Laudanum Concerning the History and Cure of Acute Diseases", in which he promoted his brand of opium tincture, and advocated its use for a range of medical conditions. By the 18th century, the medicinal properties of opium and laudanum were well known, and the term "laudanum" came to refer to any combination of opium and alcohol. Several physicians, including John Jones, John Brown, and George Young, the latter of whom published a comprehensive medical text entitled "Treatise on Opium", extolled the virtues of laudanum and recommended the drug for practically every ailment. "Opium, and after 1820, morphine, was mixed with everything
Prescription drug Prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The reason for this difference in substance control is the potential scope of misuse, from drug abuse to practicing medicine without a license and without sufficient education. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug. "Rx" (℞) is often used as a short form for prescription drug in North America - a contraction of the Latin word ""recipe"" (an imperative form of "recipere")