Health and Medicine in Victorian Times.

Victorian Pharmacies

Victorian pharmacies were very different from todays pharmacies. Not only did it look different from the outside it was also different on the inside. The walls were covered in wooden shelves which had bottles and boxes containing liquids, powders, herbs and plants.

During the time of these fascinating pharmacies they had a large book of medicines and cures. They would of also of had scales, a set of weights, pill rolling devices and a pestle and mortar. The pharmacist would have done lots of mixing and weighing to create medicines and potions.

Early Victorian Medicines

Leeches

The Victorians thought that when you were bleeding you to much blood inside of you. So what they did was they put leeches on you to suck some of the blood out of you.

The Ever-Lasting Pill

It was believed that when you were feeling ill it was because of an imbalance in you're body. The Victorians thought that getting rid of the badness inside of you would help. So a pill was invented. They called it the ever lasting pill. The ever lasting pill was very small and it was made of a metal that's toxic called antimony. Swallowing the pill would cause severe sickness and diarrhoea, giving what thought to be a cleanse. Even worse than that they would retrieve the pill from your waste, wash it and then put it back on the shelf for another person to use.

Victorian Plasters

Plasters in the Victorian time were much different than todays plasters. These are the ingredients they used to make them: lead, opium or frankincense blended with wax and spread onto the plaster which was up to 20cm in diameter. Then warmed up in water to make it stick. The plaster was then placed on the skin for up to 3 days with out washing to allow the ingredients to be absorbed into the body. A plaster was used to draw out the excessive humours in the body that were thought to cause pain.