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1903 antique APOTHECARY LEDGER manchester nh OPIUM MORPHINE COCAINE FORMULAE
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AI Disclosure: AI assistance was used in interpreting the handwritten documents and preparing this description. Some names and abbreviated entries remain uncertain.
Description
An extraordinary collection of 68 handwritten pages (34 leaves) from an original antique apothecary and pharmacy prescription ledger dating from 1901–1903, believed to originate in Manchester, New Hampshire. Measuring approximately 8 x 13.25 inches, these fascinating manuscript pages preserve hundreds of individual pharmaceutical prescriptions, medicinal formulae, chemical compounds, and preparation instructions from the early twentieth century.
The ledger offers a remarkable firsthand look into the daily operations of an American pharmacy during an important transitional period in medical history, when pharmacists individually compounded medicines from raw pharmaceutical ingredients, botanical extracts, narcotics, chemicals, and other medicinal substances.
The handwritten entries include an extraordinary variety of medicinal preparations and pharmaceutical substances, including:
Morphine and other opium-derived pharmaceutical preparations
Laudanum and tinctures of opium
Codeine preparations
Strychnine sulphate
Quinine and quinine sulphate
Calomel and mercurial preparations
Potassium iodide and potassium bromide
Sodium salicylate
Salicylic compounds
Antiseptic and disinfectant preparations
Various medicinal syrups, powders, capsules, tablets, and liquid mixtures
Of particular historical interest are the numerous prescriptions involving opium, morphine, cocaine, strychnine, and other substances that were commonly employed in medical practice during this period but are now recognized as dangerous, highly regulated, or obsolete for many of their former uses.
These original records predate the federal Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 and provide valuable historical documentation of prescribing and dispensing practices before the establishment of modern federal narcotics controls.
Unlike a commercially printed medical reference book, these are actual working pharmacy records containing individually written pharmaceutical formulae. The entries document the formulation and dispensing practices of the period, including precise pharmaceutical measurements, combinations of medicinal ingredients, preparation instructions, and directions for administration.
Many entries contain traditional Latin pharmaceutical abbreviations and terminology, reflecting the professional conventions of early twentieth-century prescription writing.
Instructions include preparations to be taken before or after meals, at bedtime, at specified hourly intervals, and externally applied medicinal treatments. The variety of prescriptions illustrates the extensive responsibilities of a dispensing pharmacist and the individualized nature of medical treatment before the widespread availability of standardized, commercially manufactured medications.
The pages contain sequential prescription numbers, individual dates, and numerous physician names and signatures. Recurring surnames appear to include Davis, Gleason, Robinson, and a name possibly reading Coeilty, along with others. Some signatures require further interpretation.
Manchester, New Hampshire, attribution: The manuscript is believed to originate from Manchester, NH, although the exact pharmacy has not been conclusively identified. The recurring physician names and prescription numbers offer opportunities for additional research into the city\'s early medical and pharmaceutical community.
The surviving leaves represent portions of a substantially larger prescription register rather than a complete bound ledger. The photographed material includes entries from December 1901, January and February 1902, and additional entries from 1903, including September. Original page numbering and sequential prescription numbers provide evidence of the larger recordkeeping system from which these leaves originated.
These records offer exceptional research opportunities in the history of medicine, pharmacy, toxicology, pharmaceutical chemistry, prescribing practices, pharmaceutical regulation, and early American medical treatment. They may also be of interest to genealogists and researchers investigating physicians, pharmacists, and medical businesses operating during this period.
An unusual and historically significant collection of original pharmaceutical manuscripts, particularly appealing to collectors of antique apothecary material, medical Americana, handwritten medicinal formulae, pharmacy memorabilia, and early prescription records.
Physical details: 34 original manuscript leaves, comprising 68 pages of handwritten content. Each leaf measures approximately 8 x 13.25 inches.
Condition: Original antique manuscript leaves with expected age toning, discoloration, occasional spotting and staining, handling wear, edge wear, small tears, and irregular or chipped margins. Extensive handwritten content remains visible and generally legible, although some period handwriting, abbreviations, and signatures require interpretation. These are surviving leaves from a larger ledger, not a complete bound volume. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition and completeness.
A fascinating surviving record of the pharmaceutical profession at the dawn of the twentieth century, documenting the actual medicines, ingredients, and handwritten formulae used by practicing physicians and dispensing pharmacists more than 120 years ago.
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
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