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US Army Model 142 insecticide duster for delousing concentration camp survivors and soldiers

Object | Accession Number: 2004.53.1
2004.53.1 front US Army Model 142 insecticide duster for delousing concentration camp survivors and soldiers Click to enlarge

United States Army issued handheld insecticide dusting gun, Model 142, of the type used by US troops to delouse concentration camp survivors after liberation in 1945. The standard issued material used by the US Army for louse control was 10% DDT powder. Louse powder was placed in the canister and released through a pressurized hose. Air passes through the canister and the air tube tip when the control is pushed down. The powder was blown between the underwear and the skin, down the neck of the shirt, up the sleeves and into the trousers in as many directions as possible.

Date
manufacture:  1944
use:  approximately 1945 May
Geography
manufacture: Saint Paul (Minn.)
Language
English
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Category
Farming equipment
Object Type
Dust guns (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the United States Department of Agriculture ARS Medical and Veterinary Entomology Research Lab

About This Object

Physical Description
Green painted, silver colored, metal canister with a vertical seam and circular screw top lid. Attached to the lid top is a flat, metal bar with arched ends. Attached to the lid interior is a curved, semi-oval perforated metal filter. A tubelike spray nozzle is soldered to the top of the canister and extends over the lid. At the flat end of the canister is a cylindrical handle with a flat triangular base. An air tube extends from the canister and inserts into an opening near the upper edge of the handle base. It has a pointed tip to release air. There is a rod with a metal spring and circular end button which, when pressed down, releases air into the attached metal air tube that extends through a hole on the lower edge of the handle. The canister has paint loss, scratches, corrosion and adhesive residue from previously attached labels. It is missing the pressurized hose attachment.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 4.375 inches (11.113 cm) | Depth: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm)
Materials
overall : metal, paint
Markings
handle base, right side, embossed vertically : Model No. 142 CONTRACT NO . / DUST GUN – 1944 W – 12 – 036 - OM11424
handle base, left side, embossed vertically : DOBBINS MFG. CO. / NO. ST. PAUL . MINN – ELKHART. IND
Contributor
Manufacturer: Dobbins Manufacturing Company
Distributor: United States. Army

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The insecticide duster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Kenneth H. Posey, ex officio, for the United States Department of Agriculture ARS Medical and Veterinary Entomology Research Lab.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2019-12-05 20:47:10
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn514808

Also in United States Department of Agriculture ARS Medical and Veterinary Entomology Research Lab collection

The collection consists of two United States Army issued insecticide dusters of the type used in the concentration camps immediately following liberation during and after World War II.

US Army plunger-type insecticide duster for delousing concentration camp survivors and soldiers

US Army plunger-type insecticide duster for delousing concentration camp survivors and soldiers

Object

United States Army issued hand pump insecticide duster of the type used by US troops to delouse concentration camp survivors after liberation in 1945. The standard issued material used by the US Army for louse control was 10% DDT powder. Louse powder was placed in the canister and released through the spray nozzle when the hand pump was depressed. The powder was blown between the underwear and the skin, down the neck of the shirt, up the sleeves and into the trousers in as many directions as possible.

View All 2 Items in the Collection