Browse Artefacts (75 total)

This bottle contains a dark brown liquid.

Probably one of the most well-known medicinal substances of the 18th and 19th centuries, laudanum was largely composed of opium and alcohol. It was commonly used as a sedative but was also prescribed as an…

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…

Liniment Opii, or Opium Liniment, sold by A. Robertson, Chemist & Druggist, Markinch; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Opium Liniment is a cream or balm mixture of opium which was prescribed to relieve muscle pain and alleviate…

Mistura Antifebrifuge, labelled by Sir Stuart Threipland in his medicine chest as ‘Mis. Antifeb’. Mistura antifebrifuge was a mixture effective against fevers which often worked by reducing the body temperature. It is unclear which ingredients…

A small cylindrical medicine vial with screw top lid labelled ‘Nitro-Glycerin Comp.’. The vial is filled with a number of greyish pills that, according to the label, consist of Nitro-Glycerin 1-100 gr., Tr. Digitalis 2 min., Tr. Strophanthus 2…

A cylindrical bottle with a wooden stopper containing Nux Vomica, prepared by a homeopathic chemist Joseph James, Promenade Place, Cheltenham, who had worked for Arthur Guinness M.D. and undertook the company and changed the name to Joseph James…

Powdered Peruvian Bark (Cinchona), labelled by Sir Stuart Threipland in his medicine chest as ‘Pul C: Peruvia’.

When mixed with milk, water or wine, powdered Peruvian bark created a drink which relieved pain and fevers. This will have been…

A cylindrical bottle with a wooden stopper containing Phosphorus, prepared by a homeopathic chemist Joseph James, Promenade Place, Cheltenham, was apprenticed to a homeopathic chemist called Edwin Wheeler and within a few years bought Mr Wheeler’s…

A cylindrical bottle with a wooden stopper containing Podophyllum Peltatum, prepared by a homeopathic chemist Joseph James, Promenade Place, Cheltenham, who was apprenticed to a homeopathic chemist called Edwin Wheeler and within a few years bought…

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…