Pacifier

A pacifier (American English), dummy (United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries and Ireland), binky or soother (Canadian English), and teether (Philippine English) is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple given to an infant or other young child to suck upon. In its standard appearance it has a teat, mouth shield, and handle. The mouth shield and/or the handle is large enough to avoid the danger of the child choking on it or swallowing it.

History

Pacifiers were cited for the first time in medical literature in 1473, being described by German physician Bartholomäus Metlinger in his book Kinderbüchlein, retitled on later editions as Regiment der jungen Kinder ("A Guide on Young Children").

In England in the 17th–19th centuries, a coral meant a teething toy made of coral, ivory or bone, often mounted in silver as the handle of a rattle. A museum curator has suggested that these substances were used as "sympathetic magic" and that the animal bone could symbolize animal strength to help the child cope with pain.