Empty short rectangular transparent amber glass bottle tapered at neck with compressed brown paper around wood form used as closure; tan paper label included manufacturer's and product name, decorative frame, with a logo of a lion, a unicorn, a crest and a crown.
Empty short rectangular transparent amber glass bottle tapered at neck with compressed brown paper around wood form used as closure; tan paper label included manufacturer's and product name, decorative frame, with a logo of a lion, a unicorn, a crest and a crown.
Number Of Parts
2
Part Names
a - bottle - Size: Length 7.0 cm x Width 3.4 cm x Depth 2.9 cm
c - cap - Size: Length 3.5 cm x Diam. 1.8 cm
Provenance
Transferred from the Parks Canada Agency, via Gail Cariou of the Curatorial and Collections Branch.
This bottle would have contained the Great English Remedy Sir James Clarke's Celebrated Female Pills or used as an early abortion pill. It was the 19th century way of having an abortion in the privacy of your own home. The bottle actually came with a pamphlet warning the pills "should not be taken during the first three months of pregnancy, as they are sure to bring on miscarriage". This basically told females, this will give you a miscarriage to get rid of your baby during the first three months. It's main active ingredient was Oil of Savin which was used for a long time to procure an abortion. It was also advertised "To married ladies the medicine is peculiarly suited. It will in a short time bring on the Monthly Period with great regularity." It was noted as early as 1857 that this was an "abortion pill" and many deaths to the women were attributed to it. There were also many court cases as well. The disclaimer "not to be taken during the first three months" was said to protect the proprietor from any wrongdoing. The proprietor used Job Moses as a agent in the United States and said his labels would be affixed to a bottle that read JOB MOSES.