From: joshuasattic.com
This is an extremely large irrigator made out of pewter and marked on the rim "HD/US" meaning "Hospital Department/ United States." Internal leather plungers seal off the inner cavity so that liquids and gels could be forced out tip by ramming down on the wooden plunger.
This was used for larger body cavities and could even have been employed in the Veterinary Care of the Cavalry's horses (hopefully not on two species in the same day!)... Without an effective use of electricity yet during the American Civil War, equipment was literally hand-driven with elbow-grease. Thus, both suction effects and washing procedures were done with such pieces of equipment. Imagine a wounded or sick soldier's dread when seeing the physician carrying such a big metal human plunger toward you! Some might claim that staying sick was the better option!
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