A good 19th century ear syringe in its original case by Maw Son & Thomspon who traded under this name from 1870 to 1901.

The syringe is made from nickel plated brass and is in excellent condition with no loss of plating. Both the plunger and the finger rests unscrew. There are three attachments of different sizes, one made from bone, which might seem incongruous, but these were standard attachments referred to as “Abernethy’s, Toynbee’s and Allen’s pipes”. See catalogue picture from Down Bros 1882. The embossed leather case with purple velvet lining is marked on the lid with Maw Son and Thompson’s motif.

• From the Phisick collection