Livingstone medicine chest

Made:
1900-1910 in London
maker:
Burroughs Wellcome and Company Limited
Livingstone medicine chest Livingstone medicine chest
Livingstone medicine chest Livingstone medicine chest

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

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

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

Parts

Bottle of tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Bottle of tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, white pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt1
type:
bottle
Bottle of quinine tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Bottle of quinine tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, brown pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt2
type:
bottles
Bottle of ipecacuanha tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Bottle of ipecacuanha tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, beige pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt3
type:
bottles
Bottle of pepana tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Bottle of pepana tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 147 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, beige pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt4
type:
bottles
Bottle for soda-mint tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

Bottle for soda-mint tablets from Livingstone medicine chest

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 147 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass
Object Number:
A700016 Pt5
type:
bottles
Bottle of potassium permanganate

Bottle of potassium permanganate

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, brown residue
Object Number:
A700016 Pt6
type:
bottles
Bottle of ginger tablets

Bottle of ginger tablets

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, brown pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt7
type:
bottles
Bottle of laxative vegetable tablets

Bottle of laxative vegetable tablets

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, brown pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt8
type:
bottles
Bottle for quinine bisulphate

Bottle for quinine bisulphate

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

Measurements:
depth 43 mm
width 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass
Object Number:
A700016 Pt9
type:
bottles
Bottle for salol tablets

Bottle for salol tablets

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, white residue
Object Number:
A700016 Pt10
type:
bottles
Glass bottle of Aromatic Chalk Powder with Opium tablets

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.

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
178 g
Materials:
half-full , glass , opium and aromatic chalk
Object Number:
A700016 Pt11
type:
bottles and opium
Bottle of phenacetin tablets

Bottle of phenacetin tablets

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

Measurements:
length 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, white pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt12
type:
bottles
Bottle of pepana tablets

Bottle of pepana tablets

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

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 142 mm
Materials:
bottle, glass and contents, beige pills
Object Number:
A700016 Pt13
type:
bottles
Bottle of tablets

Bottle of tablets

Glass bottle of unknown purple tablets with loose glass stopper

Measurements:
width 43 mm
depth 43 mm
height 122 mm
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

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

Measurements:
length 40 mm
diameter 12 mm
Materials:
tube, plastic and contents, black powder
Object Number:
A700016 Pt15
type:
tubes
Padlock

Padlock

Padlock for fastening case

Measurements:
height 55 mm
width 32 mm
depth 9 mm
Materials:
steel
Object Number:
A700016 Pt16
type:
padlock
Livingstone medicine chest

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

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

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

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

Cloth 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:
A700016/21
type:
cloth

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