| Description Of Item | Liniment Opii, or Opium Liniment, sold by A. Robertson, Chemist & Druggist, Markinch; supplied by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Edinburgh. Opium Liniment is a cream or balm mixture of opium which was prescribed to relieve muscle pain and alleviate stiffness. Liniments were frequently composed of a multitude of ingredients which included alcohol, turpentine, camphor, ammonia, opium, chloroform, ginger, sassafras, peppermint and oil. It is likely that this liniment had a strong concentration of opium rather than a wide variety of ingredients mixed together. Applied externally, as advised, opium liniment was prescribed to ease muscle, joint and nerve pain.
Although this bottle clearly states that it is for external use only, there was some debate amongst nineteenth-century physicians regarding the appropriateness of prescribing liniment for oral use. Some doctors prescribed opium liniment to be taken orally in order to strengthen the liver and kidneys, to prevent gallstones, and to ease toothache. However, other medical professionals strictly advised against ingesting liniments, given the strong concentration of poisons. As this bottle has a clear warning on the bottle – Caution: For External Use – Poison – it appears that Andrew Robertson and/or Duncan, Flockhart & Co. did not prescribe opium liniment to be taken orally. |