Catillon Granules – Strophanthin – Containing Ouabain
POISON
Antique tube of pharmaceutical granules – Apothecary
EMPTY
Catillon Granules – Strophanthin – Containing Ouabain
POISON
Antique tube of pharmaceutical granules – Apothecary
At the end of the 19th century, the chemist Léon Arnaud received poison-coated arrows from Somalia from a famous traveller of the time, Bénédict-Henry Révoil. One of them was coated with waba, a deadly poison derived from a plant known as Ouabaïo.
In 1888, he isolated the compound responsible for the poison’s effects, which he named ouabain, a potent cardiac toxin that was once used therapeutically as a cardiotonic. However, due to its toxicity, its use has since been abandoned in favour of more manageable synthetic molecules or digoxin.
In the late 19th and first half of the 20th century, this product was prescribed as a powerful cardiac stimulant, mainly to treat acute heart failure and arrhythmias. It acted in a similar way to digitalis, but with an effect often considered to be faster.
However, its strophanthin or ouabain tends to accumulate in the body if doses are taken too close together. A patient taking these granules without strictly adhering to the prescription could, after a few days, unwittingly reach a toxic total dose in the blood, leading to a heart attack!
During the 20th century, accidents linked to this type of granule were well known...
Tube length: 5cm
It comes from the old cellar-laboratory of a Parisian pharmacy. The bottles had not been moved from the shelves since the late 1950s. The cellar had served as a medical analysis laboratory and a laboratory for the pharmacy’s compounded preparations from 1900 until around 1950.
Empty
Antique glass bell jar
Apothecary / Laboratory
Thin glass, light green in color and darker at the top, with bubbles
Dictionnaire Universel des Drogues Simples
Universal dictionnary of Simple Drugs
By Nicolas Lemery
An antique illustrated pharmacopoeia from 1727 - A Dutch pirated edition
Violet de Méthyle
Antique pharmacy bottle - Droguerie - Apothicaire
Antique pharmacy jar: Sodium bicarbonate and Gold Flower tablets
Glass pharmacy bottle - XIXth century
Collector’s bronze dental articulator
Circa 1920 for the bronze frame
The plaster and resin forming the gums and teeth are modern.
Dr Potain vacuum cleaner in its case
Late 19th century - 1870-1895
Antique medical instrument
However, the box comes from the Hôpital de la Charité in Paris, as indicated by the inscription on the top of the box, from the Bouillaud ward of the hospital.
non-functional
Aconite tincture
Antique pharmacy bottle
Green label: SUBSTANCE A SEPARER - CODEX 1908
This means that this bottle had to be kept separate from the others because it was dangerous in high doses- POISON
EMPTY
Portable autopsy kit from the mid-19th century
Maison Charrière in Paris, circa 1845–1870
Mahogany case for autopsy and dissection
Small portable mahogany case containing a set of autopsy instruments: hook hammer, bone chisel, enterotome scissors, probes, hooks and suture needles. Used by forensic scientists and anatomists for opening and examining bodies.
Charrière, a major 19th-century Parisian manufacturer, was a pioneer in the design of high-precision surgical and anatomical instruments.
Mahogany and polished steel: 23 × 11 cm
Please note: crack in the wood under the case
A beautiful object, very rare to find
Antique bezoar - Antipoison - Antidote
Once sold by the apothecary, bezoar, also known as gallstone, was reputed to have the same anti-poison properties as the legendary unicorn's horn, hence its excessively high price, also due to its great rarity.
An important piece in a cabinet of curiosities
Sold alone - Without stand, sold separately
Antique pharmacy vase - Exhibition jar - Herbalist jar
Apothecary
Made of cut crystal and star-shaped base
Period: Late 19th century
Alum
Antique pharmacy bottle
Apothecary vial
Color pigments have been added to the inside of the jar
Sonéryl - Butobarbital - Barbiturates
Antique pharmacy bottle
EMPTY
An antique absinthe topette (decanter)
4 Beaded Topette
Camphorated alcohol
Antique pharmacy bottle
Apothecary vial
EMPTY
Catillon Granules – Strophanthin – Containing Ouabain
POISON
Antique tube of pharmaceutical granules – Apothecary
EMPTY
