Livingstone medicine chest

Made:: 1900-1910 in London

maker:: Burroughs Wellcome and Company Limited

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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

"Livingstone" medicine chest, used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century

This battered medicine chest was taken by Algot Lane, a Swedish-American explorer, on his 1911 expedition to the Amazon jungle in Brazil. Lange wrote a book about his exploration of the area in 1912 called In the Amazon Jungle: Adventures in the Remote Areas of the Upper Amazon Basin. Unsurprisingly, the chest contains a large amount of quinine to help prevent and treat malaria, which was common in that area.

The medicine chest was advertised as the ‘Livingstone’ chest after David Livingstone (1813-1873). It was made by Burroughs, Wellcome & Co, who provided medicine chests suitable for a wide range of expeditions – these were often provided free of charge for publicity reasons. It is pictured here with another ‘Livingstone’ medicine from the same expedition (A700027).

Details

Category:: Materia Medica & Pharmacology

Collection:: Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection

Object Number:: A700016

Materials:: case, wood, case, felt and case, leather

Measurements:: overall: 240 mm x 377 mm x 120 mm, 4.28kg

type:: medicine chest

credit:: Loan, Wellcome Trust

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Parts

Bottle of tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Glass bottle of coloured tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, white pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt1

type:: bottle

Bottle of quinine tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Glass bottle of quinine bisulphate tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, brown pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt2

type:: bottles

Bottle of ipecacuanha tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Glass bottle of ipecacuanha tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, beige pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt3

type:: bottles

Bottle of pepana tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Glass bottle of `pepana' tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, beige pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt4

type:: bottles

Bottle for soda-mint tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Glass bottle for soda-mint tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass

Object Number:: A700016 Pt5

type:: bottles

Bottle of potassium permanganate

Glass bottle of potassium permanganate with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, brown residue

Object Number:: A700016 Pt6

type:: bottles

Bottle of ginger tablets

Glass bottle of ginger tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, brown pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt7

type:: bottles

Bottle of laxative vegetable tablets

Glass bottle of laxative vegetable tablets with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, brown pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt8

type:: bottles

Bottle for quinine bisulphate

Glass bottle for quinine bisulphate tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass

Object Number:: A700016 Pt9

type:: bottles

Bottle for salol tablets

Glass bottle for salol tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, white residue

Object Number:: A700016 Pt10

type:: bottles

Glass bottle of Aromatic Chalk Powder with Opium tablets

Glass bottle with flat glass stopper half-full of Tabloid brand Aromatic Chalk Powder with Opium compressed tablets ( Pulv. Cretae Aromat. cum Opio). 142 mm x 43 mm x 43 mm, 178 g. By Burroughs Wellcome, English, 1900-1910.

Materials:: half-full , glass , opium and aromatic chalk

Object Number:: A700016 Pt11

type:: bottles and opium

Bottle of phenacetin tablets

Glass bottle of phenacetin tablets, with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, white pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt12

type:: bottles

Bottle of pepana tablets

Glass bottle of `pepana' tablets with glass stopper, by Burroughs Wellcome, English

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, beige pills

Object Number:: A700016 Pt13

type:: bottles

Bottle of tablets

Glass bottle of unknown purple tablets with loose glass stopper

Materials:: bottle, glass and contents, purple tablets

Object Number:: A700016 Pt14

type:: bottles

Plastic tube containing unknown black powder

Plastic tube containing unknown black powder, in flap in case lid

Materials:: tube, plastic and contents, black powder

Object Number:: A700016 Pt15

type:: tubes

Padlock

Padlock for fastening case

Materials:: steel

Object Number:: A700016 Pt16

type:: padlock

Livingstone medicine chest

Case from "Livingstone" medicine chest, used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century

Materials:: case, wood , case, felt and case, leather

Object Number:: A700016/17

type:: case

Black pills from Livingstone medicine chest

Loose round black pills, some in powdered form from 'Livingstone Medicine Chest', used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century

Materials:: case, wood , case, felt and case, leather

Object Number:: A700016/18

type:: materia medica

Pills from Livingstone medicine chest

Loose round brown pills, some in powdered form from 'Livingstone Medicine Chest', used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century

Materials:: case, wood , case, felt and case, leather

Object Number:: A700016/19

type:: materia medica

Pills from Livingstone medicine chest

Loose round brown pills, from 'Livingstone Medicine Chest', used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century

Materials:: case, wood , case, felt and case, leather

Object Number:: A700016/20

type:: materia medica

Cloth from Livingstone medicine chest

Cloth from 'Livingstone Medicine Chest', used by Algot Lange on the Amazon expedition of 1911, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., English, early 20th century