Elizabeth Siddal and Dr Fowler's Solution
In his book At Home, Bill Bryson refers to the subject of Elizabeth Siddal's health and
death :
Well into the nineteenth century , many women drank a concoction called Fowler's Solution, which was really just diluted arsenic, to improve their complexions. Dante Gabriel Rossetti's wife, Elizabeth Siddal ( who is best remembered as the model for the drowned Ophelia in the painting by John Everett Millais), was a devoted swallower of the stuff and it almost certainly contributed to her early death in 1862 (Page545)
By the time of her death aged 32 from a laudanum overdose ( tincture of opium in alcohol), Rossetti's wife, Elizabeth (Lizzie ) Siddal, was a heavy user of laudanum. In Victorian England laudanum, despite being highly addictive, was used widely as pain relief for all ailments from toothache to stomach cramps as well as a tranquilliser.
At the inquest into her death, Rossetti declared it was not usual for his wife to take 100 drops a time, requiring it to sleep , eat or soothe her nerves. I'm not sure if it is on record anywhere how much Fowler's solution Lizzie took, but as a popular remedy for a host of health complaints as well as use as a tonic and complexion improver, it could have been a sizeable amount, It was so popular some individuals were said to have built up to taking as much as 250mgs a week. Even without taking Fowler's solution , the average Victorian was exposed to high levels of arsenic in everyday life as it was widely used as a dye in everything from wallpaper to ballgowns, and even used in soaps.
Although known both for its toxic and medicinal effects since ancient times, Dr Thomas Fowler introduced arsenic into modern medicine with his work :Medical Reports of the Effect of Arsenic in the Cure of Agues, Remitting Fevers and Periodic Headaches published in 1786. Dr Fowler's solution contained the equivalent of 10 mg of arsenic trioxide per cubic centimetre - a 1 per cent weight-for-volume solution dissolved in potassium carbonate solution flavoured with lavender extract to prevent misuse. Widely used in the nineteenth century for a number of medical conditions including eventual treatment for malaria and syphilis, its use spread beyond the purely medicinal and it became popular as a supposed aphrodisiac and tonic. Its use was said to help the circulation , assist weight gain and confer a fresh complexion in women.
Assuming that Lizzie, particular as a model, took a fair amount of Fowler's solution either as a complexion improver or as a tonic for her health, could it have been a culprit in her ill health ? Noted side effects of chronic arsenic toxicity include capillary fragility leading to flushed cheeks. Interestingly many contempories praised Lizzie's translucent complexion noting her " pink and white complexion" or "rosy" cheeks (however laudanum use could also cause flushing). Other specified chronic arsenic toxicity side effects include gastro-intestinal pain, vomiting and neuropathy .
Well into the nineteenth century , many women drank a concoction called Fowler's Solution, which was really just diluted arsenic, to improve their complexions. Dante Gabriel Rossetti's wife, Elizabeth Siddal ( who is best remembered as the model for the drowned Ophelia in the painting by John Everett Millais), was a devoted swallower of the stuff and it almost certainly contributed to her early death in 1862 (Page545)
By the time of her death aged 32 from a laudanum overdose ( tincture of opium in alcohol), Rossetti's wife, Elizabeth (Lizzie ) Siddal, was a heavy user of laudanum. In Victorian England laudanum, despite being highly addictive, was used widely as pain relief for all ailments from toothache to stomach cramps as well as a tranquilliser.
At the inquest into her death, Rossetti declared it was not usual for his wife to take 100 drops a time, requiring it to sleep , eat or soothe her nerves. I'm not sure if it is on record anywhere how much Fowler's solution Lizzie took, but as a popular remedy for a host of health complaints as well as use as a tonic and complexion improver, it could have been a sizeable amount, It was so popular some individuals were said to have built up to taking as much as 250mgs a week. Even without taking Fowler's solution , the average Victorian was exposed to high levels of arsenic in everyday life as it was widely used as a dye in everything from wallpaper to ballgowns, and even used in soaps.
Although known both for its toxic and medicinal effects since ancient times, Dr Thomas Fowler introduced arsenic into modern medicine with his work :Medical Reports of the Effect of Arsenic in the Cure of Agues, Remitting Fevers and Periodic Headaches published in 1786. Dr Fowler's solution contained the equivalent of 10 mg of arsenic trioxide per cubic centimetre - a 1 per cent weight-for-volume solution dissolved in potassium carbonate solution flavoured with lavender extract to prevent misuse. Widely used in the nineteenth century for a number of medical conditions including eventual treatment for malaria and syphilis, its use spread beyond the purely medicinal and it became popular as a supposed aphrodisiac and tonic. Its use was said to help the circulation , assist weight gain and confer a fresh complexion in women.
Assuming that Lizzie, particular as a model, took a fair amount of Fowler's solution either as a complexion improver or as a tonic for her health, could it have been a culprit in her ill health ? Noted side effects of chronic arsenic toxicity include capillary fragility leading to flushed cheeks. Interestingly many contempories praised Lizzie's translucent complexion noting her " pink and white complexion" or "rosy" cheeks (however laudanum use could also cause flushing). Other specified chronic arsenic toxicity side effects include gastro-intestinal pain, vomiting and neuropathy .
The first indications of Lizzie's ill health appeared in Rossetti's letters from 1853 onwards and refer to severe bouts of gastric pain, vomiting , inability to keep down food and lack of appetite. Assuming that by this date Lizzie's laudanum intake was restricted, and in the absence of any other malady, it could be possible that these symptons were indicative of arsenic toxicity. After such bouts of sickness Lizzie would improve temporarily , but the episodes of gastric pain, and vomiting became more frequent, her weight loss more noticeable and her overall condition continued to worsen. Given the lack of any specific diagnosis it is fair to consider continual over-dosing of arsenic based products as a possible cause of her ill-health exacerbated by her intake of laudanum.
During the 12 years or so she was with Rossetti, there was no agreed medical diagnosis of the source or causes of her illness. His brother William Michael Rossetti stated that she suffered from neuralgia and phthsis ( often considered as consumption). Dr Acland who examined her in in 1855 did not find anything wrong with her lungs and suggested a more psychosomatic cause: " mental power long pent up and lately overtaxed". Another doctor noted curvature of the spine.
In conclusion it can only be speculation as to the impact of arsenic and Fowler's solution on Lizzie's health. Despite their knowledge of the toxic effects of too much arsenic , the Victorians used it liberally and were exposed to it so much that it use has been implicated in the widespread poisoning and ill-health of Victorians generally, including Charles Darwin Within this context then it seems feasible to assume that , irrespective of any other medical conditions Lizzie suffered from and her subsequent laudanum addiction, arsenic toxicity, particularly if she was a liberal user of Fowler's solution, could have played part in her ill health.
During the 12 years or so she was with Rossetti, there was no agreed medical diagnosis of the source or causes of her illness. His brother William Michael Rossetti stated that she suffered from neuralgia and phthsis ( often considered as consumption). Dr Acland who examined her in in 1855 did not find anything wrong with her lungs and suggested a more psychosomatic cause: " mental power long pent up and lately overtaxed". Another doctor noted curvature of the spine.
In conclusion it can only be speculation as to the impact of arsenic and Fowler's solution on Lizzie's health. Despite their knowledge of the toxic effects of too much arsenic , the Victorians used it liberally and were exposed to it so much that it use has been implicated in the widespread poisoning and ill-health of Victorians generally, including Charles Darwin Within this context then it seems feasible to assume that , irrespective of any other medical conditions Lizzie suffered from and her subsequent laudanum addiction, arsenic toxicity, particularly if she was a liberal user of Fowler's solution, could have played part in her ill health.
