Ruth Wallace, graduate of Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing class of 1931.
Dates
1905
1930
circa 1905-1930
Material
metal:
enamel: off-white; blue
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007-N1-4
Temporary Location
On display "Doctor's Treatment Room c1930" at Museum of Health Care 20 Feb 2016.
Length
36.0 cm
Width
29.0 cm
Depth
7.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length: 36.0 cm. x Width: 29.0 cm. x Depth: 7.0 cm.
Condition Remarks
Shows negligible wear; slightly scratched at bottom front
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Website
Article
Reference Comments
American Association for the History of Nursing, https://www.aahn.org/bedpans#:~:text=Porcelain%2C%20china%2C%20and%20even%20pottery,enamel%20and%20then%20stainless%20steel.&text=Today%20these%20antique%20bedpans%20are,be%20found%20in%20antique%20stores.
Cassandra Good, “The Strange Saga of George Washington’s Bedpan,” August 20th, 2015. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/strange-saga-george-washingtons-bedpan-180956347/
Barb (Earl) Gilbert, graduate of Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing class of 1963 and daughter of Ruth Wallace
Research Facts
Before the late nineteenth century, bedpans and similar objects were made of metals such as pewter, brass, and sometimes even glass. By the late nineteenth century, porcelain, china, and pottery were used. As the 20th century dawned, bedpans, urinals, basins, etc. were made of enamel and later stainless steel. In the 1960s, there was a shift towards plastics and other disposables.
The bedpan was designed for people who could not or should not rise from their beds to relieve themselves. A bedpan could be lightly heated and placed under the covers of the beds of the elderly, people who were ill, and women recovering from childbirth so that they would not have to get out of bed. They were routinely emptied by caregivers, nurses, etc.