Items

Livingstone

A small wooden chip from the same object collection as the medicine chest balanced on top of one of the bottles from the chest. "The treatment, the Livingstone rouser, was formulated by Dr Livingstone, who, after an attack of malaria in 1853, patented this mixture of quinine and purgatives (calomel, rhubarb and jalop) mixed with opium (Barrett & Giordani 2017: 1655–1666). The chip balanced on its lid is said to be from the almond tree under which he proposed to Mary Moffat in 1844. The juxtaposition of these two objects, one representing the quantifiable and the other the poetic, draws the viewer to consider the conflation of these two realms" (Liebenberg 2021: 273).
Chip of wood from an almond tree

Said to be a chip from the tree under which David Livingstone is said to have proposed to Mary Moffat 1884. Wood chip was donated by R.F. Immelman who purchased it from Kimberley museum.
Hazeline (Witch Hazel)

"'Hazeline' brand witch hazel is prepared from the fresh young twigs of Hamamelis virginiana. It may be taken in doses of one to three teaspoonfuls, in water, for internal bleeding, or as an astringent in diarrhoea. Externally, it is of the highest value as an application, either plain or diluted with water, for piles and congested conditions of mucous membrane generally. It is the best application for cuts, abrasions, bruises and inflamed surfaces" (BWC 1925:128).