Kelly,
"Widespread medical use of unprocessed opium continued through the American
Civil War before giving way to morphine and its successors, which could be
injected at a precisely controlled dosage. American morphine is still
produced primarily from poppies grown and processed in India in the
traditional manner, and remains the standard of pain relief for casualties
of war"....sorry but this is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium but it
is accurate
I just wanted to point out to you that you might want to expand your
research to include morphine.
Here is an excerpt from a report I wrote about an Urban property in Newark,
New Jersey dating to the mid 19th century.
"the most common type of medicine reflected among the bottles found within
the privy shaft was Mrs. Winslow's soothing syrup. This concoction,
represented by no less than five bottles, was produced commercially by the
firm of Curtis & Perkins in New York City from 1854 until around 1880 (White
1974:60-61). Bottled soothing syrup was first used as a palliative for
teething babies as early as 1835 by Mrs. Charlotte N. Winslow, a physician
and nurse. Mrs. Winslow's son-in-law, Jeremiah Curtis, and his business
partner, Benjamin Perkins, began distributing the syrup on a wider scale
around 1849 (Fike 1987:231). Important ingredients in the syrup were sodium
carbonate, spirits of foeniculi, and aqua ammonia, but the syrup achieved
its soothing effect through one key constituent, morphine, typically
included at a dosage of around 65 mg of morphine per fluid ounce. The
soothing syrup was supposed to be administered a few drops at a time;
however, numerous child deaths from overdoses of the soothing medicines were
soon being reported in the newspapers. Nevertheless, Curtis & Perkins
continued to market the product through lush advertisements of mothers and
children on calendars, trade cards and in an annual book of recipes (Digger
Odell Publications 2006a). One advertisement for Mrs. Winslow's Soothing
Syrup read: "For children teething. Greatly facilitates the process of
Teething, by softening the gums, reducing all inflammation; will allay ALL
PAIN and spasmodic action, and is SURE TO REGULATE THE BOWELS. Depend on
it, Mothers, it will give rest to yourselves and RELIEF AND HEALTH TO YOUR
INFANTS. Sold by all chemists, at 1s 1/2d per bottle" (Mrs. Winslow's
Soothing Syrup 2006).
The appearance of five bottles of soothing syrup in the fill of the privy
shaft at 373 Ogden Street is curious. This is perhaps a greater number of
bottles than one might reasonably expect from the rearing of children within
the residential space of this property. One wonders whether the syrup was
perhaps used to "spike" drinks in the saloon or if someone living at 373
Ogden Street may have been addicted to morphine. More obviously
child-related artifacts found within the privy fill include typical
19th-century toys, such as dolls and marbles. These items were perhaps lost
in the privy by children living in the residential quarters above the
saloon.
Bill Liebeknecht, MA
Principal Investigator
Hunter Research, Inc.
Trenton, New Jersey
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Levy,
Philip
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 8:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Opium Bottles Query
Hello all,
This query is from a friend of mine researching opium use in 19th America. I
offered her some leads, but I thought the list would be a great resource.
Here below is her inquiry, and thanks in advance for your input.
Phil Levy
"I am researching opium and laudanum use in early America -- who was using
it, how much they used, etc. For this reason, I am interested in relevant
sites, site reports, scholarship, and artifact assemblages, such as (but
certainly not limited to) sites with discarded opium bottles. I am
especially interested in the era before 1861. All information and
suggestions are welcome. If you have any suggestions, please contact me
offlist at [log in to unmask] Thank you very much! -- Kelly Gray, Towson
University"
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