Mrs Winslow's soothing syrup
Encyclopedia
Mrs Winslow's soothing syrup was a medicinal product formula compounded by Mrs. Charlotte N. Winslow and first marketed by her son-in-law Jeremiah Curtis and Benjamin A. Perkins in Bangor, Maine, USA in 1849. The formula consisted of morphine sulphate
(65 mg per fluid ounce
), sodium carbonate
, spirits foeniculi, and aqua ammonia. It was claimed that it was "likely to sooth any human or animal", and it effectively quieted restless infants and small children. It was widely marketed in the UK and the USA - as well as newspapers, the company used various media to promote their product, including recipe books, calendars, and trade cards.
In 1911, the American Medical Association
put out a publication called "Nostrums And Quackery" where, in a section called “Baby Killers”, it incriminated Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. It was not withdrawn from sale in the UK until 1930.
In 1879 the English composer Edward Elgar
wrote an early musical work, part of his Harmony Music for a wind quintet, which he titled Mrs Winslow's soothing syrup.
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
(65 mg per fluid ounce
Fluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
), sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate , Na2CO3 is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystalline heptahydrate, which readily effloresces to form a white powder, the monohydrate. Sodium carbonate is domestically well-known for its everyday use as a water softener. It can be extracted from the...
, spirits foeniculi, and aqua ammonia. It was claimed that it was "likely to sooth any human or animal", and it effectively quieted restless infants and small children. It was widely marketed in the UK and the USA - as well as newspapers, the company used various media to promote their product, including recipe books, calendars, and trade cards.
In 1911, the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
put out a publication called "Nostrums And Quackery" where, in a section called “Baby Killers”, it incriminated Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. It was not withdrawn from sale in the UK until 1930.
In 1879 the English composer Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
wrote an early musical work, part of his Harmony Music for a wind quintet, which he titled Mrs Winslow's soothing syrup.
Further reading
- Dalby's Carminative and Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, both pontiled at Antique Medicine Bottles Dr Cannon's Medicine Chest