Copy of food warmer as used in Lister Ward, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 1860-1864, original by Baird-Taylor Bros., Glasgow, made for Lister Centenary exhibition, 1927

This foot warmer was used to give warmth and comfort to patients who were resting in the hospital wards. Made from tinned iron, the warmer would have been filled with hot water and secured with a cork. The cork in this example is from a whisky bottle!

This copy was made in 1927 to commemorate one hundred years since Joseph Lister’s birth. Joseph Lister (1827-1912) pioneered antiseptic techniques on the surgical wards of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary from 1860-1869. The Lister wards were considered to be of such historical importance that it had been planned to convert one into a museum as a tribute to Lister’s discoveries. However, the wards were demolished in 1924.