Chlorodyne made by Dakin Brothers, Druggists

Maker Dakin Brothers, Wholesale and Export Druggists (Established 1859)

Datec 1880

Object number00006097

NameBottle

MediumPaper, glass, organic matter

DimensionsOverall: 98 x 32 x 26mm, 0.1 kg

ClassificationsTools and equipment

Credit LineANMM Collection

Collections

For sickness and health - medicine in the collection

Terms

DescriptionA glass bottle of chlorodyne made by Dakin Brothers, Wholesale and Export Druggists, late 19th century. Chlorodyne, created by Dr J Collis Browne in 1848, was widely promted and used forthe treatment of "bronchitis, severe cough, croup, tic douloureux, and all affections of the bronchial tubes. It is also found to be a most valuable remedial agent in diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera in its most aggravated form, low nervous fever etc". It was a staple in most medicine chests and was a mixture of laudanum (an alcoholic solution of opium), tincture of cannabis, and chloroform. HistoryIt is believed that it was during an outbreak of cholera in India in 1848 cholera that a British Army Surgeon J. Collis Browne, M.R.C.S. formulated a mixture of laudanum, cannabis, and chloroform as an antidiarrheal remedy. This tonic became known widely known as chlorodyne and became an accepted part of British medical treatment for many decades. Its usefulness was so widespread that it was said to have been used by soldiers in the Boer War to mountaineers climbing Mount Blanc. It was proclaimed to be a treatment for most ailments including "screaming angst". There were many imitators to Dr Collis Browne's formula but all adhered to roughly the same ingredients. Collis Browne’s Cough Mixture is still available for purchase for the relief of "diarrhoea, stomach upsets, and coughs" but due to the addictive properties of the original ingredients, they were removed and the modern formula contains morphine and peppermint oil. SignificanceThe chlorodyne formula was widely popular for use in a range of ailments by doctors and chemists. Numerous companies produced their own versions, such as this bottle by Dakin Brothers. Its potent mixture of opium, cannabis and chloroform may have been part of the reason behind its ongoing success.