Stubby oversize novelty pens were a popular pre-WW2 import item in the United States. Most are flat-top eyedropper-fillers, but one also will find lever-fillers, rounded ends, and combos. . .
For some time now, American collectors have been repeating a story that these pens were originally invented for the use of arthritis-stricken writers. I have always doubted this tale, inasmuch as these were clearly cheap and cheerful novelty items, and no mention of arthritic hands is to be found in any of the US importers' catalog listings. Just to make certain, however, I recently posed the question to one of the leading Japanese pen authorities -- who, it turned out, had never heard of this story, and did not hesitate to debunk it.
Read the rest of the story here, along with an explanation of the myth's origins.