Glass pharmacy jar for powdered quinine, Europe, 1601-1700
The painted label written in Latin indicates that this glass pharmacy jar contained powdered quinine. Quinine was used to reduce temperatures and as a pain reliever but was primarily a means to treat and prevent malaria. The jar is believed to be from the pharmacy of the Milosrdnych Bratri Monastery and Hospital Brno, in the Czech Republic.
Object number:
A137858
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: drug jar
A (usually earthenware) container designed to hold apothecaries' ointments and dry drugs.
Glossary: pharmacy
The preparation and medicinal dispensing of drugs.
Glossary: malaria
Parasitic disease transmitted by certain kinds of mosquito. Malaria is characterized by fever and enlargement of the spleen. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people.
Glossary: quinine
A substance taken to fight malaria. Quinine is found naturally in the bark of the cinchona tree. It is also an ingredient in tonic water.