I recently acquired this bottle, and although I have researched and learned quite a bit about it, I am still seeking additional information, such as ...
1. Approximate year it was made? (Within ten).
2. Was it made in France and imported to the U.S.?
3. Or was it strictly a U.S. product with a French name?
4. Why is the word "Syrup" in English?
5. Company history?
6. Rarity?
7. Value?
Here's what I know about it so far ...
1. It stands approximately 8 inches high and 3 inches wide.
2. It is colbalt blue.
3. On one side it says ... DESCHIENS ... and on the other side ... SYRUP
4. There is no embossing on the front or back.
5. On the base it reads "Depose" which I know basically means "Patent Pending"
6. It once contained a form of sweetened sheep's blood.
7. The sheep's blood is sometimes referred to as "Hemoglobin"
8. Hemoglobin is defined as follows ...
Hemoglobin he·mo·glo·bin (hē'mə-glō'bĭn)
The red respiratory protein of red blood cells that transports oxygen as oxyhemoglobin from the lungs to the tissues, where the oxygen is readily released and the oxyhemoglobin becomes hemoglobin.
9. I think it was some form of "Iron" suppliment.
10. It's a totally weird bottle and product ... but an interesting conversation piece.
If you have the answers to my seven questions, or know something about it that I failed to ask, please share it with us. I'm sure others will be interested in knowing more about it as well. Especially considering there is very little information about it on the internet. (At least that I was able to find). This could result as the definiative source for future researchers.
Thanks in advance for your time and interest ... and now for the pictures.
Thanks. I came across something like that during my early research. However, I concluded that "Des Chiens" is more than likely related to the dog cemetery by that name which is located in Paris, France. But there may be a connection of some kind that I am not aware of. Here's some additional information and a picture about it ...
SBB
~ Cemetery of Dogs ~
Over the years, I have acquired a small number of postcards of Le Cimetière des Chiens - the Paris Dog Cemetery. Recently, I acquired a significant archive of material on this fascinating cemetery.
I found another "Deschiens" bottle that is currently on e-bay and available as a "Buy It Now" for $29.85. But this one is amber brown. So I at least know there is a variation color, and likely made in France. The seller's description of the brown one is a little weird, part of which reads as follows ...
MEDICAL HEMOGLOBINE GLASS BOTTLE DESCHIENS IN THIS ANTIQUE VINTAGE BOTTLE THE LOT COMES WITH A HEMOGLOBINE DESCHIENS BROWN BOTTLE AND ON THE BOTTOM IT IS MARKED MADE IN FRANCE A "S" ON THE BOTTOM OF ONE CORNER AND "8" ON THE OTHER CORNER AND "VB" IN SIDE A CIRCLE.
Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out ...
There is no doubt when you seperate the word to Des Chiens that it translates to ...
of dogs
But when you leave it complete there is no specific translation other than the possibility of it being someone's last name.
In my research I have come across references stating that it may still be available, and that people like it because it is a sort of energy booster. I really don't think it was/is intended for animals, even though the name suggest it. Other references clearly describe it as being a sweetened form of sheep's blood. But it must be a French thing, because I just can't imagine the average American drinking blood of any kind. I know I wouldn't!
And even though this is all very interesting, I am mainly looking for information on the company history which, so far, has eluded me. As to the rarity and value of the bottle, I'd put it in the $20.00 to $30.00 price range unless someone wishes to refute this.
SBB: I agree with Deschiens being a proper name, not a reference on the bottle to a dog.
BTW, did you see this ad on page XLIV of the Int'l Journal of Surgery (1919)? http://books.google.com/books?id=nKY...ens%22&f=false
Note the reference to Dr. Deschiens whose address was 9 Rue Paui Boudry, Paris.
This potion may have been 'home made'.
Don....
5. On the base it reads "Depose" which I know basically means "Patent Pending"
A better translation of depose is "registered" as in "registered trademark."
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Here's the best I could come up with for an "approximate" date of the bottle. But I have also seen references for similar lip/finishes that date to the late 1800s. "Will the real date of this bottle please stand up." ( I wonder if they make a pill or syrup for controlling obsession? )
The illustration below is from the 1908 Illinois Glass Company catalog and shows that company's version of a packer. The primary diagnostic feature of the packer finish is that it has the same diameter from top to bottom (no flare) and is moderately tall. The outside surface of the finish is generally flat, though can sometimes be very slightly concave or convex.
(I have added the Deschiens bottle for close proximity comparison).
We now have at least one date for when the the Deschiens Syrup Co. was in operation. But it is still not known if this is the earliest date, nor if it is the date of the bottle. It is mentioned in this 1897 article of the British Medical Journal.
Manufactured by M/s. Franco Indian Manufacturers Pvt. Ltd., Bombay (1970s)
(Below)
Correspondence between doctor and patient - Dated 1925
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Library of the Medical School
Longwood Avenue - Boston, Massachusetts
My dear Grandfather;
Your letter to hand. Exceedingly glad to hear your health is so wonderful. Let me congratulate you on that.
About Deschien’s syrup of haemoglobin. If your haemoglobin index is too low, about 70-80%, it will or may do some good. If your haemoglobin index is alright, no use taking either an organic or an inorganic form of iron. Deschien’s syrup is an organic form, or rather in the same form as it exists in the blood. But it does not mean that the body wants everything moulded up for it. It breaks it up however and builds up again.
How about showing us some black glass from your diving experience!
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
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