Bottle of 'Livingstone Rousers', London, England, 1880-1990

Glass bottle of Livingstone Rousers, by Burroughs Wellcome, 1880-1900

‘Livingstone Rousers’ are named after the man who invented them – the famous explorer and missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873). Exploring Africa meant Europeans encountered illnesses that they were unused to, such as malaria. Livingstone prepared a treatment from quinine, jalap, rhubarb and calomel to combat fevers and malaria and to purge the body. A label on the bottle reads “From Stanley Expedition”. This may be a reference to Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), another famous explorer who had close links with Henry Wellcome. The tablets were made by Burroughs, Wellcome & Co until the 1920s.