Lewis and Clark marked their trail with laxatives
10 days ago
- #expedition history
- #Lewis and Clark
- #historical medicine
- Lewis and Clark's expedition lacked a trained physician, relying instead on basic medical training and allopathic tools like purgatives.
- Dr. Rush's Bilious Pills, containing calomel (mercury chloride) and jalap, were used as powerful laxatives and syphilis treatment.
- The low-fiber, meat-heavy diet of the expedition members necessitated frequent use of laxatives.
- Calomel's indigestibility and long-lasting properties left a detectable trail of mercury deposits, aiding historians in tracking the expedition's route.