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Four popular medicines sold in Robert Bellamy's pharmacy

9/25/2017

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We here at the Bellamy Mansion Museum recently acquired a great bit of Bellamy history: medication bottles from Robert Bellamy’s pharmacy.
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Bellamy and Son Drug Company
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Robert R. Bellamy
The bottles, branded with the Bellamy name, are from Robert Bellamy’s Bellamy and Son Drug Company here in town. The business, began in 1885, was located at the corner of Front and Market Street, and operated until its sale by Robert’s grandson sometime after 1950.

While some of the bottles are missing their labels, a few remain which provide insight into some of the popular medicines of the time: quinine, cathartic pills, Godfrey’s Cordial, and white pine compound syrup.
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The quinine (pictured right) is a powdery substance that was used as an anti-malarial medication. Mixed into food or drinks, it has a bitter taste and was (and still is!) used widely to give tonic water its signature flavor. Quinine is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, a flowering plant native to South America. At one point during the 1800s, demand for quinine became so great that prices soared to an at-the-time preposterous $6.63 an ounce.

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The cathartic pills (pictured left) were essentially laxatives. These pills were used to “cure” stomach ailments by simply flushing out the digestive system. One advertisement for Ayer’s Cathartic Pills states they were a “remedy for costiveness, jaundice, indigestion, headache, dizziness, transient attacks of numbness, biliousness, and all other diseases resulting from a disordered digestive apparatus.” Coated with sugar to make the taste more pleasant, these pills contained ingredients such as extracts of colocynth and jalap and pulverized gamboge – all plants with natural purgative properties – and chloride of mercury, more commonly known as calomel.

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The Godfrey’s Cordial (pictured right) label tells us each fluid ounce of this cordial contains 1.3-5 grams of opium and 5.5% alcohol. Also known as “Mother’s Friend,” Godfrey’s Cordial could be given to children as young as one week old, and had a sedative effect that made it a medication of choice for mothers and nurses dealing with fretful, fussy babies. This narcotic was freely prescribed and very commonly used to manage a wide variety of ailments in children without a lot of regulation. As a result, Godfrey’s Cordial and similar medicines have been linked to a high infant mortality rate in the 19th century.

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Lastly, the mentholated white pine compound syrup (pictured left) was the 19th century equivalent to modern day cough syrup. There seems to have been a number of companies making this medication at the time, but the bottle we have says this mixture was prepared specifically for Robert Bellamy. Containing ingredients like chloroform, alcohol, three kinds of tree bark, and of course, pine tar, this medicine was an expectorant used to soothe “coughs, colds, bronchitis, sore and inflamed throat[s], hoarseness, and loss of voice,” and had the added perk of a mild sedative effect upon consumption.

​These are just four examples of the many interesting drugs Robert sold in his pharmacy; just like today, there were a variety of medicines available for nearly any conceivable ailment – though whether or not they were all safe for human consumption is another question. In any case, Robert “[devoted] his closest and constant personal attention to the details of his enterprise” and was regarded as one of the most prominent and successful physicians in Wilmington during his working years.

Researched and written by Bellamy intern and UNCW Professional Writing/Philosophy major Chantai Thomas.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Beth!

9/22/2017

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​     Volunteering is a gift that keeps on giving. Here at the Bellamy, we thrive thanks to our dedicated staff of over 200 volunteers. Volunteer tasks range from giving guided tours, greeting visitors at the front desk, lending a hand with special events, and even gardening. We love to see the passion our volunteers have for what they do, and one person who brings this passion to life is Beth Mentesana!
     Beth has been lending her time here at the Bellamy since she and her husband moved from Pennsylvania five years ago. Before their move, working full time in the communications field and being married to a college basketball coach didn’t leave her much time to volunteer. She grew up watching her parents be very active in their community and her mother was even a docent (a tour guide) at a Revolutionary War house in New York. Beth decided she wanted to try her hand at volunteering herself when she moved to Wilmington and had a little more time on her hands. She says, “Everyone falls in love with downtown, and at some point, you become aware of the historic houses here.” Beth is a docent on weekends and she especially loves when there are children present. She reflects on giving tours: “Thanks to all the information we have, you can really paint a story on true facts and there’s something about that- it’s like you transport yourself back in time. I get so engrossed in the whole thing it doesn’t matter if anybody’s there or not! That’s the fun of it.” She also lends her talents in taking part in composing and editing our volunteer newsletters that are sent out via email every week. She enjoys featuring topics that vary from the architecture of the house to the stories of the Bellamy’s and the slaves that called this place home.
     One of Beth’s favorite memories is when she helped with the fifth-grade pilot program where fifth graders from across New Hanover County are cycled through and given tours. It’s very important to Beth that children get the opportunity to see history unfold before them. “The story of the back of the house is as important as the house itself and the family that lived in it. For children, I think they might learn about it in a textbook but when they come here and they hear it, it helps bring it alive for them. It’s critical these young minds see what happened in this country” she shares. She appreciates the freedom she has while volunteering at the Bellamy and how relaxed and comfortable the environment is. She loves that she can come here to give a tour and be whoever she wants to be. She also loves dressing up for the annual Christmas stroll. Check out one of her outfits from years past in the fun picture down below! If Beth could meet one of the Bellamy’s, she would have to choose Ellen. The stories in Ellen’s memoirs of her spirited antics as a little girl are something Beth would love to have seen. We are so thankful for Beth and all she contributes and so happy that she has such a love for what she gets out of volunteering.
     We are always looking for volunteers to add to our family! Check out the volunteer form on our website, give us a call, or stop by and get your part of the gift that keeps on giving! 
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Written by Bellamy intern and UNCW Communication Studies major Savannah Russell.
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    The museum offers tours, features changing exhibits, and provides venue space for weddings and special events.

    503 Market Street
    Wilmington, NC 28401
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