Medicine dispenser, England, 1950-1960

Made:
1950-1960 in London
maker:
British Automatic Company Limited
Medicine dispenser, intended for wall mounting Medicine dispenser, intended for wall mounting

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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Medicine dispenser, intended for wall mounting
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Medicine dispenser, intended for wall mounting
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Medicine dispenser, intended for wall mounting, with mirrored glass top reading 'For convenience of Visitors' '6d in slot' and five internal columns for tablet containers accessed by coin-in-slot pull drawers, four labelled 'Aspirin', 'Soda mint', 'Dr Maclean's stomach powder' and 'Cascara' and one unlabelled; four containers of Cascara tablets remain, marked property of The Allied Chemical Co Ltd, a subsidiary of The British Automatic Co. Ltd, London, England, c.1950-1960.

Made to be mounted on a wall, this dispenser provided a range of basic medicines for the price of 6 pennies. The purchaser could choose from one packet of either aspirin, soda mint (for indigestion and heartburn), Dr MacLean’s stomach power or cascara (a laxative).

As the sign on the mirror reads “For the convenience of visitors”, the dispenser may have been placed in a hospital – or perhaps a hotel.

Details

Category:
Public Health & Hygiene
Object Number:
2006-285
Materials:
wood, glass, metal, paper and plastic
Measurements:
overall: 484 mm x 350 mm x 190 mm, 9.35kg
type:
dispenser
credit:
Purchase