From the US Post Office Department Annual Book...



You can download this book here http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Home_USPOD.html

Don

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It's an alembic - a pot still. The liquid goes into the spherical part, heat is applied below, and the distillate (fumes) go into the downward - pointing leg, cooling and condensing into a liquid. Its invention is attributed to Mary the Jewess in the first century AD.

Variations of this (generally with the downward leg coiled to provide longer residence time) are used today in some remote areas to manufacture adult beverages in small quantities from fermented corn mash.

 
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Hi Don,

Hey, thanks!

That is VERY interesting and thanks for that link, those books are going to be really helpful. I didn't even realize that resource was available, or that it would be helpful to me.

Thanks again!

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Hi Roy,

Thanks for the picture, that also helps a lot! I kind of had an inkling that it was a medical item and it makes sense after all the interesting reading that I did yesterday about this guy! He was actually Doc Holiday's cousin! Crazy!

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Hi dollhaus,

Intersting also to hear this! Talk about an old invention!

Hmmmm, let my think about this... "remote areas", "adult beverage", "small quantities", could it be something made in the United States in the South? Something about "white lightning"...


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Hi Lars,

LOL! That's all I can say!

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Thanks everyone!


JR

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