Although I do not know the specific ingredients of this, typical infant cordials had a great deal of opium. As opium sank to the bottom, a dose at the end of the bottle would prove to be much stronger than doses given from the top of the bottle. Due to this, caregivers could unintentionally and suddenly overdose an infant. Image credit: Library of Congress 91720054.

1. Mercury. Used to alleviate acne, blackheads, and freckles, “weak solution of bichloride of mercury—as in the form commonly kn...