Medicines in the 1800s

Laudanum was a common use for a wide variety of pains, both real and imagined. This derivative of opium was often used for illness, particularly for any form of diarrhea. Even though it made the patient more corfortable, physicians did not recognize its addictive characteristics. One could order 4 oz. of Laudanum out of the 1897 Sears & Roebuck catalogue for $.29 or a dozen bottles for $3.00.