drawn for Medicines, Stores, &c. in the most profuse 

 and extravagent manner for private purposes." '^^ 



To make matters worse, new troops continued to 

 arrive without medical supplies. For example, those 

 from Maryland arri\ed at \\'hite Plains wdth their 

 regimental surgeons fully expecting Morgan to supply 

 them with medicines, even though the Maryland 

 Convention on October 4 had ordered that these 

 troops be supplied with medicines by the Maryland 

 Council of Safety before their departure.*^' 



Morgan thought he had at least one small but safe 

 stock of drugs. Barnabas Binney, who was sent to 

 Philadelphia in July for medical supplies, was success- 

 ful in obtaining '"a reasonable good order"' about the 

 middle of August, including "'30 lis. Camphor; 10 lb. 

 Ipecac; 7 lb. Opium; 50 lb. Quicksilver; 40 lb. Jalap; 

 68 lb. Manna; 186 lb. Nitre; 200 lb. Cream of Tartar; 

 269 lb. Bark; and other important articles." ^ How- 

 ever, since these supplies arrived at Newark just as 

 Washington was beginning to pull out of Long Island, 

 they were deposited at a newh' established hospital 

 under Cutting, the assistant apothecary.^' 



When Morgan finally began drawing on these 



0* Washington, op. cil. (footnote 48), vol. 6, pp. 86, 113. 



65 American Archives, ser. 5, vol. 3, pp. 1 16, 837. 



66 Pennsylvania Packet, June 24, 1 779. 



6" Morgan, op. cit. (footnote 35), p. 129. 



supplies, Dr. William Shippen had l)ccn placed in 

 charge of the hospitals in New Jersey and the me di- 

 cines had been turned over to him Ijy a vole of 

 Congress.^* Finally, on January 9, 1777, Congress 

 dismissed Morgan as director general without 

 gixing any reasons except to indicate indirectly that 

 it was due to his inability to provide adequate medical 

 supplies.'''' To add insult to injury, on Fetjruary 5 

 Congress asked "what is become of the medic incs 

 which Dr. Morgan took from Boston . . ." and 

 resolved to "take measures to have them secured, and 

 applied to the use of the army." '" 



Meanwhile, in New York City the supply of dru gs 

 had returned to normal or near normal within a few 

 weeks after the British occupation. On September 

 30, 1776, Thomas Brownejohn announced the opening 

 "of his medicinal store at the corner of Hanover- 

 Square . . . where gentlemen of the army and na\y 

 can be supplied at the shortest notice with all kinds 

 of medicines on the most reasonable terms." On 

 December 16 Richard Speaight announced that he 

 "has once again opened his Shop at the sign of the 

 Elaboratory in Queen-Street," and a week later 



6* Ibid., p. XXV. [For details of the manner in which Shippen 

 moved in on Morgan to replace him eventually as director 

 general, see Flexner, op. cit. (footnote 2), pp. 3-33.] 



6" Ihid., p. xxxv; Owen, op. cit. (footnote 2), p. 55. 



™ Ford, op. cit. (footnote 10), vol. 7, p. 91. 



figure 2. -.^ci ul surgical insuuiueats used by Dr. Benjamin Treadwell during 

 the Revolution. Included are three amputation knives, forceps, a ball 

 extractor, and two surgical hooks. Preser\ed at the Medical Museum of the 

 Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. (P/iotn courtesy of Armed Fnrce^ Institute 

 of Pathology.) 



PAPER 16: DRUG SUPPLIES IN THE .AMERICAN REVOLUTION 



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