This Odd Cabinet Has a Secret
August 8, 2025
Source: Reddit
One tall, wood cabinet with a glass front, many glass panes, a tin chimney above and a rotating cylinder below might look like a decorative object. It is, however, an exquisite example of an antique chemical fume hood. Laboratories and pharmaceutical departments used this historical chemical fume hood in the early 20th century.
Design and Construction
The unit has 12 panes of glass that can go up and down in the vertical sliding window. It has two locking devices that allow for the glass to have a partially open position and to still contain the fumes from coming back to their working or breathing space. The wooden frames support the tin top chimney. It is designed for natural convection to take vapors up through the chimney and out of the building above.
The interior of the cabinet housed a rod with a rotating cylinder. I don’t know for sure what it was for, but it might have been for turning glass, mixing and/or evenly coating. It could have served for plastically forming, and the cross-bar added stability to the rotating cylinder. It could have supports to add even more equipment for mixing or processing.
Laboratory Use
These fume hoods would have been part of chemistry laboratories of universities and pharmaceutical fume hood works. The user would have been using acids, solvents and toxic vapours with little personal safety, or personal protective equipment (PPE). There was no expectation for powered ventilation or filtration. Emphasis was on durability and function.
Historical/Cultural Significance
The potential reason for rotating apparatus cannot be surmised, but the general purpose of the hood is evident. The construction infers the practicality of laboratory workplace at the time.
Today, an antique chemical fume hood potentially has historical value. Worn wood, handmade screws, and soot marks show the history of chemical usage. They also indicate where laboratory practices have evolved to perhaps safer methods for now and the future.
