Container of theriac
- Made:
- 1801-1910 in Ottoman Empire
Cylindrical metal container wrapped in ornate golden paper, 51mm x 42mm, 140 g. Contains theriac, an ancient medicine used by the Greeks since the First century AD, comprised of viper flesh, opium, cinnammon and honey amongst its 60-70 ingredients. It was used as a general cure-all, although was often used as an antidote to poison, and later became known as 'mithridate'. Possibly from Constantinople, Turkey or Egypt, or more generally the Ottoman Empire, 1801-1910.
Details
- Category:
- Materia Medica & Pharmacology
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A656748
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
