This throat pump, probably dating from the 1920s, was used to spray iodine on infected throats. Iodine was discovered in 1812, by a Paris saltpeter manufacturer.  It was called “iode” after the color of its vapor (the Greek word “ioeides” means violet), and was first used to reduce goiters, which were a result of iodine deficiency.  Beginning in the 1870s, iodine was used as an antiseptic.