Sputum Flask, Blue Glass with Dual Caps
date: label: date made
content: early 1900s
notes: label: Description
content: In the 1800s and early 1900s, pulmonary tuberculosis was a major health concern. Those suspected of suffering from the disease might be ostracized, ridiculed, and denied certain civil rights. One of the signs of tuberculosis was the production of large amounts of viscous, sometimes bloody, matter from the lungs. As a result, sufferers used objects like this glass pocket flask to dispose of the coughed up mass, without drawing attention to themselves by spitting.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: The Antibody Initiative
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Antibody Initiative: Tuberculosis
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1990.0526.01
label: catalog number
content: 1990.0526.01
label: accession number
content: 1990.0526
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sputum flask
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: blue, cobalt (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: molded (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7.7 cm x 11.2 cm x 4.1 cm; x 3 1/16 in x 4 7/16 in x 1 5/8 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/2 in x 3 1/8 in x 4 1/2 in; 11.43 cm x 7.9375 cm x 11.43 cm