NEATORAMA HOME | LITE/MOBILE VERSION | BEST OF NEATORAMA

The Everlasting Pill

By Miss Cellania in Medicine on Jul 11, 2009 at 12:15 am


Wouldn’t it nice if one dose of medicine could be used over and over? The was the premise behind the everlasting cathartic pill. It was made of metal, and leeched out antimony as it passed through the digestive system, aiding in the elimination of parasites. It was billed as a cathartic, or laxative as we would say today. And the pill could be recycled! According to a 1907 pharmaceutical guide:

The bullet was passed out, recovered from the feces and used over and over again. This, as Dr. J. A. Paris says, was economy in right earnest, for a single pill would serve a whole family during their lives and might be transmitted as an heirloom to posterity.

Some heirloom! Link


Share

Tags: , , ,


FROM THE NEATORAMA SHOP



COMMENT
  1. angstrom
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 6:34 am

    Son : "I feel ill mother"
    Mother : "Hang on and I'll fetch the medicine, Father have you finished with it yet?"
    Father : "Nearly, nearly, wait a moment. Got it"
    Son :"Actually, you know what, I suddenly feel a lot better"

  2. eni
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 10:01 am

    ....yeah. If you want to recycle your own pill, fine. But this is not something to share with the family. Sorry.

  3. Skipweasel
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 10:25 am

    I hope it scrubs up well.

  4. Him
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am

    I have no idea what I thought "Recyclable" meant, but I know now that I was very, very wrong.

  5. Alana
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am

    I work in clinical research, and there have been studies where they record the weight of a tablet before the patient takes it, and after. Eww. Makes me glad to just handle the paperwork.

  6. SenorMysterioso
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am

    sounds like a good way to get ecoli

  7. Noelegy
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    Interesting, if icky.

  8. PancakeMan
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    Excuse me while I go throw up forever.

  9. zav
    Jul 11th, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    Be sure to hand it down to your children - for posterity.

    Wow.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT

Neatorama Comment Policy
You don't have to register or login to comment, but it's easier if you do so. Comments aren't censored, but those that are abusive or off-topic may be edited or deleted.


Keep track of the comments with Comment RSS

Lijit Search

T-SHIRTS FROM THE NEATORAMA SHOP

WRITE YOUR OWN NEATORAMA POST
Got a neat story? Share it with the world by writing your very own Neatorama blog post with the Upcoming Queue. Who knows, you might just win something ...

Here's how to get started:
FAQ | Tips