Early 20th Century Mercury Bichloride Poison Bottle

An incredible piece of pharmaceutical history, this amber glass bottle actually contained a solution of Mercury Bichloride.  Mercury Bichloride was historically used to treat many ailments from syphilis, antiseptic and teething powder for babies.

It is very rare to find these antique poison bottles still wrapped with their original labels.  This particular bottle was sold by Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company that was established in 1876 and is now one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the US.  The cork even still has the original Eli Lilly label.

By 1872 the American Medical Association recommended blue, green and amber glass for poison bottles as well as adding texture to identify them in the dark.  Bottles often had ridges, lattice patterns and vertical ribs embossed on the bottles.  This particular poison bottle has embossed Poison written on the back twice with ridges down the side allowing the user to know it's a poison bottle.