Benzedrine Inhaler, Physician's Sample
date: label: Date made
content: c. 1933
name: label: maker
content: Smith, Kline & French Laboratories
notes: label: Description
content: Small aluminum tube with screw caps at either end. Green paper label with black print. Physician's Package. Text on label: "A new vasomotor constrictor with a / potency equal to or greater than / that of ephedrine. / COUNCIL ACCEPTED / Each tube is packed with benzylmethyl / carbinamine .325 gm., oil of lavender / .097 gm., and menthol .032 gm. / Remove both caps. Insert tube / well into nostril, holding / other nostril closed. Inhale / twice through each nostril. / <i>Repeat in one hour, not of- / tener. Do not overdose.</i>"
label: Description
content: Benzedrine, the first brand of amphetamine marketed in the United States, first appeared in 1932 as an over-the-counter inhaler decongestant sold by Smith, Kline, and French. This inhaler, labeled as a "Physician's Package," would have been given to doctors by the pharmaceutical company's salemen to introduce them, and through them their patients, to the new drug.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
topic: label: Subject
content: Respiratory & Asthma Drugs
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0100.070
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0100.070
label: accession number
content: 2005.0100
objectType: label: Object Name
content: otc preparation
label: Object Name
content: pharmaceutical
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: benzylmethyl carbinamine, .325 gm; oil of lavender, .097 gm; menthol, .032 gm (drug active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (container material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6.6 cm x 1.6 cm; 2 5/8 in x 5/8 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/4 in x 5/8 in; x 6.985 cm x 1.5875 cm