Description

Before the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, there was no truly effective cure for gonorrhea. Mercury, silver nitrate and heat were used but the their effectiveness was questionable and they came with risks of toxicity and other issues. As a result some men suffered from chronic gonorrhea with its associated discharge, the latter sometimes referred to as “gleet”(this term was also used for the disease itself). On January 3, 1888 W.F. Ware patented ( patent number : 0375846) a device  to reduce the soiling of clothing from gonorrheal discharge. We are offering a mint and boxed example of this device. As the accompanying literature indicates, this device was sold in three forms : without a scrotal suspensory ( the model on offer) and with a scrotal suspensory  in cotton or silk. Rather than undo our example, we are  posting images of another example that we sold a number of years ago. The one currently on offer is identical but unused. The one previously sold had been washed but some staining was still evident. While this device is rare in any condition, a mint and boxed example is extremely rare.