Bottle for Anti-Hysteria Water (1850-1920)

This was from the foundry at Santa Maria Novella, Florence. The water was taken with a cup of coffee with a third of a cup of water and a little sugar. This created an aromatic drink that calms nervous excitation.

Monasteries often produced such simple remedies and cures for general sale. In the 1800s, hysteria was a broad diagnosis applied to women with ‘nervous’ condition