1908 Journal of the Outdoor Life ad for Sputum Cup
A metal sputum flask (made in Germany) carried by Hoffman Pharmacy.
Photograph courtesy of Leslie Hoffman.
Photograph courtesy of Leslie HoffmanTuberculosis is a communicable disease, and as Saranac Lake had at one time hundreds of TB patients, sanitation was taken very seriously. A sputum cup provided a safe receptacle for a patient's spit. They were of many designs, some disposable, some meant to be cleaned and disinfected. Spitting on the street in the village was subject to a fifty dollar fine.
When carried around the sputum cups were referred to as Pocket Flasks as oppose to the boxes that were used at someone's bedside.
1908 Journal of the Outdoor Life ad for Sputum
