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MEDICINES
Various medicines were used for a wide
variety of reasons, although few were very effective. Medicines were used
to counteract the effects of inflammation, to induce purging or vomiting,
as stimulants or as sedatives. Unfortunately, many of these medicines were
poisonous and if taken in large doses, would be fatal.
Some of the more common types of medicines used at the time included:
- Anesthetics
such as ether
- Anodynes
or narcotic pain relievers such as opium and morphine.
- Antiperiodics such
as quinine and arsenic which were used to stop the recurring fevers of malaria.
Quinine was a successful treatment, but arsenic was a poison, mistakenly
thought
to cure malaria because workers in a copper smelting plant were found to
be free of the disease in an area where malaria existed in epidemic proportions.
It was thought that the workers had benefited from ingesting the arsenic
fumes, when what had in fact happened
was that the arsenic had killed off the mosquitoes in the area.
- Astringents
which helped blood to clot and decreased hemmorhaging.
- Cathartics or purgatives
such as calomel which had the same effect as a laxative. Calomel
though was a mercury based poison which did more harm than good. Harmful
effects
included tooth loss, painful and bleeding gums, and mouth ulcers. Even more
serious, it
could cause cell damage and tissue loss which could lead to a deformity
or a disabling injury.
- Depressants or sedatives
which calmed or tranquilized.
- Diaphoretics
and sudorifics
which induced sweating.
- Diuretics
which increased urination.
- Emetics
which induced vomiting.
- Emollients which
softened or soothed the skin or an irritated area beneath the surface of
the skin.
- Escahrotics
which were used to destroy or cauterize infected tissue.
- Expectorants
which produced saliva.
- Rubefacients
such as cantarhides which were used to produce redness and blistering of
the skin.
- Stimulants
such as brandy, gin, wine, whisky rum and spirits of ammonia. A stimulant
was a substance that excited a part of the body to normal activity.
- Tonics-a
class of medicines believed to have the power to restore normal tone to
tissue.
Of all these different medications, only a few were actually effective.
Quinine actually did help cure malaria. Ether did put you to sleep and morphine
and opium were effective pain killers, although they were addictive and
often, in the long run, destructive. Every other medicine which was used
had either no effect or was detrimental to the patient;
The following medicines are available for
use as props at Fort Scott National Historic Site. The bottles and labels
are authentic reproductions but do not contain the real medicines.
The
following bottles are in our apothecary
- Alcohol
was used as a stimulant and as a rubefacient to induce blistering.
- Spirits of ammonia
was inhaled as a stimulant. It was diluted and used internally to prevent
spasms.
- Cough mixture
was used for coughs and could contain glycerine (a syrupy
liquid that is used to soothe irritated skin), vinegar,
herbs, gum arabic (a gum which in liquid form is used
to reduce inflammation), and whisky.
- Ether
- Developed during the Mexican War. Used as an anesthetic. Ether was a safe
anesthetic, but it smelled bad and was slow acting. Chloroform
was developed later, but it
had to be used sparingly or it would cause vomiting.
- lpecac -
A strong emetic that stimulates vomiting. It was also used as a stimulant,
diaphoretic (to induce sweating) and an expectorant. It was often mixed
with opium to be used as a painkiller and a diaphoretic. This mixture was
called Dover's powder.
- Lead Acetate-used
to treat dysentery in the 1840s. It was an astringent used to stop
bleeding, but was also poisonous.
- Opium and Morphine
- Used for pain relief and muscle relaxation. Opium was also
used for dysentery.
- Quinine
- Made from cinchona tree bark - specific for malaria. Used for
all types of fevers, but was only effective on malaria.
- Sodium chlorate-used
to cool the skin and as a skin wash. Taken internally as a diuretic.
- Oil of Turpentine
was used internally as a stimulant, to kill intestinal worms, and as a
purgative. It could be used externally as a blistering agent.
- Creasote
was used externally as an antiseptic-it helped to stop bleeding and destroyed
infected tissue. Taken internally it could be used as an expectorant which
loosened up
phlegm.
- Black Tea
was used as a stimulant and to soothe abdominal discomforts.
- Glycerine-used
primarily to soothe skin but was also used in cough syrup.
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These
bottles are in our Brooks and Brothers medical bag
- Ammonia Water-used
as a stimulant, an antacid, to induce sweating and externally-as a blistering
agent.
- Alum-used
to clot blood. to induce vomiting and purging and to prevent spasms. Also
used
as a mouthwash and gargle for mouth ulcers.
- Beef Extract-a
nutrient used in cases of diarrhea and dysentary.
- Coffee Extract-a
stimulant used in cases of diarrhea and dysentary.
- Ferric Sulphate-used
to clot blood and was also used as a tonic in solution form.
- Liniment-used
to relieve skin irritations which sometimes included blistering in order
to
bring irritated areas beneath the skin to the surface.
- Silver Nitrate-used
internally as a tonic, for gastric or stomach discomfort, and to prevent
spasms associated with epilepsy and other spasmodic diseases. Used externally
as a
blistering agent, to cauterize wounds, and in the treatment of gangrene.
- Spirit of Nitrous
Ether-induces urination and sweating and also used as an antispasmodic.
- Tannic Acid-Internally
used to combat diarrhea and used externally as an astringent or
blood clotting agent.
- Tincture of Ferric
Chloride-potent tonic and diuretic
- White Sugar-
used as a nutrient, an antiseptic, and to relieve irritation of mucous membranes.
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Information for this section was taken from Civil
War Medicine: An Illustrated History
by Mark J. Schaadt, M.D.(used by permission) and from
Civil War Medicine:
1861-65 by
C. Keith Wilbur. M.D (used by permission).
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