Packet containing "Tabloid" quinine and camphor tablets

Packet containing "Tabloid" quinine and camphor tablets, prepared by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., London, 1924-1950

Quinine derived from cinchona tree bark and camphor from the tree of the same name are combined in these pills. They were marketed as a decongestant to help relieve blocked or stuffy noses, particularly during the winter months when colds and flu are more likely.

Quinine is associated with the treatment of malaria but was thought to have fever reducing qualities, which have since been disproved. Camphor laurel is a tree from South East Asia but the solid substance can also be produced synthetically from turpentine. The solid substance is often round in preparation for joint and ache pains and skin preparations for the chest to ease coughs.

Tabloid was the brand name invented by the Burrous Wellcome *& Co pharmaceutical company to advertise their compressed pills.