Indigenous Plant Exports
Indigenous Plant Exports
The book Dos libros (1569), by the Spanish physician Nicolas Monardes, contains the first published illustration of tobacco. In 1571, he was the first European to write about the medicinal use of tobacco in North America, and he listed several diseases, including cancer, reputed to be cured and prevented by tobacco.
Tobacco was not the only commodity sent to the British empire. As early as 1577, a book by Monardes was translated into English titled, The Joyfull Newes from the Newe Found World, and it described the medicinal uses of Sassafras, which also soon became a commercial success as both a medicine and cooking spice. Sassafras oil was used as a topical treatment to cure a variety of ailments including skin diseases, rheumatism, and ague. Sassafras extract is probably best known as an ingredient in Root Beer.
Tobacco and the Cigar Store
Later, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, “Cigar Store Indians,” made from carved wood or molded metal, were popular symbols of the tobacco trade. In the days before universal literacy, they relied on the association between Native Americans and tobacco as an effective advertising technique.
These artifacts have frequently drawn criticism for their demeaning and stereotypical portrayal of Indigenous peoples. “Cigar Store Indians” helped to popularize and reinforce stereotypes about “authentic” Native Americans with their use of bronze-coloring, feathered headdresses, fringed tops or skirts, and moccasins. Many examples portrayed the archetypes of the “Noble Savage” with a stoic expression, or the “warrior” with a weapon ready for use.
United States Pharmacopeia
In January 1820, a small group of physicians gathered in the United States Capitol Building for the first medical convention in American history. Their purpose was to compose a Pharmacopoeia of the United States (USP), a book that defined drugs and their preparations to bring uniformity to pharmaceutical practices. Published and updated ever since, the USP continues to be the national drug standard and is produced by an independent, scientific, non-profit organization dedicated to improving public health.
