arob
Jr. Member
Markham Collector says Dentist's Acid Can is to Melt Teeth and Collect Gold Fillings
Carl Parsons from Markham Ontario has a tall, heavy steel can with a ten pound iron lid that he says is a Dentist's Acid Can. I believe him. But this explanation is disputed by folks who believe this piece is a Brewer's Mash pail that belongs in an apothecary, and not a dental office.
In Carl's estimation, the can is from the 1890s and was used for the caustic reduction of teeth to liberate gold and silver tooth fillings. That's why the lid is so heavy! And the can is tall and acts like a smoke stack to cool down and contain the chemical fumes that issue from the noxious brew. The bottom of the can is slightly pear shaped to best contain the acid mash which decomposes the old teeth, but not the gold and silver fillings. The handles are there so that at the end of the month, the dentist could carry the can outside and dump out the caustic liquid and hopefully find lots of shiny precious metal bits on the ground with little or no trace of the original teeth to which they were once attached.
However, in the 'brewer's mash pail' camp, on the other side of the fence...
The bottom of the can is round and this would support the mashing theory. Also the tall can has many distinct gradations on the side that could be volume indicators which would also make it useful as a brewer's mash pail, and the sheer size of the can supports the idea of making beverages and not reducing teeth to soluble dust- there is no need for a dental office to have such a big can! honestly there can't be that many fillings...?
The heavy iron lid makes the dentist's acid can theory and the brewer's mash of fermenting liquids equally plausible.
my own Dumpdiggers blog about the dentist acid can puts it firmly in the dentists acid can camp, without even mentioning the controversy 'brewing' around this queer antique.
Have you ever seen anything like before? What are your thoughts?
Carl Parsons from Markham Ontario has a tall, heavy steel can with a ten pound iron lid that he says is a Dentist's Acid Can. I believe him. But this explanation is disputed by folks who believe this piece is a Brewer's Mash pail that belongs in an apothecary, and not a dental office.
In Carl's estimation, the can is from the 1890s and was used for the caustic reduction of teeth to liberate gold and silver tooth fillings. That's why the lid is so heavy! And the can is tall and acts like a smoke stack to cool down and contain the chemical fumes that issue from the noxious brew. The bottom of the can is slightly pear shaped to best contain the acid mash which decomposes the old teeth, but not the gold and silver fillings. The handles are there so that at the end of the month, the dentist could carry the can outside and dump out the caustic liquid and hopefully find lots of shiny precious metal bits on the ground with little or no trace of the original teeth to which they were once attached.
However, in the 'brewer's mash pail' camp, on the other side of the fence...
The bottom of the can is round and this would support the mashing theory. Also the tall can has many distinct gradations on the side that could be volume indicators which would also make it useful as a brewer's mash pail, and the sheer size of the can supports the idea of making beverages and not reducing teeth to soluble dust- there is no need for a dental office to have such a big can! honestly there can't be that many fillings...?
The heavy iron lid makes the dentist's acid can theory and the brewer's mash of fermenting liquids equally plausible.
my own Dumpdiggers blog about the dentist acid can puts it firmly in the dentists acid can camp, without even mentioning the controversy 'brewing' around this queer antique.
Have you ever seen anything like before? What are your thoughts?
Last edited:
