The Story Found in homes and hospitals, bedpans and urinals are practical aids for bedridden persons who cannot get up to use a toilet. Over time ‘male’ and ‘female’ designs evolved that increased a patient’s comfort and ease of use. Until the mid-twentieth century, student nurses training in hospitals had the necessary, but unpleasant job … More Female Urinal (From the Collection #27)
The Story For centuries, mothers have used a number of different tools to relieve the pain of engorged breasts, correct inverted nipples, and increase milk production. Women in Ancient Greece used ceramic cups called gutti (dual purpose pumps and feeding bottles) to express milk. A mother would fill the cup with water, place it over … More Breast Pump (From the Collection #30)
The Story Used by a new mother after the birth of a child, the postpartum binder was meant to restore the figure and keep the womb in its correct position. She wore the binder for 10 days after the birth and changed it daily. The midwife or physician bound up the post-partum woman by wrapping … More Scultetus Binder (From the Collection #29)
The Story For centuries, mothers have used a number of tools to relieve the pain of engorged breasts, correct inverted nipples, and increase milk production. Some of the first breast pumps were found at Greek archeological sites dating from the 6th to 5th centuries BCE. These dual purpose feeding bottles and breast pumps, called guttus, … More Sucking Glass (From the Collection #28)
