Anti-mosquito spray gun, Liverpool, England, 1914-1918
Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance but, from the late 1890s, were known to carry the disease malaria. It is possible that this copper and brass spray gun was used during the First World War to protect soldiers from mosquitoes. It was made by R Sumner and Co, a surgical instrument maker and chemist located in Liverpool, England.
Object number:
A652314
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: spray gun
Implements used for spraying paint or other substances over large areas.
Glossary: malaria
Parasitic disease transmitted by certain kinds of mosquito. Malaria is characterized by fever and enlargement of the spleen. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people.
Glossary: vector
A vector is the intermediary – the ‘middle-man’ – between the disease-causing organism and the disease sufferer. In the case of malaria, the mosquito that carries the parasite that causes the disease is the vector.