{"id":903,"date":"2013-06-05T20:00:21","date_gmt":"2013-06-06T00:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richmondheritage.ca\/?p=903"},"modified":"2013-06-05T20:05:48","modified_gmt":"2013-06-06T00:05:48","slug":"richmond-remedies-in-the-1820s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.richmondheritage.ca\/index.php\/richmond-remedies-in-the-1820s\/","title":{"rendered":"Richmond Remedies in the 1820’s:"},"content":{"rendered":"

Examining the Invoices of George Lyon`s \u00a0Store<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"historical_ALLSPICE(PIMENTO)\"<\/a>
Allspice was
Purchased in large amounts
courtesy
UCLA-Spices as Meds <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In today\u2019s world of modern medicine, we take for granted that a quick trip to the doctor\u2019s office will cure our illnesses.\u00a0 However, things were quite different in the early 1800s.\u00a0 Settlers were susceptible to the normal aches and pains of the time.\u00a0 This could include respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, rheumatism, and even malaria.\u00a0 A visit to the doctor (if one was available) was a rare occurrence.\u00a0 So how did the early Upper Canadian pioneers deal with illness?<\/p>\n

Through his contact with Montreal suppliers, Richmond merchant<\/a>, George Lyon <\/a>had access to traditional remedies such as spices from the Caribbean, as well as patent medicines and the most advanced new products from the large pharmaceutical companies of the day. A review of the suppliers\u2019 invoices reveals a most interesting saga in the history of medical practices of the day.<\/p>\n

From as early as 1820, George Lyon was purchasing spices from Montreal grocer Daniel Fisher.\u00a0 The pages of the Lyon Store\u2019s invoice book show the purchase of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice.\u00a0 From early times right into the twenty-first century, some spices have been used for cooking and\/or food preservation.\u00a0 However, all of them had various medicinal properties that were used extensively by the early pioneers.\u00a0 (An explanation of their historical uses may be found on the UCLA website<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

While the total amount of each spice purchased varied, there are some surprising anomalies.\u00a0 Lyon purchased at least 4 lbs. of cinnamon, 1\u00a0lbs. of nutmeg, 13 lbs. of ginger, 1 lb. of cloves and 49 lbs. of allspice.\u00a0 Why was there only one small order for cloves and such a large amount of allspice?<\/p>\n

In their investigation of spices in \u201cMedicinal Plants<\/a>\u201d<\/span> published in 1880, Robert Bentley and Henry Trimen stated that allspice could be used for the same purposes as cloves. If indeed this theory was widely accepted, the fact that cloves were far more expensive than allspice (six shillings a pound versus slightly more than one shilling a pound) could account for the preference.<\/p>\n

From 1820 to 1825 Lyon bought various patent medicines from Hedge & Lyman of Montreal.\u00a0 This firm had evolved from the drug company begun by Lewis Lyman in 1800 and was later to become a major Canadian pharmaceutical company. \u00a0As with everything purchased by Lyon, we don\u2019t know which products were for his own use, which were special orders, and which were for the shelves of his store.<\/p>\n

The names of many of the products are familiar to our ears.\u00a0 Castor oil, brimstone, \u201cchamomile flourses\u201d, Epsom salts, honey, root of liquorice, smelling salts and vinegar are some examples. \u00a0Some, like alum, have a variety of uses. \u00a0Did he buy it for its medicinal purposes or to use in dying and tanning?<\/p>\n

Many of the most interesting remedies are either products that are no longer commonly found in modern homes, or \u201cpatent medicines\u201d. \u00a0The exact reasons settlers purchased many of these products remains a mystery as any one could have been used for a variety of different complaints.<\/p>\n

In the early years, Lyon acquired some interesting liniments and soaps.\u00a0 Essence (of) Peppermint<\/i> was a common product rubbed on temples to relieve headaches, on chests to relieve respiratory issues, and on muscles to relieve general pain. \u00a0Opodeldoc<\/i> was a soap liniment that was just being introduced into Upper Canada but continued to be widely used throughout the nineteenth century.\u00a0 It was rubbed on the the abdomens of babies to relieve bowel problems and for the general relief of joint and muscle pain in adults. The exact recipes used first by Hedge & Lyman and later by Joseph Beckett are unknown. Dr. Douglas McCalla in his investigation of mid-19th<\/sup> century Ontario general stores provides this recipe.<\/p>\n

“Best brandy 1qt.; warm it and add gum camphor 1 oz.; sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) and oil of wormwood, of each \u00bd oz.; when the oils are dissolved by the aid of heat, add soft soap 6 oz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another favourite product was Windsor Soap<\/i>, <\/i>a brown soap manufactured in Windsor, England. \u00a0It contained lavender, bergamot (lemonlike), caraway, petitgrain (distilled orange leaves), cinnamon & cloves. \u00a0A far cry from the traditional homemade soap.<\/p>\n

There were several different remedies used for gastrointestinal problems. \u00a0Glauber Salts<\/i> (sodium sulphate) and Seidlitz Powder,<\/b><\/i> a mild laxative (a combination of tartaric acid, Rochelle Salt and sodium bicarbonate), were two such remedies. \u00a0Paregoric Elixir<\/i> was another which, despite its alcoholic and opiate ingredients, was given to children.\u00a0 An analysis from the Princeton University website<\/a> notes that Paregoric was \u201c\u2026 used to control diarrhea in adults and children, an expectorant and cough medicine, calm fretful children, and to rub on the gums to counteract the pain from teething.\u201d \u00a0The website quotes a formula taken from an 1870 publication:<\/p>\n

\"Paregoric\"<\/a>
Paregoric<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Best opium 1\/2 dr., dissolve it in about 2 tablespoons of boiling water; then add benzoic acid 1\/2 dr.; oil of anise 1\/2 a fluid dr.; clarified honey 1 oz.; camphor gum 1 scruple; alcohol, 76 percent, 11 fluid ozs.; distilled water 4-1\/2 fluid ozs; macerate, (keep warm,) for two weeks. \u00a0Dose – For children, 5 to 20 drops; Adults, 1 to 2 teaspoons.”<\/p>\n

With all that opium and alcohol, the patient could be both doped and drunk at the same time!<\/p>\n

Some products were specifically refined for babies.\u00a0 Arrow root<\/i>, Patent Groats<\/i> (oat flour), and Patent Barley<\/i> (used to make barley water) are a few examples.\u00a0 These could also be used by adults requiring easily digestible food.\u00a0 Embden Groats<\/i> were crushed oats used to make gruel for the ill.<\/p>\n

Cold remedies were common. \u00a0Chinger Lozenges<\/i> were available for sore throats. \u00a0Anderson (Cough) Drops<\/i> was one remedy for coughs. \u00a0The drops were advertised in the \u201cMontreal Herald\u201d as \u201c\u2026 the most Valuable Medicine ever prepared for Coughs and Consumption\u201d. Testimonies claimed near miraculous cures.\u00a0 A very bad cold might require Syrup of Squills<\/i> made from a combination of the bulb of the sea onion plant and two opiates \u2013 paregoric<\/i> (described above) and laudanum<\/i> (a stronger opiate).<\/p>\n

Elixirs were popular and British Oil<\/i>, a patent medicine with a base of mineral turpentine, was a regular import.<\/p>\n

\"Joseph<\/a>
Joseph Beckett & Co.
12 Rue St. Paul
Montreal 1825
Courtesy
Vieux Montreal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the fall of 1824, Lyon tried a new supplier, Joseph Beckett & Co. Apothecarists and Chemists, who\u00a0from late 1825 onwards, became his exclusive supplier. Beckett had recently opened a new store at the corner of what is now Rue St. Paul and Rue St. Laurent in the heart of the Montreal commercial district. \u00a0During the 1820\u2019s Beckett\u2019s advertisements boasted of providing, \u201c\u2026 secret remedies, drugs, specialized surgical instruments, medical textbooks and patent medicines\u201d.<\/p>\n

In July of 1827, Lyon made a larger than usual order of 29 different products.\u00a0 This was more than twice the size of a regular order. Included on the list were many of the remedies previously mentioned but also some new and unusual items.\u00a0 These included \u201cThomas\u2019 Practice of Physic\u201d which was probably the medical book, \u201cThe Modern Practice of Physic<\/a>\u201d, by Robert Thomas published in 1802.\u00a0 The descriptor of the volume states that the book \u201c\u2026 points out the Characters, Causes, Symptoms, Prognostic, Morbid Appearances, and improved Method of Treating the Diseases of All Climates\u201d.<\/p>\n

The question is why was more than \u00a31 spent on a medical book at this time? \u00a0Unlike many other early settlements, Richmond had been fortunate to have some medical expertise available from as early as 1819. \u00a0Maria Hill was famous for having assisted the wounded on the battlefield during the War of 1812.\u00a0 Assistant Surgeon, Christopher Collis of the 6th<\/sup> Regiment, was among the first settlers. Harry Walker in Carleton Saga,<\/span> tells us that Dr. Collis was the first of the Richmond leaders to die but we have no exact date for his death. \u00a0In December of 1825, George Lyon sent a note to Dr. A.J. Christie asking that he come to Richmond at once. \u00a0Was there any connection between the death of Collis, the need for a doctor in December 1825, and the large order to Beckett & Co in July of 1827 that included a medical book?\u00a0 Further research will hopefully answer that question.<\/p>\n

Key on the list of George Lyon\u2019s purchases from Beckett was quinine.\u00a0 Surrounded by swamps, Richmond was as susceptible to malaria as the other areas along the Rideau. With the ramping up of construction of the Rideau Canal, it is not surprising to see Lyon purchasing the two most common remedies for malaria \u2013 Peruvian Bark<\/i> and Quinine<\/i>.\u00a0 Peruvian Bark<\/i> was the bark from the cinchona tree, native to Peru.\u00a0 This remedy had been introduced to Europe in the 17th<\/sup> century and was known to reduce fever and pain.\u00a0 Two pounds of the bark cost Lyon 8 shillings.\u00a0 Far more expensive – but more potent – was Quinine<\/i> which scientists had isolated from the bark and named in 1820.\u00a0 Its introduction into the community put the settlement at the leading edge of new European discoveries.\u00a0 The price (a quarter ounce of quinine cost more than 12 shillings) was probably prohibitive to most settlers.\u00a0 However, the price was on the decline as seen by the purchase of \u00bd oz. in August of 1828 for a little more than 17 shillings \u2013 a decrease of 30% in a year.<\/p>\n

Thus George Lyon\u2019s invoices show that a Richmond resident with access to enough funds was able to purchase a wide variety of traditional remedies, patent medicines and the most advanced new products.<\/p>\n

SOURCES:
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

There are many internet sources (including Wikipedia) which provide excellent descriptions and explanations of the uses of most of the remedies discussed.\u00a0 The following list is provided as a guide to those resources we found to be particularly usefully.<\/p>\n