Medicine chest with bottles

Object/Artifact

-

Historic Hudson Valley

Name/Title

Medicine chest with bottles

Entry/Object ID

SS.61.53 a-p

Description

Medicine case: chest itself of solid piece of maple, with 31 round holes of varying diameters; solid carved lid, attached by brass hinges, with brass hook and eye external catch; on upper surface of lid, silver plate; inside of lid lined with 19th century paper: green, pink, gold, white arabesques, with central medallion (oval) containing 1/2 length seated figure of lady, with hat, in dark grey and red, with applied sequins, etc., on dark grey gown; each hole in box labeled with name of drug; contains 15 labeled glass phials, some with corks, some with contents and corks; one (arsenium) broken off in situ; left to right; in column, holes are labeled in black ink: "Aconite, Belladonna, Nux Vomica/Arsenium, Arnica, Arnica-Tincture, illegible, /Calcarea, Carbo-Veg., Cina, Cham/China, Colchicum, Coffea, Dulcamara/, Hepar,Sulph., Hyoseyamus, Ipecacuanha, Kali Bichrom./Lach., Merc.viv., Opium, Pulsalilla./Phosphorus, Rhus tox., Sepia, Stannium,/Sulphur, Ignatis, Spongia, Veratrum; on edge of chest, at rear, "Lamdon, Vt., July 27th.1852." On silver plate, faintly scratched in, "J Scott Glouc "(?).

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Unknown

Attribution

Maker

Date made

circa 1852

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Transcription

See description

Other Names and Numbers

Other Numbers

SP 7935
SS.61.53 A-P
SS.61.53a-p

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Chest

Height

2-5/8 in

Width

3-1/2 in

Length

6-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 2 5/8 x 3 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (6.7 x 8.9 x 16.5 cm)

Dimension Description

Phials

Height

1-3/4 in

Diameter

1 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 1 3/4 x 1 in. (4.4 x 2.5 cm)

Material

Glass, Maple, Silver Electro plated, Paper, brass, Cork

Condition

Notes

Remarks: Details of Condition: Many bottles missing.

General Notes

Note Type

Curatorial Remarks

Note

Miscellaneous: Many of the drugs originally stored in the container are chemicals or compounds familiar today - aconite (a deadly poison derived from a fall-blooming crocus-like bulb); arsenic, belladonna, nux vomica, arnica, ipecac, opium, sulphur, phosphorus, mercury, etc. Others, however, are puzzles to non-chemists: what might have been termed "China"? was "Spongia" actually sponge and what was its medical use? "Ignatis", with its reference to fire is interesting, too. Perhaps oddest of all, "Rhus tox.", which surely must stand for "Rhus toxicodendron", the botanical name for a variety of poison oak.

Note Type

General Note

Note

bottles miss

Note Type

StorageNote

Note

Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Sunnyside, Irving's Bedroom