Antique glass dental sterilizer, complete with its original metal carpule syringes.
Before disposable dental supplies became the norm, instruments like these were carefully cleaned, sterilized, and reused between patients. The thick glass sterilizer allowed dental instruments to be immersed in disinfecting solutions or prepared for sterilization while remaining easy to inspect.
The metal syringes are stamped ‘Carpule’ on one side and ‘Made for Cooke Waite Labs Inc., New York, U.S.A.’ on the other.
The term carpule refers to the small, pre-filled glass cartridge that held a measured dose of local anesthetic. The name actually started as a trademark from Cooke-Waite Laboratories, but it eventually became the generic term dentists used for these anesthetic cartridges.
These reusable syringes were designed to accept those cartridges, making procedures more efficient while delivering consistent doses of anesthetic.
