A rectangular glass bottle with round, sloped shoulders and rounded bottom corners; neck of bottle has a narrow, bevelled ring above the shoulders and a wide, flat ring below its lip; there is a mould seam on the neck below the flat ring; a rectangular paper label is adhered to the front side; the…
A rectangular glass bottle with round, sloped shoulders and rounded bottom corners; neck of bottle has a narrow, bevelled ring above the shoulders and a wide, flat ring below its lip; there is a mould seam on the neck below the flat ring; a rectangular paper label is adhered to the front side; the metal cap has a rolled end, a round groove on the top and vertical grooves around its raised side; there is no evidence of threading (see accession sheet for sketch); a thick, yellow liquid fills about 40% of the bottle
The bottle's mould seams continue over the bottle's lip, indicating fabrication after 1880; screw cap became popular after 1924, so possibly the bottle was made between these two dates
Material
glass: clear
paper: orange
metal: orange
Inscriptions
"NYAL // QUALITY // A" is inscribed in raised letters in a circle on the front of the bottle; the last letter "A" is in a smaller circle on a chain pattern, all in the larger circle; bottom: "D [or a square] inside a diamond shape, and "2" to the left of the diamond, in raised letters; label: "TRADE MARK NYAL [illeg.] // TASTY // Castor Oil // Rx [the "x" part of the tail of the "R"] D3 2 FL. OZ. // Pure, Refined Castor Oil // sweetened and flavored. // Directions – Infants 20 to 40 // drops; children four years old, // 1 to 2 teaspoonfulls; eight years // old, ½ to one tablespoonful; // adults; 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls; // Mode D'Emploi — Pour petits // enfants 20 à 40 gouttes; pour // enfants de 4 ans 1 à 2 cuillerées // à thé; 8 ans ½ à 1 cuillerée à // table; pour adultes, 1 à 2 cuil- // lerées à table. // NYAL COMPANY, Limited // Windsor, Ontario, Canada"; the label is toned with light grey mesh behind the text, leaving a frame of brighter orange around the label; on the back of the bottle neck, there is "H5" in raised lettering
Permanent Location
Storage Room 1013
Dimension Notes
Length 13.3 cm x Width 5.8 cm x Depth 3.4 cm
Condition Remarks
Bottle and cap are dusty and have residual stains; cap has two dents; the paint on the cap is blackened around the side and there are some very small spots where the metal substrate is exposed; the cap is stuck on the bottle; the paper label has two holes (around 0.1 cm); note: residue on bottle may attract pests.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Other
Reference Comments
"Bottles: Identification and Price Guide," by Michael Polak, 1994, pp. 19, 21, 24; "The Snake-Oil Syndrome: Patent Medicine Advertising," by A. Walker Bingham, 1994, p. 108; "The Merck Index of Chemicals and Drugs," 7th ed., Merck & Co., 1960, pp. 219-220; "The Oxford Dictionary of Current English," Oxford University Press, 1998; "Text-book of the Principles and Practice of Nursing," by Bertha Harmer, 1927, pp. 435-436; see also 000.006.022
Research Facts
Castor oil is "oil from the seeds of a tropical plant, used as a purgative and lubricant (Oxford Dictionary). Castor oil may be used both as a laxative and as an emollient (Merck), but this product is flavoured, so it is a laxative. (See accession sheet for further details.)