[An apothecary apprentice crosses his tracks--about Ibsen's prescriptions]

As a youngster, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) worked as an apothecary apprentice for six years at the apothecary in Grimstad. Here, he learnt apothecary Latin, which he later on used in his literary works. Also in his own life, he used this knowledge during his last years of life when he prescribed drugs for himself. Ibsen's last six years were characterized by disease. The National Library in Oslo has three prescriptions in which the poet prescribes two different kinds of drugs, even though they should have been prescribed by a medical doctor. One of the drugs was iodide of sodium, a well-known drug for arteriosclerosis at that time. The other drug was a laxative called Brandt's Schweizer pills. Iodide of sodium was a relatively new drug introduced to the market at the end of the 19th century. Even though there was uncertainty about the effect and mode of action, it had become an established part of medical practice. That was not the case for Brandt's Schweizer pills. They were produced by the German apothecary Richard Brandt (1828-1903) in 1877. Medical doctors warned against using them. It was a so-called arcanum, i.e. the producer kept the content secret. The use of such drugs came out of control in the 1890ies and was a serious community problem.