Helping to frame our future are the particulars from the past. Welcome to TimeWarp Tuesdays, where you can savor the soul food of “I remember that,” recoil from the utter barbarity of the not so good ol’ days, or simply be amused and entertained.

This cuspidor was a hot seller in the 1890’s and gave way to more modern versions of  the “swish and spit” bowl well into the 1980’s. If it weren’t for the AIDS epidemic in the US we might not have ever gotten rid of these germholes. But yet, they’re still part of modern dentistry in most other countries. What gives?

image courtesy of GoogleBooks

“It has no depressions in the bowl to catch and hold filth.” Wow. Gross. That’s all the imagery I need in order to feel like we moved in the right direction.