Laudanum

In my short novel A Strange Death in Devell’s Wood, which is set in the Victorian era, my main character often takes laudanum. But what is laudanum and why was it so popular in the 1800s?

Laudanum is an alcoholic tincture of powdered opium, a substance obtained from opium poppies. The resulting solution contains morphine and codeine, among other substances; therefore, it is a powerful painkiller and narcotic.

Why was laudanum widely used?
Laudanum was considered something of a panacea. It was recommended for many ailments, including coughs, diarrhoea, heart disease, anxiety, rheumatism and “female maladies”, such as hysteria, fainting fits, depression and period pain. It was cheap, available without prescription, and, prior to 1868, people could pop out to buy it from their local grocer or market. Alternatively, for people with means, it could be prescribed by a doctor.

So, what was the problem?
Opium and morphine are highly addictive, but this didn’t prevent the sale of laudanum in Victorian times. It was even available in sweetened forms for babies and children! And to make matters worse, dosage instructions weren’t always given on the bottle. Needless to say, there were many cases of addiction and overdose, and suicide by laudanum was common. In my novel, my character, at one point, recalls the sad case of Elizabeth Siddal, an artist and poet and wife of Dante Rossetti. She died from an overdose of laudanum in 1862.

Something had to be done.
Eventually, after much debate with medical men and registered pharmacists, parliament passed the Pharmacy Act 1868, which regulated ‘Opium and all preparations of Opium and of Poppies.’ After that, the law required laudanum to be prepared and sold only by registered pharmacists, and bottles had to be clearly labelled ‘Poison’.  It was still possible to buy it over the counter, however. If someone wanted or needed laudanum, he or she could get it without too much trouble.

But why does my character take the drug? Why not read my novel and find out. Follow the link in the header.

Sources:
Laudanum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum

The 1868 Pharmacy Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy_Act_1868

A short biography of Elizabeth Siddal https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200103-the-tragedy-of-arts-greatest-supermodel

The images used in this post are in the public domain.

Laudanum bottle. Cydone [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Papaver somniferum illustration By Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (List of Koehler Images) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons