Previous photo Riverside Hospital (North Brother Island) | Typhus Next photo
Meal

Meal

Cans of barium meal sat on a dusty shelf; the substance was ingested to trace gastrointestinal problems using x-rays. Picker was one of the leading x-ray equipment manufacturers from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Bookmark and Share More info
comments

Please remember that the comments posted here are not the opinions of opacity.us or its affiliates.

Tasty!
yuk, I wonder if that stuff was better back in the day, as opposed to being injected with dye today.... ( I'm sure it tasted horrible)
unbelievable that is crazy that back in the day u would drink this yuck .. wonder what damage that did to the body as time went on
do they still use that ?
Acutually Barium or Barium Sulfate Suspension is still used today, It is used for x-ray, CT (CAT scan), along with the iodine based dyes that are injected through IV lines.
I thought barium was a carcinogen!
Either way, Mr. Door describes it well. LOL!
Yum-O!!!!!!!
hey kids....guess whats for dinner tonight?
oy. I had to drink barium once....the newer stuff, not THAT. I aint THAT old!!! It wasn't THAT bad, just thick.....blech.....

Cool pic, Motts...
That's totally insane.... can't be any worse then Buckley's cold syrup! That is the nastiest stuff on earth. (But it works really well) Course it might just be cold here in Canada.
It tastes like chalk, fracking disgusting...
Hey guys, think we can take what's left and make some biscuits?
throw a little salt in there and fry it and i'm sure it would taste just fine.
I love this kind of stuff as opposed to the writings on the walls. Anyone at anytime could have written all that. It's nice to believe it's authentic to a time frame but more than likely it's not. These cans on the other hand whisper out "I've been here since the last human hands put me here. Ain't I cool?!?"
aceofspades70 and Matt:

Let me know how that turns out, guys.
did you taste any of it? :)

some say that wine taste better when you leave it alone for a while, I wonder if it is the same for the barium meal
Could be your "last" meal!
This is a great shot of a true artifact...thanks again for the info about it and it's maker - that is what sets you apart, Motts!
We use that today in the animal hospital for what is known as a "barium series" Taking x-rays every 15 mins
My wife has had to drink the barium mix several times for x-rays due to a liver disorder. She said that it tastes horrible and makes you feel as if you have to poo badly.
On another note great pics Motts!
Mmmmmm, Barium....
yummy..............><
need to poop?
Malt-o-Meal prototype?
under each can is a time capsule
think about it
If you do decide to try some of that stuff, make sure you go to the MORGUE and not the kitchen!
MMMMMMMMMM
we had a 50 gallon drum of this stuff at the hospital where i went to x-ray school. it was pepto-bismal pink!
we used it for the barium enemas- large intestine- (yikes!), upper GI series- look at the stomach- (drink a couple of cups) & small bowel series - small inetstines-(drink a few more cups).
-mink-
This stuff is still in use today and used how mink describes as a swallowed contrasting agent for digestive studies. Normally this is used along with flouroscopy to help the doctor watch the progress of the contrast through the patient. As few few vets have flouro and in days before flouro rad exposures at interval can also be used and the films developed and viewed.
Urgh! That stuff still tastes horrible!
That give new meaning to the term "Nuclear food"
barium meal: it's what's for dinner.
Uh...

You get a choice of 2 sides with your barium meal...

Eeeech I can imagine what this would taste like. Where is the POOK bucket??

Comments pertaining to real location names, methods of entering the property, promotions or advertisements, off-topic discussion and general flaming, as well as those submitted under various aliases are subject to immediate deletion and your ip address being banned from this website. By submitting your comment you agree to these terms. Visit the forum for off-topic and general discussion. To prevent your comment from being removed and to help keep this site uncluttered, please read more about comments on opacity.

Memories and stories from past employees, visitors or patients are gratefully welcomed, they help keep these places alive!

 
Previous photo Riverside Hospital (North Brother Island) | Typhus Next photo