Civil Defense Fountain Syringe

I have purchased boxes of Civil Defense medical supplies from the 1960's Cold War era for exhibits and displays I create regarding life in the era of the Atomic Bomb. Every shelter kit contains enough medicines and supplies for 50-60 people. Although all of the narcotics were removed in the mid-sixties, the boxes still contain aspirin, baking soda, Vaseline, sodium chloride, eyedrops, bandages, eardrops, tweezers, scissors, and more. Every kit also contains a fountain syringe. Normally it would be a Davol folding-type thin red rubber bag with red rubber hose, metal shutoff, and white plastic douche and rectal nozzles. I acquired a box recently that had all the same supplies, but the fountain syringe was a clear plastic bag with a clear thin plastic ‘hose’ of the same material and a similar thickness as a clear garbage bag. It had a short 4 inch section at the business end of latex rubber hose where the metal shutoff was located. The nozzles included were the same white plastic as the Davol kits. This one was made by a company name Spectronics Corp in Westbury, NY in/around 1962.

These were very cheap by comparison to the Davol syringe, and I doubt would stand up to more than one use. This one, being 60 years old, had deteriorated rubber from decades of storage. I cannot give any report on whether or not it worked as intended. If they were a cost-cutting measure, they certainly would have to be replaced much more often than the Davols.

Anyone else ever see the likes of one of these 'El-Cheapo" bags?

jd

You mean like this:

https://ibb.co/y62kYrn

https://ibb.co/ZxCSbrr

https://ibb.co/LSmPLsk

The short length of Latex tubing does deteriorate over the years, but if used carefully the syringe is completely serviceable. I think the may have been included in the CD kits to empty someone out quickly if they had consumed radioactive food. or in case of birth. They were certainly very common and in all such kits.

The choice of syringe was likely based on the lowest bidder that met the specs and such kits were only meant to be used for a few weeks at most and conditions were likely pretty basic. Remember, you'd have been jammed in a bomb shelter with many other people, and everyone pooing in the same bucket, at best behind a curtain.

That’s very interesting history from the Cold War era. We still live under the threat of nuclear annihilation since 1945. US and Russia each have 1,000 nukes pointed at each other. Plus our other enemies. Ready to give the world a real atomic enema.

Our apartment block was supplied with these enema bags. Rather disappointing as I was expecting the red rubber ones that I had seen in a display. Years later I came across the red rubber ones at a university. The bags weren’t too sturdy but the red hoses lasted for years afterwards.

I’d forgotten about these plastic enema bags. I used the one I liberated a few times but it did not hold up To many uses. As for the bottle of Benzedrine, a buddy of mine sold the pills at our high school. Not many takers for that drug in those days, pot being the preferred way to get high.

This reminds me… A few years back I visited an eastern European museum featuring an underground WW2 hospital. There was a medical facility reenactment using wax characters with quite an extensive staff all constructed of wax characters. One of the wards clearly demonstrated a staff surrounding a patient on the gurney and a white enamel enema can with latex tubing coiled up ready to administer an enema to the wax patient. I only wish photos had been allowed!

I have a few of the Davol syringes as pictured in my photo album. I believe they were from the “Starlet” mold.

Many thanks for the replies and great photos of the fountain syringe I described. Nice to know that someone actually used one of these and it worked as intended!

jd

I was civil defense and then involved in decommissioning many caches.

I got rolled into homeland ,there are still a good olde network of maintained caches .On 911 when we weren't sure what was coming our way ,We Moe or less imbedded in the mayor's security taking him upstate to Ghost caches to protect him with food water showers,and safety,if people didnt know they still existed,they couldn't target them or have any advance plan to compromise there integrity . You never know what equipment they would have ,having been stocked or “modernized” at various times for and by different reasons and personell ,there are cashes that had WW I “doughboy” helmets ,it you watch eBay every so often you see one auctioned off for outrageous sums to collectors.