Jack London Speaker Series: Jack London’s Medicine Case

Step inside the House of Happy Walls Museum for an exploration of Jack London’s personal medicine case and what it reveals about his life, health, and writing. Dating from 1909–1910, the black leather Squibb medicine case on display in the museum contains 22 glass vials with metal screw caps and drugs mostly in tablet form. The drugs in the case include various opioid and non-opioid analgesics, antipyretics (fever reducers), anti-inflammatories, drugs for respiratory disorders (bronchitis, the flu, and expectorants), diuretics, antiseptics, and drugs to treat rheumatism and malaria.

This engaging presentation will examine the medicines known to have been used by Jack London himself and explore his understanding of germ theory, the physiological actions of the drugs he used, and their potential for toxicity. Visitors will also discover how London incorporated these medicines into the dramatic fabric of his novels and short stories, including “The Sea-Wolf,” “The Little Lady of the Big House,” “Adventure,” “The Red One,” and “The Kanaka Surf.”
Through history, literature, and medical science, this special talk offers a unique window into the mind of one of America’s most influential writers and the role medicine played in both his daily life and creative imagination.