🍼 A bottle with a deadly legacy.
This Cherub Feeder from the RCGP’s own collection dates back to the 1890s - one of many so-called “murder bottles.”
Difficult to clean and prone to bacterial contamination, these bottles were linked to countless infant deaths. The long rubber tubing also posed a serious choking hazard, especially for babies left to feed alone.
For mothers with large families or limited support, these widely used bottles were often a necessity, not a choice.
A sobering reminder of how health risks and inequality can start from the earliest days of life.
Visit our Health Inequalities exhibition for more interesting objects.
[Image description: Cherub Feeder bottle from the RCGP Collection.]
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