Comments on: Atkinson & Barker’s Royal Infants’ Preservative

By: rob

rob — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:46:41 +0000

@ Paul, I too have a 5″ slim bottle w/ atkinson barker down – did you ever figure out the price?

By: paul

paul — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:05:56 +0000

i have dug up a 5″ slim bottle with atkinson and barker down the side. how can i trace the image of the bottle and see if its of any value

By: Caro

Caro — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:18:53 +0000

Hi Noel,

Unfortunately I’ve never encountered an image of the bottle, but if I find one I will let you know.

Caroline

By: Noel Sprenger

Noel Sprenger — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:37:16 +0000

Hi Caroline, I am completing a PhD in historical archaeology at the University of Queensland. It is a comparative study of orthodox medicines and patent medicine in Queensland 1859-1912 and have included a coroner’s inquiry into the death of an infant in Qld.in 1888, with Atkinson’s Royal Infant Preservative named as a probable cause. I have been searching for a digital image of this bottle for the past three years with no success. Do you know of, or have access to any image of the bottle? In hope…Noel

By: Roger

Roger — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:40:37 +0000

Hi Caro,

Thank you for your reply. I was for a while worried somewhat thinking I had been ingesting Laudanum as a child to keep me quiet. The 7% alcohol must have been doing the trick then. LOL. No wonder I still enjoy a few drinks!

Amazing to think that the medical establishment is still for example using ethyl mercury and aluminium in vaccinations and mercury tooth fillings are still with us despite being known neuro toxins! So quackery is still with us.

By: Caro

Caro — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:12:54 +0000

Hi Roger,

The brand name was still around in the 60s – in fact, I think there’s still an Atkinson and Barker’s Gripe Mixture available today – but fortunately the ingredients had changed!

The opium had been removed by the early 20th century, and the new formula was 7% alcohol and nearly 10% sugar, together with potassium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate and essential oils of dill, caraway, anise, and almond. I don’t know for certain whether it was still the same in the 1960s but I think it would have been very similar.

By: Roger

Roger — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:18:17 +0000

Have you got any more information on when this formula seized being used?

Because I know of an “Atkinson’s Preserve” that my own Mother used on us when we were kids in the 1960′s!!! This is shocking!

Appreciate any help here thanks

By: Caro

Caro — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:50:40 +0000

Thank you, Molly!

By: molly campbell

molly campbell — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:06:12 +0000

This is absolutely fascinating. And with the illustrations, it is also beautiful. And what an insidious thing! I am so glad that I caught your link on twitter!

By: Caro

Caro — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:32:50 +0000

Thanks Michael. I am fascinated by the parallels between modern and historical remedies and, while I’ve no intention of using the blog to campaign against the quackery of the 21stC, I enjoy being subtly topical where I can. I’m glad others are appreciating this!