Description
Antique French pewter Sustenteur Medical Apothecary Jars for Sterilization both<br>6" tall x 5" wide. Both guaranteed 19th century.<br>I have found that this style of jar, called Sustenteur, was popular in France in<br>the late 18th century, and were created as a piece of medical equipment to help<br>heal stomach problems. They work as pressure cookers and they were used to<br>prepare either meat or vegetable broths, which were cooked in a hermetically<br>sealed pot for hours in a water bath, thus providing a germ-free broth for<br>people with delicate stomachs. There are three holes at the base of the pot.<br>When oxygen would escape form the boiling water, it made bubbles, and the holes<br>allowed the bubbles to escape, so the pot would not tip over. The handle at the<br>top of the pewter cap allowed the pot to be easily removed from the water bath<br>and carried. Given that they are air-tight, these sustenteurs were also used as<br>tobacco jars, tea caddies, or coffee containers.<br>Tw31
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