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Story: Drugs

A soothing syrup

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A soothing syrup

In late-19th-century New Zealand, as in Britain, it was a common practice for mothers to quieten their infants with syrups that contained opium. Despite the reassuring tone of this advertisement from Thames in 1884, some doctors did become concerned at the possible effects of the opium on young children.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Thames Advertiser, 13 February 1884, p. 3

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Drugs – Restricting drugs, 1866 to 1965, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/39560/a-soothing-syrup (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 15 November 2012.