This beech wood cane or walking stick has a doctor's pomander as the grip. It is a sterling, spherical device with a brass capped opening at the top, accessed by screwing it off the top of the shaft. A sponge is still within the grip, where vinegar was generally used when a doctor entered a sick room.

Weight (Lbs): 0.5
Height (In.): 39
Width (In.): 1.75
Depth (In.): 1.75
Size: 352.5 x 4.0 x 4.0"
Maker: Unknown
Material: Beech, Iron, Brass
Date: 19th C.
Provenance:
Condition: No noticed damage or breaks to the shaft or grip. Mild darkening of the metal, slight rubbing on the shaft.
History: Canes were a popular accessory to the fashion minded far more than as an actual ambulatory aid during the 18th and 19th Centuries, dying out as a stable by the early 20th Century. Interestingly, the size of the ferrule, the metal cap on the base of a cane, is a fairly accurate measure of dating the cane, as by the 18th century, it began to shorten with the advent of maintained road systems and paved paths.