Title: Gourd cup

Identifier: Country Doctor Museum   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/14367)

Description: Drinking after someone who is sick is a bad idea, because germs can be left on the rim of the cup. Dr. Henderson Irwin knew not to drink after those who were sick, so he made a drinking cup that he carried with him when visiting his patients. The cup is shaped from a hollowed out gourd and has a handle made of wood. Gourd cups were common during Dr. Irwin’s day and have been used in many cultures both as a drinking cup and as a ceremonial object. Dr. Irwin worked as a country doctor in Eureka, North Carolina from 1914 to 1958.