Vintage Bengué menthol lozenge box, whose composition explicitly lists cocaine and sodium borate. Intended for throat ailments, these lozenges were marketed for their antiseptic and anaesthetic properties, as indicated by the design. The inscriptions on the reverse particularly recommended them for smokers, singers, and public speakers. An astonishing example of the former medicinal use of cocaine, with beautiful red and black graphics and the original price of 2 francs per box.
✦ Period: Circa 1900 ✦ Provenance: Paris, Dr Bengué, 47 rue Blanche ✦ Dimensions: approx. 7.5 × 4 × 2.5 cm ✦ Material: Lithographed tin ✦ Condition: Good used condition, wear to the design and traces of oxidation.
A vintage pharmaceutical box to collect for its mention of cocaine and its interest for the history of remedies of yesteryear.
