Testing Contents

[jcrlanger]

Recently I have found a few bottles (medicine, vinegar?, serum) which still have some form of contents. Is there a way to get these contents tested to see what they are relatively cheap? The two serums I dug up still have a bit of yellowish liquid in them. A half-gallon turn bottle and a screw top vinegar were found in a crawl space of 120+ year old building and have brownish liquid in them. Turn medicine still has the cork.

 

[ktbi]

John, I have a 600+ page book from 1896 that contains thousands of recipes from medicines in that era. Got a name for your medicine and I will look it up. Almost sure it had at least 20% alcohol no matter what it was for. Good chance narcotics were involved too. One common one that I found amusing was Munyons Kidney Pills - fairly common. They were 100% pure sugar. Anyhow, let me know if I can help...Ron

 

[jcrlanger]

Ron,

I'm putting some of the evidence together suggesting that this basement may have been a place for moonshine. I'm in the right area of the country and it was hidden in a dug out place in a crawl space. Unfortunately the medicine is a slick so it's a no go there. The vinegar was between 1915-1920's from what I can tell. What I did find in the crawl further in was a pre-turn Munyon's Paw-Paw, so it was interesting you mentioned a Dr. Munyon's product.

I may try and contact a local college to see if their science department wants to take a crack and these.

thanks
John

 

[jcrlanger]

Just an update, I'm in conversation with a local college science department and there is general concern over the innoculation vials. This didn't really suprise me. I will let you know if we figure it out.

The other bottles, we believe is either homemade wine or medicine from the pharmacy that was there before the late 1920's. According to locals this is what the pharmacy was famous for. We were able to find the side of a crate with the name of the pharmacy stencilled on the side and we found the name of the pharmacy that was there before it 1880's-1902 hand painted on the side of another crate. I am hoping to get some photos of the stuff we are finding up very soon as this has been a true time capsule.