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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
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LicenseMedicine chest by Burroughs Wellcome, owned by Sir James Reid
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Medicine chest by Burroughs Wellcome, owned by Sir James Reid, physician to Queen Victoria from 1881 until her death.
Sir James Reid (1849-1923) was personal physician to Queen Victoria from 1881 until her death in 1901. The leather chest contains a range of medication, including opium-based painkillers, laxatives and Dover’s powders, which were a remedy for colds.
The drugs and medicine chest were made by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co, who supplied a wide range of medicine chests and first aid kits often to influential people and explorers in a shrewd attempt to promote the product. It is pictured here with another Burroughs, Wellcome & Co chest (1981-1008).
Glass, circle based bottle with cork stopper covered in chamois leather. Paper label around bottle. To contain Soloid brand of tablets of Lead and Opium Lotion. Soloids are dissolved in water to make the lotion.
Glass bottle with leather covering containing Chlorodyne (morphine and chloroform). 105 mm x 37 mm x 37 mm, 121g. Label reads, ' CHLORODYNE/ For Coughs, Colds, Bronchitis, Neuralgia,/ Dysentery, Cholera, Diarrhoea/...' Prepared by Hooper and Company, London, 1881-1923.
Glass phial with cork stopper of Tabloid brand 5 gr. Aromatic Chalk Powder with Opium tablets. 112 mm x 20 mm diameter, 44 g. Made by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co., London, 1881-1923.
Glass phial with cork stopper and chamois covering of Tabloid brand Bismuth and Dover Powder (opium and ipecac) pills. 110 mm x 24 mm diameter, 70 g. Made by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., London, 1881-1923.
Glass phial with cork stopper half-full of Tabloid brand Dover Powder compressed tablets. 107 mm x 20 mm diameter, 28 g. Made by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., London, 1910-1925.
Glass phial with cork stopper and chamois covering of Camphor Compound Tincture (paregoric) tablets, complete. 110 mm x 20 mm diameter, 37 g. Made by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., London, 1881-1923.
Glass bottle with cork stopper, covered in chamois leather and with paper label around bottle. To contain Tabloid brand of 'Grey powder' (containing mercury and chalk) with opium tablets. Grey powder was commonly used to treat syphalis, though it unknown if this was the use of the combined grey powder and opium.
Glass vial with cork stopper containing approximately 12 tabloid hypodermic tablets consisting of 1/4 grain of cocaine hydrochloride. 'Cocaine is the oldest local anaesthetic but because of systemic toxic effects and the danger of causing addiction use is now almost entirely restricted to opthalmic surgery and surgery of the ear nose and throat' (Martindale, 25th ed 1967). Morphine is a powerful analgesic and narcotic but it also has central stimulant actions.
Small glass vial with cork stopper containing approximately 10 tabloid opthalmic tablets consisting of 1/200 grain of atropine hydrobromide and 1/200 grain of cocaine hydrochloride. 'Cocaine is the oldest local anaesthetic but because of systemic effects and the danger of causing addiction its use is now almost entirely restricted to opthalmic surgery and surgery of the ear nose and throat' (Martindale, 25th ed 1967). Atropine is a stimulant.
Clear glass bottle, with paper labels and cork stopper, with a leather chamois covering, containing 'Soloid' Brand Naso-Pharyngeal Compound. The tablets are labelled a poison since they contain cocaine hydrochloride, the rest of the ingredients are The directions state; 'One powdered and dissolved in one to three ounces of tepid water, forms a solution of suitable strength for sniffing up the nostrils, and for use as a gargle or spray'. The bottle dates from between 1884-1917.
Glass, circle based bottle with cork stopper covered in chamois leather. Paper label around bottle. To contain Tabloid brand of Kino compound powder tablets consisting of the ingredients, kino powder, opium powder and cinnamon bark powder. Kino is dried juice of Pterocarpus Marsupium. The key ingredient of kino is kinotanic acid which is an astrigent.
Glass phial with kid covering containing Compound Tincture of Chloroform and Morphine (Chlorodyne). 110 mm x 22 mm diameter, 35 g. Manufactured by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co., London, 1881-1923.
Glass aseptic hypodermic syringe with leather case, including paper instruction two Tabloid tablets
