BCMA Medical Museum

Object Description

Mahogany medicine chest, triptych style, with hinged lid and 2 doors in the front which swing open to reveal 2 draws in the front section and two smaller draws on each side of the door sections with ivory knob handles. The chest has compartments to hold 14 bottles, 3 large, 11 small. Of these 2 large and 2 small bottles are missing. The medicine bottles are hand blown with stoppers and the large bottle and 6 of the 9 smaller bottles have labels attached: prepared ginger, Goulard's extract [a solution of lead acetate and lead oxide], laudanum, paregoric elixir [a camphorated tincture of opium], spirits of nitre, oppodeldoc [a mixture of soap in alcohol, to which camphor and sometimes a number of herbal essences, most notably wormwood, were added] and ether. The latter 3 bottles are empty. Key missing.

Object Classification

Accession Number: 993.147.1
Collection: Materia Medica & Pharmacology
Date: c. 1820

Object Dimensions

• Length: 21.5 cm
• Height: 23.5 cm
• Width: 21.5 cm

Object Parts

• a) Mahogany chest with handle, hinges and double lock mechanism. Lid is lined with binding tape border
• b) Large bottle with stopper, label 'Prepared GINGER'
• c) Small bottle with stopper, label 'Goulard's Extract'
• d) Small bottle with stopper, 2 labels 'LAUDANUM POISON' & 'GROVES. Chemist & Co WEYMOUTH.'
• e) Small bottle with stopper, label 'PAREGORIC ELIXIR"
• f) Small bottle with stopper, label 'SPIRITS of NITRE'
• g) Small bottle with stopper, label 'ETHER'
• h) Small bottle with stopper, label 'Oppodeldoc'
• i) Small bottle with stopper
• j) Small bottle with stopper
• k) Small bottle with fragment of broken stopper
• l) Misc. item

Object Materials

• copper alloy,
• drug-liquid,
• drug-powder,
• glass,
• ivory,
• paper,
• poison-liquid,
• printing ink,
• steel,
• textile,
• velvet,
• wood

Acquisition Detail