Antique C. 1894 Vapo-Cresolene Disinfectant Poison Bottle for Sale

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Antique C. 1894 Vapo-Cresolene Disinfectant Poison Bottle For Sale

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Antique C. 1894 Vapo-Cresolene Disinfectant Poison Bottle :
$16.95

Measuring approximately 3 7/8" tall, and 1 1/4" at the base, this Vapo-Cresolene Bottle hails from the day of unregulated quack medicine that was so prevalent in the late Victorian era. Cresolenewas a dark liquid with a pungent smell made fromcoal tarused in the 19th and early 20th century as adisinfectantand to treat various ailments such as colds andmeasles. Most well known of all cresolene products was the Vapo-Cresolene lamp, used to heat the substance so that the fumes could be inhaled; these were produced between 1879 and 1957. Like many of the products of the day, there was no actual proof of efficacy, and by today's understanding falls under the category of "quack medicine". Classified as a poison (disinfectant), the side panels of the bottle feature that distinctive "poison bottle" textured glass, which served as a warning to someone groping around in their medicine chest in the middle of the night. One panel features the US patent date of July 17, 1894.