Pastille jar for Linseed and Chlorodyne

Large glass drug jar (lid missing) for Linseed and Chlorodyne (morphine and chloroform) pastilles, now empty. 170 mm x 125 mm diameter. Painted label is detatched. Unknown maker, English, late nineteenth century

Made up of a mixture of chloroform, morphine, cannabis and alcohol, chlorodyne was developed by Dr John Collis Brown in the 1840s, originally to treat cholera. It became used as a cure-all for its powerful painkilling qualities but was addictive. Many pharmacists made their own versions of the mixture, combining it with ingredients such as linseed to make treatments for coughs, and asthma.