Medicine bottles
Title
Medicine bottles
Description
Ranging from the eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, the College's collection of medicine bottles contains unguents, ointments, powders and balsams.
They include bottles from the medicine chest of Dr Stuart Threipland, used to treat patients during the 1745 Jacobite rising.
These medicines offer an intriguing glimpse into the type of treatments used during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how they were stored and transported by members of the medical profession during these periods.
They include bottles from the medicine chest of Dr Stuart Threipland, used to treat patients during the 1745 Jacobite rising.
These medicines offer an intriguing glimpse into the type of treatments used during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how they were stored and transported by members of the medical profession during these periods.
Date
18th - 19th century
Items in the Medicine bottles Collection
Carron Oil
Carron Oil, sold by A. Robertson, Chemist & Druggist, Markinch; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Carron oil is a soothing liquid blend of linseed oil and limewater that was often prescribed to treat burns and scalds. First developed in…
Spirit of Nitre
Spirit of Nitre, sold by Andrew Robertson, Chemist & Druggist, Markinch; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Spirit of Nitre, or Sweet Spirit of Nitre, is the popular term for the chemical compound ethyl nitrite. Ingested orally, spirit…
Chloroform Liniment
Chloroform Liniment, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Chemists to the Queen. Chloroform liniment is a cream or balm mixture of chloroform which was prescribed to relieve muscle pain and alleviate stiffness. In addition to its use as a topical…
Spirit of Sal Volatile
Spirit of Sal Volatile, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Co. Sal Volatile (volatile salts, smelling salts) is a mixture of ammonium carbonate and ammonia water. Spirit of Sal Volatile was a liquid ammonia solution, prescribed as an antispasmodic,…
Powdered Jalap
Powdered Jalap, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Chemists to her Majesty. Jalap is the name of the drug and the plant it comes from, traditionally grown in Mexico, India and Jamaica. Powdered jalap is made from the tuberous roots of the plant and…
Quinine
Quinine, sold by Andrew Robertson, Chemist and Druggist, Markinch; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Quinine is a powdered form of cinchona bark which can be administered orally or intravenously. Its use as a treatment for and vaccine…
Laudanum – Poison
Laudanum, sold by Andrew Robertson; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Laudanum is a bitter tasting tincture of opium which was primarily prescribed to treat coughs and relieve pain. Until the early twentieth century, it was possible to…
Concentrated Fluid Extract of Senna
Concentrated Fluid Extract of Senna, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Chemists to the Queen. Made from the leaves and fruit of the Senna plant, Senna can be administered in tablets or as a liquid (termed “fluid extract” or “concentrated…
Cold Drawn Castor Oil
A yellow liquid distilled from castor beans, it was believed that cold drawn castor oil, produced by pressing the beans without the use of heat or other chemicals, was of higher quality than regular castor oil. In the nineteenth century, castor oil…
English Paregoric Elixir
English Paregoric Elixir, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Company. “Paregoric” is a camphorated tincture of opium, sometimes containing additional ingredients such as benzoic acid, aniseed oil, honey and alcohol. Paregoric medicines such as this…