List of Drugs Carried in a Civil War Medical Wagon

From: medicalantiques.com

The following list of drugs would have been carried in a Civil War medical wagon per the Medical Department regulations and Appendix A of the Supply list.

List of Drugs carried in a Civil War Medical Wagon
(See the 1861 Revised Army Supply Table list of drugs for field and hospital, which is in Latin, as are the labels for the various containers.)

acetate lead
alcohol
alcoholic extract of belladonna
alum
aromatic spirit of ammonia
aromatic sulphuric acid
bicarbonate potassa
bicarbonate soda
blistering cerate
blue mass
calomel
camphor
carbonate ammonia
castor oil
cerate of cantharides
chlorate of potassa
chlorate potassa
chlorinated solution of soda
citrate iron and quinia
citrine ointment
collodion
compound cathartic pills
compound extract of colocynth
copaiba
creosote
croton oil
Dover's powder
extract of belladonna
fluid extract cinchona (aromatic)
fluid extract ginger
fluid extract ipecac
fluid extract of aconite root
fluid extract of cinchona, aromatic
fluid extract of colchicum seed
fluid extract of ginger
fluid extract of ipecac
fluid extract seneka
Fowler's solution,
fused nitrate silver
glycerin
ground cayenne pepper
Hoffman's anodyne
iodide of iron
iodide of potassium
iodide polassium
ipecac
laudanum
mercurial ointment,
mercury with chalk
morphia
nitrate of silver (crystals)
nutmegs
oil of turpentine
olive oil
paregoric
permanganate of potassa
pills of camphor
pills of compound extract of colocynth
pills of opium
pills of sulphate of quinia
powdered compound extract colcoynth.
powdered gum Arabic
powdered ipecac
powdered opium
powdered Rochelle salt
powdered squill
powdered subsulphate iron
powdered tartaric acid
pure chloroform
pure glycerin
purified chloroform
resin cerate
Rochelle salt, 16 oz.
simple cerate
solution chloride zinc
solution of ammonia
solution of chloride of zinc
solution of chlorinate of soda
solution of persulphate of iron.
spirit of nitrous ether
strong alcohol
stronger ether (for anaesthesia)
stronger ether
subnitrate bismuth
sulphate cinchona
sulphate magnesia
sulphate of copper
sulphate of morphia
sulphate of quinine
sulphate zinc
sweet spirit of nitre
syrup of squill
tannic acid
tartar emetic
tincture chloride of iron
tincture of opium
whiskey

(Note: In 1856 Edward Robinson Squibb founded a pharmaceutical company in Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to the production of consistently pure medicines. In 1895 Squibb passed most of the responsibility for managing the firm to his sons, Charles and Edward. The company became known as E.R. Squibb & Sons.  So, any Squibb products used in the Civil War will NOT have '& Sons' on the label.)

In a Civil War Squibb pannier various anesthetics were labeled:

Chloroform was labeled: CHLOROFORMUM PURIFICATUM. (chloroform) and packaged in twelve fluid ounces

Ether was labeled: SPIRITUS AETHERIS COMPOSITUS. (compound spirits of ether) packaged in four fluid ounces) or as SPIRITUS FRUMENTI. (spirits of nitric ether) Twenty-four fluid ounces

Morphine was labeled: LIQUOR MORPHIAE SULPHATIS. (morphine sulphate solution) Sixteen grains to the fluid ounce, four fluid ounces)

Opium was labeled: PILLS OF CAMPHOR AND OPIUM. Twenty dozen; PILULAE OPII. (opium pills) Sixty dozen; PULVIS IPECAC: ET OPII. (powder of ipecac and opium) In five gram pills, thirty dozen; TINCTURA OPII. (tincture of opium; laudanum) Six fluid ounces

Image: U. S. Army Hospital Department pannier label by Squibb

Posted in: Civil War Pharmaceuticals