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Womaton a Woman's Tonic
Womaton a Woman's Tonic

Womaton a Woman's Tonic

Manufacturer (Australian, 1908 - 1938)
Date1908-1938
Object number00033627
NameBottle
MediumGlass, cork, paper, tonic, opium
DimensionsOverall: 200 x 70 x 29 mm, 440 g
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
Collections
DescriptionThis bottle of Womaton Tonic came from the medicine chest of the Aberdeen White Star Line vessel, the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL. It was one of 59 pharmaceutical bottles contained within the chest. Womaton Tonic was 'a woman's tonic' and was advertised as being "a valuable tonic and sedative...it makes weak women strong and sick women well". It was made from the "finest concentrated vegetable extracts". While most of the material in this medicine chest dates to the service of the SAMUEL PLIMSOLL, some items were added at a later date.HistoryThe practice of carrying suitably trained and qualified medical personnel on board ships has been in place for some time. By the mid-1600s it was common practice for all Royal Navy vessels or merchant vessels hired by the Royal Navy to carry a surgeon, barber surgeon, or surgeon's mate. But free and assisted immigrants coming to Australia were up until at least 1832 and possibly 1858 still at the mercy of the shipping companies. Some companies did appoint surgeons and provide medical care from as early as 1804 but many saw no reason to do so until forced by government regulation. High death rates (1 in 5) due to overcrowding and disease on board immigrant ships coming to the Australian colonies were not uncommon. The introduction of the Passengers Act in 1832 and subsequent Acts and amendments to the Acts in 1837 and 1839 saw gradual improvements in sailors' and passengers' accommodation, provisions and medicine. It was only following the 1851 and 1854 British Select Committee into Emigration and the 1858 Inquiry into Emigrants and Passenger vessels that all immigrant vessels coming to Australia regardless of size had to carry a properly qualified surgeon-superintendent and provide space for an adequate hospital or sick berth. Under the merchant Shipping Act of 1894 all emigrant ships in the North Atlantic and the Australian/New Zealand trade had to carry a prescribed list of medicines, medical stores and instruments. These items had to be inspected by the Emigration Officer and the vessel could not clear outwards unless a medical practitioner had inspected the stores and certified that they were sufficient in quality and quantity. By 1894 five main types of drugs were carried in medicine chests on ships. These were for the treatment of diarrhoea, constipation, the relief of pain (opium or morphine), the relief of coughs, colds, bronchitis and tuberculosis and for the treatment of infections such as venereal disease. The medicine chest also contained salves and ointments for burns, cuts and abrasions, and disinfecting agents for washing decks, clothes and beddings.SignificanceMedicine chests associated with immigrant ships to Australia, like this one, are exceedingly rare. Medicine chests of this period highlight the state of medical knowledge and Government regulations at the time. They were comprehensive and properly packed for the voyage by the Apothecaries Company, ensuring they had the best quality products.