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The Pewter Society Journal
The Society publishes a Journal twice yearly.
Journals, including both the current issue and back numbers, are only available to members of the Society and certain major national libraries and museums.
Articles will occasionally be published on the Website.
Interesting Pieces - Mr Gibson’s Physic Spoon
By Ronald F. Homer
In 1828 Charles Gibson, a London goldsmith, demonstrated his novel medicine spoon at a meeting of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. For his ingenious invention he was awarded the Society’s silver medal. Silver examples made by Gibson are known with hallmarks from 1827 onwards. Pewter ones followed soon afterwards and J & S Maw advertised them in three sizes in their 1832 catalogue.
They continued to appear in Maw’s catalogues until at least 1882. The example illustrated here is marked on the flap ‘ MAW/ALDERSGATE ST ’ and was recently acquired by the writer at a local antiques fair. As well as those made by Maw, examples were also made by Dixons in Sheffield and appear first in their 1839 catalogue.
The hinged flap on the bowl allows the spoon to be filled and this, when closed, forms an airtight seal. Placing a finger over the end of the hollow stem (which communicates with the bowl) prevents the contents escaping through a slot in the tip of the bowl until the spoon is thrust into the patient’s mouth and the finger is removed. A contemporary description commends the spoon for administering medicine to fractious children and insane persons as well as for administering noxious substances.
The reader is referred to an article ‘Mr Gibson’s Physic Spoon' by Agnes Lothian in the Chemist and Druggist, September 9, 1959¸ which contains illustrations of several silver and pewter examples and from which much of the above information is taken. The writer has kept that article for 44 years in anticipation that he might eventually find such a spoon!