Metal syringe in a wooden box. A label in the box reads in part “The Wilcox-Jewett OBTUNDER” and “DESENSITIZES TEETH BY ‘PRESSURE ANASTHESIA’ FOR THE PAINLESS EXCAVATION OF CAVITIES, GRINDING TEETH FOR CROWNING AND THE IMMEDIATE EXTIRPATION OF THE PULP” and “Sole Agents / LEE S. SMITH & SON / PITTSBURGH, PA. U.S.A.” This obtunder (the word means “that which blunts”) was designed to inject cocaine into the gums of dental patients.
Ref: Amos A. Wilcox and Marcellus Jewett, “Dental Instrument,” U.S. Patent 780,146 (Jan. 17, 1905).
Amos A. Wilcox and Marcellus Jewett, “Dental Instrument,” U.S. Patent 780,147 (Jan. 17, 1905).
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.