Framed Early 20th Century Formaldehyde Prescription — Lange's Drug Store

In the early 1900s, formaldehyde was medicine. A pharmacist at Lange's Drug Store on Delaware St. wrote it out by hand, and someone took it seriously enough to fill it.

This framed prescription from the early 20th century is a genuine artifact of a moment in medical history when the line between cure and poison was drawn very differently than it is today. Formaldehyde was used as an antiseptic, a preservative, and — as this prescription attests — a treatment for sore throats. The handwriting is real. The remedy was real. The fact that we survived it is, perhaps, the most remarkable thing.

For collectors of medical ephemera, this is the kind of piece that anchors a display. It's a conversation that starts itself — and a reminder of how recently the practice of medicine was closer to alchemy than science.

• Original early 20th century prescription — handwritten
• Lange's Drug Store, Delaware St., USA
• Framed and ready to display
• Weight: 4 oz
• One of a kind

Modern medicine would like you to forget this ever happened. That's exactly why it matters.