They called it the "carbolic smoke ball": a rubber sphere small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, with a large nozzle to inhale from.
Created in the 19th century, the ball was billed by its creator, Frederick Augustus Roe, as a miracle cure that would prevent its users from contracting an epidemic-causing disease.
Roe proclaimed that the contents of his device – a white substance known as carbolic acid – would prevent its users from contracting influenza.
