Jenny Yearous wrote:


>I have a bit of a dilemma and was wondering how other people have handled
>this problem in their museums.  We just received two Doctors bags from a
>father and son who were in practice together. The father started in 1906
and
>the son was practicing into at least the 1950's.  Well, these bags still
>have a lot of drugs/medicines in them including strychnine, digitalis,
>morphine, and nitroglycerine.  We are debating if we should leave the
>bottles of medicine as is, or if we should dispose of the contents (drugs)
>but keep the bottles.  So folks, what have you done in the past?

I'd suggest that you dispose of the contents. The danger of someone being
poisoned by the contents shouldn't be that great, if your staff are
following basic hygiene rules. What is more dangerous is that some of the
substances are potentially explosive. Most people are familiar with
nitroglycerine, and how it can explode if subjected to shock. Picric acid
is another such substance commonly found in old medical kits. Picric acid
is usually stored in water or alcohol, but if it has dried out it can be
very sensitive stuff.

George Bailey
Objects Conservator
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Centre for Conservation
4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6243 4440
fax:   +61 2 6241 7998
email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.awm.gov.au

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