Good for flask of Koumys
Alph. Lagnel - Paris - Alimentation Hygiénique (Hygienic food)
Brass round, 21.5 mm

Koumys is a drink native of Central Asia, it is made on base of milk fermented of mare, she-ass, she-camel, where, in the time which interests us (years 1900-1920), and in our countries, in base of cow's milk. It was used in sanatoriums, notably in France, in England and in Kazakhstan. It is a sort of yoghourt, that has its counterpart almost everywhere, as, for example, Kwass in Russia, Kefir in the Middle East, or the "Lait Ribot" in Brittany...

At the following link, a text on the diet followed in a German sanatorium at the beginning of the XXth century : http://chemphys.u-strasbg.fr/~baud/droit-science/theses/guilbert/guilbert-323/guilbert-th-3.2.308.html

Below a text borrowed from the American Journal of Pharmacy of 1898 about the preparation of Koumys :

A preparation of Koumys maybe made, according to the Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette for August, as follows: Fill a quart champagne bottle to the neck with pure cow's milk; add two tablespoonfuls of white sugar, first dissolving it in a little water by the aid of heat; add also a quarter of a two-cent cake of yeast. Then securely fasten the cork in the bottle and shake the mixture well; place it in a room having a temperature of from 70º to 80º F. for six hours and finally in an ice-box for about twelve hours. It is then ready for use and may be taken in quantities varying with the requirements of the stomach and general condition of the patient. In preparing koumys it is well to make sure that the milk is pure, that the bottle is sound and the yeast is fresh. The bottle should be opened with great care on account of the effervescent properties of the mixture, and the latter should be discarded and not drunk at all if there is any curdle or thickened masses resembling cheese, as these indicate that the fermentation has been prolonged beyond the proper time. It should be prepared as required for use. The virtue of koumys resides in the fact that it nourishes, refreshes and stimulates, with no subsequent reaction from its effects. Koumys contains some alcohol, with fat, casein, lactic acid and carbonic acid gas. The cost is about fifteen cents per quart, including the bottle.- The Medical Age , 1898, P. 540.

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