Day-by-Day / May 26, 1803

May 26, 1803

The druggists' bill

The large order for botanical medicines, chemical drugs, and medical supplies placed by Israel Whelan, the Army purchasing agent, is ready for delivery from Philadelphia druggists Gillaspy and Strong. The bill comes to $90.69 and tells us much about the medicines taken on the expedition.

The Marshall Apothecary

Illustrative painting showing a 19th century pharmacist behind his counter

Used with permission from Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved.

In this painting by the renowned American historical illustrator Robert Thom (1915-1979), the Irish immigrant-apothecary Christopher Marshall is shown teaching his sons the art of manufacturing pills. The mid-18th-century setting is Marshall’s shop, which he established in 1729, and which served for 96 years a model for others in the Philadelphia area. By the 1780s, the Marshalls were among the first in the young United States to begin manufacturing fine drug-grade chemicals such as Glauber’s salt. In 1804, the family business passed into the hands of Christopher’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Marshall, one of the first female pharmacists in North America.[1]Haynes, American Chemical Industry, 187.

Israel Wheelen Purveyor
Bought of Gillaspy & Strong

the following articles for the use of M. Lewis Esquire on his tour up the Missisipi River, & supplied by his Order:—Viz

[left column]    
15 lb. Pulv. Cort. Peru [Cinchona] $30.00
½   " "   Jalap .67
½ “ "   Rhei [rhubarb] 1.  
4 oz. "   Ipecacuan. [Ipecac] 1.25
2 lb. "   Crem. Tart. [Cream of Tartar] .67
2 oz. Gum Camphor .40
1 lb. "   Asafoetid. [Asafetida] 1.  
½ lb. "   Opii Turk. opt. [Opium] 2.50
¼   " "   Tragacanth [Tragacanth] .37
6 lb. Sal Glauber [Glauber’s Salts] 10 .60
2   " "   Nitri [Saltpeter] 33½ .67
2   " Copperas .10
6 oz. Sacchar. Saturn. opt. [Sugar of Lead] .37
4   " Calomel .75
1   " Tartar Emetic .10
4   " Vitriol Alb. [White Vitriol] .12
½ lb. Rad. Columbo [Columbo Root] 1.  
¼   " Elix. Vitriol [Elixir of Vitriol] .25
¼   " Ess. Menth. pip. [Essence of Peppermint] .50
¼   " Bals. Copaiboe [Balsam Copaiba] .37
¼   " "   Traumat. [Balsam Traumaticum] .50
2 oz. Magnesia .20
¼ lb. Indian Ink 1.50
2 oz. Gum Elastic .37
2   " Nutmegs .75
2   " Cloves .31
4   " Cinnamon .20
    $46.52
[right column]    
4 oz. Laudanum .50
2 lb. Ung. Basilic Flav. 50 [Basilicon Ointment] 1.00
1   " "   Calimin 50 [Calamine Ointment] .50
1   " "   Epispastric [Unguent Epispastric] 1.  
1   " "   Mercuriale [Mercury Ointment] 1.25
1. Emplast. Diach. S. [Plaster of Diachylon Simple] .50
1. Set Pcket Insts. small 9.50
1. "   Teeth "   "   2.25
1. Clyster Syringe [Enema Syringe] 2.75
4. Penis do. [Penile Syringes] 1.  
3. Best Lancets .80 2.40
1. Tourniquet 3.50
2 oz. Patent Lint .25
50. doz Bilious Pills to Order of B. Rush 10 5.00
6. Tin Canisters 25 1.50
3. 8 oz. Gd. Stopd. bottles 40 [ground stoppered bottles] 1.20
5 4 "   Tinctures do 1.85
6 4 "   Salt Mo. [salt mouth bottles] 2.22
1. Walnut Chest 4.50
1. Pine do. 1.20
  Porterage .30
    $90.69[2]“Supplies from Private Vendors,” in Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), … Continue reading

For an analysis of this invoice, see Lewis’s Medicinal Purchases by Gregory J. Higby.

Also related: Medicine on the Trail | Outfitting the Expedition | Lewis in Philadelphia

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Haynes, American Chemical Industry, 187.
↑2 “Supplies from Private Vendors,” in Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 80–81.

Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail

The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Logo: Lewis and Clark.travel

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

This site is provided as a public service by the
Logo: Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:

Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).