through the mouth.
Their trade covered Canada, the U.S. and the West Indies.
The firm was established by Neil Polson Sr. in 1877, owned a wholesale drug and manufacturing chemist house in Kingston, Ontario. and was taken over by his two sons, Neil Jr. and Henry. They made medicines under the name of Polson Co., the Catarrhozone and Nerviline. Polson went on to become mayor of Kingston in 1893.
Exhibit History
To display in Museum: Potions, Pills and Prescriptions; May 1, 2000 - 28 Jan 2017.