Description

An interesting antique medical device, Dr Bengué’s local anaesthesia set in it’s original box. The graphics remain clear and clean, the tube sits in the box on a cotton wool bed and has the original label, the tube is empty.

In 1892, Parisian pharmacist Jules Bengué, M.D., launched an international advertising campaign for his brand of liquid ethyl chloride, which was sold in tubes equipped with his patented spray nozzle. Ethyl chloride was first proposed as a general anaesthetic in the 1840s. It was also discovered that, when sprayed onto the skin, its rapid evaporation resulted in cooling of the skin and a reduced nerve response to an incision. However, this speedy evaporation made it difficult to use. Bengué’s convenient packaging opened an era of great popularity for that agent as both a skin refrigerant and general anaesthetic. 

The box measures 19 x 4cm (7.5″ x 1.5″).

A really interesting and quirky collectable piece of medical history.