Brass pessary mould, by S. Maw, Son and Sons Ltd., London, 1905 to 1930

A pessary can be one of three things: a device to support the vagina or rectum; a form of contraception; or a medical treatment. This mould was used to make twelve medicated pessaries. The heated mixture was poured into moulds and cooled. The mould would be opened and the pessaries popped out, packaged and sold.

The pessary was inserted, as a type of suppository, into the vagina to treat vaginal infections. A mixture of the drug would be mixed in with a base, which would melt at body temperature so the drug could be absorbed into the body.