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Drug Supplies in the American Revolution By: George B. Griffenhagen |
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DRUG SUPPLIES in the
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Paper 16, pages 109 133, from CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM
OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY United States National Museum
BULLETIN 225 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1961
Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology Paper 16
Drug Supplies in the American Revolution George B. Griffenhagen
CONTINENTAL MEDICINE CHESTS 111 TREASON, POISON, AND SIEGE 113 FROM BAD TO WORSE 115 "MEDICINES NONE" 118 PRIVATEERS TO THE RESCUE 121 BRISK BUSINESS IN BOSTON 122 THE SITUATION IMPROVES 122 VALLEY FORGE 123 IN SUMMARY 129
DRUG SUPPLIES IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by George B. Griffenhagen
At the start of the Revolution, the Colonies were cut off from the
source of their usual drug supply, England. A few drugs trickled
through from the West Indies, but by 1776 there was an acute
shortage. Lack of coordination and transportation resulted in a scarcity of
drugs for the army hospitals even while druggists in other areas
resorted to advertising in order to sell their stocks. Some relief
came from British prize ships captured by the American navy and
privateers, but the chaotic condition of drug supply was not eased
until the alliance with France early in 1778. The Author: George Griffenhagen formerly curator of medical
sciences, United States National Museum, Smithsonian
Institution is director of communications, American Pharmaceutical
Association, and managing editor, Journal of the American
Pharmaceutical Association.
As one historian has reminded us, "few fields of history have been
more intensively cultivated by successive generations of historians;
few offer less reward in the shape of fresh facts or theories" than
does the American Revolutionary War.[1] This is true to some extent
even in the medical history of the Revolution. The details of the feud
within the medical department of the army have been told and
retold.[2] Even accounts of the drugs employed and pharmaceutical
services have been presented, primarily in the form of biographies and
as reviews of the Lititz Pharmacopoeia of 1778.[3] However,
practically nothing has been published on the actual availability of
medical supplies. Furthermore, the discovery of several significant
but unrecorded account books of private druggists who furnished
sizable quantities of drugs to the Continental Army and a careful
re evaluation of the unusually significant papers[4] of Dr. Jonathan
Potts, Revolutionary War surgeon, justify a review of the drug
supplies during the early years of the war.
Continental Medicine Chests As early as February 21, 1775, the Provincial Congress of
Massachusetts appointed a committee to determine what medical supplies
would be necessary should colonial troops be required to take the
field. Three days later the Congress voted to "make an inquiry where
fifteen doctor's chests can be got, and on what terms"; and on March 7
it directed the committee of supplies "to make a draft in favor of
Doct. Joseph Warren and Doct. Benjamin Church, for five hundred
pounds, lawful money, to enable them to purchase such articles for the
provincial chests of medicine as cannot be got on credit."[5] A unique ledger of the Greenleaf apothecary shop of Boston[6] reveals
that this pharmacy on April 4, 1775, supplied at least 5 of the 15
chests of medicines. The account, in the amount of just over £247, is
listed in the name of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and shows
that £51 was paid in cash by Dr. Joseph Warren. The remaining £196 was
not paid until August 10, after Warren had been killed in the Battle
of Bunker Hill. The 15 medicine chests, including presumably the five supplied by
Greenleaf, were distributed on April 18 three at Sudbury and two each
at Concord, Groton, Mendon, Stow, Worcester, and Lancaster... Continue reading book >>
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