Quassia Cup
date: label: date made
content: ca 1850-1900
notes: label: Description
content: Graman Quassia (1692-1787) was an obeah (healer) from the Guinea region of West Africa who was enslaved and taken to Surinam, a Dutch sugar colony on the Caribbean coast of South America. While investigating local plants with medicinal properties, Quassia learned of a tree that, when made into an infusion, promoted appetite and assisted digestion. Daniel Rolander, a Swedish botanist who visited Surinam in the 1750s, met Quassia and acquired some samples of this tree. These samples eventually reached Carl Linnaeus, in Stockholm, and that noted botanist named the tree Quassia. Nineteenth century medical texts touted the benefits of water drunk from quassia cups.
label: Description
content: Indications/use as printed on label: Dyspepsia, indigestion, headache, fever & ague, debility, &c. The U.S. Dispensatory, the highest authority in this country, says of this Tonic: " It has, in the highest degree all the properties of bitters, invigorating the digestive organs." Directions: Fill the cup with water and let it stand a few moments. Drink before each meal.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Richard W. Pollay
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2008.0018.158
label: catalog number
content: 2008.0018.158
label: accession number
content: 2008.0018
objectType: label: Object Name
content: otc preparation
label: Object Name
content: quassia cup
label: Object Name
content: pharmaceutical
label: Object Type
content: OTC Preparation
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: cup: 5 in x 6 cm; 12.7 cm x 2 3/8 in
label: Measurements
content: spoon: 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in; .9525 cm x 8.5725 cm x 8.5725 cm
label: Measurements
content: cup: 5 in x 2 3/8 in; 12.7 cm x 6.0325 cm