The Elixir of Opium podcast, plus award news

A couple of weeks ago a I did a post about McMunn’s Elixir of Opium, and because I had quite a bit of information about it, I intended to do a podcast. Unfortunately I was suffering from the worst cold ever (N.B. every cold I have is the worst cold ever) so I couldn’t speak enough to do the recording. I’ve now been able to finish it (with a bit of help from the dog, who snuffles in the background), so you can listen on the player above, or by clicking here.


…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

.

MedGadgetIn other news, I’m pleased to announce that The Quack Doctor is a finalist in the Medgadget Awards Best Literary Medical Weblog category. I’m up against some excellent contenders, but if you’d like to vote for me I would of course be delighted. You can see all the different categories and finalists here, or go straight to the poll here. Voting closes on 14 Feb.

.

One thought on “The Elixir of Opium podcast, plus award news”

Comments are closed.

Dangerous beauty: Madame Anna Ruppert

A version of this article first appeared on the Wellcome Library blog on 3 February 2016. A box of confectionery arrived at the green room of the Princess’s Theatre, Oxford Street, on 6 November 1894 … with no well-wishes attached. The recipient was Anna Ruppert, whose new venture as a theatre manager and actress was […]

Read More

The tracks of a spider whose legs had been dipped in ink

Doctors’ handwriting has long had a poor reputation, and I was amused to find this specimen, sent in to The Chemist and Druggist by an appalled pharmacist in June 1874. A couple of months later, the magazine reported that the Scientific American had reproduced the prescription, commenting that it: might indicate the vagaries of Planchette […]

Read More

McMunn’s Elixir of Opium

Source: Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery (Louisville, KY), July 1855 Click here for Transcript There are no prizes for guessing what was in this. First formulated in the mid 1830s by Dr John B McMunn (or M’Munn), it became a big hit in the US once a drug company called A B Sands bought […]

Read More