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Viper (Burges Collection of Materia Medica)

© 2021 Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Description

Vipers appear to have been one of the wonder drugs of the apothecary’s cabinet. Commonly used as a poison antidote or plague remedy, vipers were also praised for their abilities to cure scurvy, gout, rheumatism, measles, smallpox and fevers, and to purify the blood. The flesh, organs and fat were all used, but it was the salt distilled from boiled vipers that was particularly prized.