Artifact of the Week: Consumption Medicine Bottle

Archaeologists recovered this Dr. King’s New Discovery for Consumption bottle from Downtown San Diego. The site housed a working class population during the late Victorian period (c.1880-1915).

In the era before the development of antibiotics, patent medicines, such as this treatment for tuberculosis, were sold to the public as “cure-alls.” Some of these potions were actually dangerous. Dr. King’s potion contained morphine and chloroform, which was a dangerous combination for people with lung disease.

Date: Post-Contact Period (300 ya – present)
Material Class: Glass

Want to learn more? Visit the exhibit Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class in the 1800s currently on view at the Center.