This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Pharmacy leech jar, ornate blue gilt earthenware, by Alcock at Hill Pottery, Burslem, English, 1831-1859
Leeches were stored in this jar in a pharmacy before being sold to physicians for bloodletting, once a popular therapy believed to cure a range of conditions. Leeches are a type of worm which have a front sucker that draws blood from the body. They were collected from river beds by women. Demand was so great that by the 1830s supplies were running short. Today, leeches are used to reduce swelling following reconstructive surgery.
The jar was made by Samuel Alcock & Co, a pottery manufacturer based in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Details
- Category:
- Therapeutics
- Object Number:
- A43107
- Materials:
- complete and earthenware
- Measurements:
-
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- type:
- leech jar
- taxonomy:
-
- furnishing and equipment
- container - receptacle
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Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
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