First-aid bits from late father-in-law

[angelab]

Among my late father-in-law's bits and pieces, are the two items in the photographs below. As he served in the ASC during WWI, I wondered if they might date from that period.

One is a grey-painted tin, with a D-ring at one end, and the words "Boric Lint" painted on the side.

The other is a small metal, screw-topped tube containing aspirin - obviously never used, as it's full to the brim with white tablets marked "GENASPRIN".

Along the side of the tube is engraved:

"Genasprin

Safe Brand of Aspirin"

On the base it is firmly stamped: "TUBE ONLY FOREIGN"

Angela

[ph0ebus]

No idea about the age of the tin, but in case you were wondering (like I was) what Boric Lint was used for:

"... Boric Lint w(as) used, along with the Glycerine and Absolute Phenol mixture, to clean and dress wounds respectively."

From:

Click Here

-Daniel

[janecavell]

A Google search reveals a number of advertisements for Genasprin: the earliest one I've found so far is from 1919, at http://www.fotosearch.com/IST503/1158234/. Here's another, this time from the Illustrated London News of 1931. Perhaps it would be helpful to compare the style of lettering on the tin with that in different adverts to get a possible date?

[angelab]

Ph0ebus,

Thanks for that. It was the grey paint of the tin that made me think it might have been military issue. It's painted a lighter grey inside than outside. And then the words being painted on rather than being a stick-on label. But maybe I was quite wrong.

Poppy3

Thanks, too. Yes, I had already Googled and found the adverts from the 1930s. So maybe that is also post-WWI. It just seemed such a neat little thing that you could keep dry, in a pocket.

EDIT

Just had another go, and found this informative entry from the British Journal of Nursing, Feb 1919 here. Seemingly, Genasprin was manufactured by a German company, and only came onto the British market in 1919!

Many thanks for the input!

Angela