| Description Of Item | This bottle contains white powder.
The most prominent use for camphorated chalk was as a tooth powder. Chalk was often used in early dentifrices and camphor would have been added for its antiseptic properties. Tooth powders could be made by druggists or at home and flavoured with herbs and spices to be more palatable. This powder was probably not one that was prescribed by a physician but rather was part of everyday care in the 19th century.
Separately, camphor and chalk were both used as treatments for what would be called ‘hot distempers’. Chalk was prescribed for burns;
camphor, or camphire, was used for burning fevers. |