SIPHON MEDICINE GLASSES. 
151 
A discussion, initiated by Mr. Brady, followed the reading of this paper, Professor 
Attfield and Mr. Sutton joining with that gentleman in the wish to connect perma¬ 
nently with the Conference some of the pharmacologists of other countries who might 
show their interest in it, as Dr. Fliickiger had done. The great merits of the paper were 
recognized by the speakers, who stated their desire that a class of foreign members could 
be instituted, to enable the Conference to express its sense of the honour done to it in 
such a case as this. The formal consideration of the subject was postponed. 
SIPHON MEDICINE GLASSES. 
BY BARNARD S. PROCTOR. 
There are probably few pharmaceutical fathers who have not felt that the 
system of choking medicine into a child was a barbarous and sometimes even 
a dangerous mode of overcoming the infant’s repugnance to physic, and that 
the old-fashioned, covered medicine spoons were instruments of torture, the 
use of which should be punishable as a cruelty to animals. Such have been my 
feelings, and in the bringing up of four children I have repeatedly endeavoured 
to devise some means of removing this disgrace upon the art of physic-taking. 
But I need not tell of my failures, but proceed at once to that which has been 
pronounced by mother, nurse and doctor to be worthy of general adoption. 
The little fellow whose necessity was the mother of my present invention 
commenced life with an imperfect action of several of the viscera which more 
than once threatened his life, and rendered it necessary to have very frequent 
resort to the aid of medicine, but the convulsions and congested state of the 
lungs to which he was subject would at times make it a matter of some danger 
to give him either food or physic, for fear of a tit of choking putting a stop 
altogether to the process of respiration, which he already had a struggle to 
maintain. When at the worst, food and medicine alike had to be given by 
allowing him to suck them out of a cloth which had been dipped into them ; 
the moisture being grateful to his parched mouth, no doubt made him willing 
to take whatever was given him in that way, and as he recovered the ability to 
take his food in the true infantile fashion, we gave him physic upon the same 
principle, trusting to the instinctive disposition to suck being sufficient to over¬ 
come his repugnance to the taste. The tube of a Gilbertson’s feeding-bottle 
broken short and fitted into a cylindrical minim measure, was the form adopted 
for our first experiment, and it was with much satisfaction that we found what¬ 
ever was given in this way was taken not only without difficulty but often with 
positive eagerness. Rhubarb mixture and castor-oil were alike acceptable if 
only offered when the stomach was empty. I have consequently had graduated 
glasses made of a suitable size and shape, and fitted with cork, tube, and teat, 
which it is scarcely necessary to describe more particularly. The following are 
the advantages of administration with this glass over the old plan of giving 
medicine with a cup and spoon. 
1. The glass being accurately graduated, the dose may be measured with 
correctness and facility. 
2. The medicine being in a deep vessel is not liable to be spilled. 
3. The glass being corked, the child does not smell the medicine, the odour 
of which, if given in the old way, will often produce a feeling of disgust before 
a drop has entered the mouth. 
4. The medicine being conveyed to the back of the mouth through the tube 
and teat, it is less tasted. 
5. The tube descending to the bottom of the glass, any heavy materials are 
sucked up first, and made sure of, while by the old method they are apt to be 
left behind in the cup or spoon. 
