Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Collection
Category
Patient Care
Hygiene
Sanitation
Surgery, Instrumentation
Wound dressing
Equipment and Supplies
Surgery
Classification
Patient Care
Hygiene
Sanitation
Surgery, instrumentation
Wound dressing
Equipment and Supplies
Surgery
Accession Number
995002037
Description
White enamelled kidney-shaped metal basin with blue trim along the outer edge; inner bottom has three small chips to the enamel; base has three large chips in the enamel.
White enamelled kidney-shaped metal basin with blue trim along the outer edge; inner bottom has three small chips to the enamel; base has three large chips in the enamel.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Ruth Wallace Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1931.
Dates
1920
1940
circa 1920-1940
Material
metal: dark grey
enamel: off-white; blue
Inscriptions
Stamped onto the enamel in black: "Czecko-Slovakia"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-D3-6
Length
23.0 cm
Width
12.2 cm
Depth
4.2 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length: 23.0 cm. x Width: 12.2 cm. x Depth: 4.2 cm.
Condition Remarks
Basin has three large chips in the enamel on the base, one of which shows slight rusting; the inner bottom of the basin has three small chips which show slight rusting; there are also three chips along the outer edge
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Reference Comments
Barb (Earl) Gilbert, Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1963 and daughter of Ruth Wallace
Research Facts
A kidney dish (British English) or emesis basin (American English) is a shallow basin with a kidney-shaped base and sloping walls used in medical and surgical wards to receive soiled dressings and other medical waste. Reusable kidney dishes are usually made of stainless steel, while disposable ones may be made of paper pulp or plastic. The concave inner rim shape of the dish helps allows it to be held against the patient's body to catch any falling fluids or debris. Various sizes of emesis basin are a common sight in healthcare settings.
Contrary to its name, emesis basins (or "vomit dish") are not usually used for vomiting, as the depth, size, and sloping walls all contribute to spilling or splashing the vomit rather than catching it.
Emesis basins are suited for more controlled situations. When washing out a small wound, for example, sometimes the wash water is applied from above with an emesis basin held underneath to catch the runoff.