James Petiver's apothecary practice and the consumption of American drugs in early modern London

Abstract

In the late seventeenth century, there was a boom in English imports of drugs from the Americas, such as sassafras, guaiacum and sarsaparilla. This was a result of a wider increase in colonial trade, the English acquisition of new drug-producing territories, such as Jamaica, and a broader trend towards greater medical consumption of drugs. How were these American drugs received in early modern English medicine? James Petiver (1665–1718), an apothecary in London, incorporated these drugs in his retail trade and institutional care. Analysis of Petiver's medical receipt books, daily prescription journals and administrative records demonstrates that American drugs, such as Virginia snakeroot, guaiacum and jalap, were readily accessible and dispensed to patients of all social classes in London by the turn of the eighteenth century. One-third of Petiver's private patients and one-fifth of his institutional patients were treated with American drugs. While men, women and children were all routinely prescribed American drugs, a greater variety of these drugs were available to his retail clients.