"Old pills for odd ills" - Confection of Senna

Our latest installment of "Old pills for odd ills" features another laxative, called Confection of Senna. Either constipation was quite the problem in the early 20th century, or perhaps this was one of the few maladies that medicine at the time could successfully treat!

 

 

No wonder this concoction worked the way it did - a combination of powdered leaves, coriander oil, licorice extract, fig and prune juice would get anyone's guts going.

Use woods toothpaste for white teeth and mouth cancer

 A container of Woods Areca Nut Toothpaste at the Museum of Human Disease

Woods Areca Nut toothpaste, sold in Europe during the late 19th century, was made from the pulverised charcoal of betel nuts, also known as areca nuts. While the toothpaste turned teeth black during use, it reduced the incidence of dental decay. I've posted an information sheet here about the history of areca nut toothpaste.

Chewing red betel nut fruit is custom in many Asian and Oceanic countries for it's mild stimulant effect. However, the practice is now widely discouraged, as the carcinogenic properties of the betel nut places regular chewers at risk of mouth and oesophageal cancer.

Stick it up your nose!

This week in "Old Pills for Odd Ills", we take a closer look at an old nasal douche on display in the Museum of Human Disease. Read the article by guest blogger Ruth Miller here