A cure for boredom
A brainchild of a former summer intern, Dalnavert on Drugs unfolds every Friday and Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. in former Manitoba premier Hugh John Macdonald's family residence, also known as Dalnavert Museum.
It's a lively, educational and gently satirical portrait of Victorians' use of intoxicating 'patent medicines' and exotic everyday remedies to treat common sicknesses and conditions — sometimes as spurious as the medicines themselves.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Inés Bonacossa shows some highlights of the Dalnavert on Drugs tour at the museum.
Is your busy society wife suffering from 'hysteria' or some other form of 'female weakness'? Try Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. With its heavy dose of morphine sulfate, it might also just be the thing to quiet your teething baby. A little goes a long way.
And, you a Winnipeg businessman overworked from parcelling out prairie land, have you, too, come down with a bout of 'nervous exhaustion'? That sounds emasculating, but a few shots of Dr. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters (47 per cent hard liquor) should restore your masculine vitality in no time.
'Unfortunately, there are no samples available,' jokes Inés Bonacossa, the tour's permanent guide, as she steps into the dark and thickly ornate home at 61 Carlton St.
A maximum of five people are allowed on the tour at one time — no one under 16 is allowed, because of the tour's discussions of drug use, addictions and illness.
Ordinarily, Dalnavert's tours explore the life and lifestyle of a more provincial figure bearing the name of one of Canada's most powerful politicians. Hugh John was John A.'s son and ventured west looking to chart his own course at a time when Winnipeg resonated with great economic promise.
It was a move made not only by many working-class labourers, immigrants and unemployed men, but many lawyers, bankers, land speculators and members of the so-called Laurentian class looking to get in on the city's explosive growth tied to rail, grain and trade.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
The medicine cabinet in the Macdonald bathroom holds a collection of exotic remedies.
A lawyer by profession, Hugh John Macdonald twice served as a military officer to help quell Louis Riel's Métis-led rebellions (1869–70 and 1885).
He held key roles in Winnipeg's conservative scene — first as an MP, serving in Charles Tupper's cabinet, then briefly as Manitoba's premier in 1900 and then, finally, was appointed Winnipeg's police magistrate in 1911 — before his death in 1929.
Though an illustrious local figure, Hugh John's reserved style couldn't match the charisma of his father, and some saw him saw him as a partial waste of such a pedigree.
A visit to the museum will likely impress you with some of this history, but these details fade into the background in Dalnavert on Drugs. When Bonacossa delivers this tour rather than the regular one, she isn't discussing the Macdonalds — who may or may not have relied on patent medicines — but she offers no less a vivid picture of early Winnipeg's culture and society.
'The tour is about how drugs were used depending on your social class and gender and race. How manufacturers made their products stand out by using ads that were frighteningly effective because they were always portrayed with very idyllic scenes with small children, very angelic looking, or beautiful women who looked absolutely lovely drinking something or other,' she says.
As she guides the visitor through the two-storey home in Queen Anne Revival style, she'll pull out laminated copies of old patent medicine labels — charming works of kitsch, where all the children, as Bonacossa points out, seem to have curly hair.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Inés Bonacossa with a bottle of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup.
While some of these drugs — such as arsenic and lead-based cosmetics, promising pale skin and signifying a life indoors — seemed clearly marketed at the bourgeoisie, others cut across class lines. The tired labourer and businessman could both find respite at the end of the day in the calming effects of opiates and glorified booze, free from pesky warnings or strict dosage directions.
'There was nothing in those ads that warned anyone at a time when so many could not afford to see a physician. The images were enough to convince somebody,' says Bonacossa.
Though, as Bonacossa says, opiate- and alcohol-based remedies were not generally taken socially, they did provide something of a workaround to the era's rising anti-alcohol tendencies.
The temperance movement, which drew many Victorian reformists and suffragettes such as Winnipegger Nellie McClung, had gained strong footing in Canada by the late 19th century, especially in the prairie provinces.
Weekday Evenings
Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening.
The movement pushed for moral reform and legislation against drinking, which it believed to be a root cause of domestic violence and poverty.
'They managed to rebrand wine, calling it a tonic, because that made it legitimate. Then, physicians prescribed tonic,' Bonacossa says.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Inés Bonacossa, Dalnavert Museum collections registrar and specialty tour guide, with a 19th century opium bottle.
Bonacossa's tour ends, fittingly, in the Macdonald bathroom in front of the medicine cabinet — a treasure trove of exotic remedies with charming labels and curious ingredients.
Other Dalnavert tours — such as its regular guided tours and longer Behind the Ropes tours, which let visitors step into areas that are usually off-limits — have different trajectories and are part of the museum's evolving downtown programming, offered since the museum opened in 1974.
conrad.sweatman@freepress.mb.ca
Conrad SweatmanReporter
Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for Aug. 12, 2025
A mix of sun and cloud. Widespread smoke late this morning and this afternoon. Wind from the west at 20 km/h. High 22 C. Humidex 25. UV index 6 or high. What's happening today Stargazers are in for a shimmering show tonight as the annual Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its peak. NASA says the fireball shower began last month and the celestial event is expected to peak tonight and tomorrow before ending on Aug. 23. The Canadian Press has more here. A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower in Vinton, Calif., in 2009. (Kevin Clifford / The Associated Press files) Today's must-read The union representing Millennium Library workers says it's considering taking legal action against the city to more quickly implement safety changes after a man died by suicide at the downtown library last week. The city's main library branch was closed from Thursday to Saturday afternoon after a 40-year-old man was found with 'significant injuries' Wednesday evening. Medics were called to the scene and he died in hospital. Police described the incident as 'non-suspicious' at the time; sources confirmed to the Free Press Monday that the man jumped from the fourth floor. Gord Delbridge, the president of CUPE Local 500, said the union will be sending letters to Mayor Scott Gillingham, city council and city administration to formally demand planned safety improvements — including a redesign of the facility's lobby — are expedited. Malak Abas has the story. A 40-year-old man has died after sources say he jumped from a fourth-floor ledge in the city's largest library. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) On the bright side In London, Ont., Krystyna Locke is celebrating turning 63 by paying the parking fees for cancer patients. The lymphoma cancer survivor knows just how quickly those bills add up after a 20-year journey of hospital visits to London Health Sciences Centre. That's why she's raised more than $3,700 to pay for 250 parking passes today. The Canadian Press has more here. Krystyna Locke is a lymphoma cancer survivor who is covering the cost of other patients' parking for her 63rd birthday. (Handout / London Health Sciences Foundation / The Canadian Press) On this date On Aug. 12, 1933: The Winnipeg Free Press reported a Manitoba coroner's jury found an elderly pensioner's death near Gardenton was the result of a violent assault; police were searching for the perpetrator. Cuban armed forces demanded the resignation within 24 hours of president Gerardo Machado. Several villages along the northern coast of Newfoundland were evacuated as strong winds blew a wall of fire toward the settlements. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Letters, Aug 9
Opinion Today did it for me. I will not be using Transit unless I absolutely have to. I have phoned 311 to complain about the removal of bus stops requiring a lot of walking. Wait until our winter weather is here! I am a senior with mobility issues and with the smoke in the air, the extra walking to make the connections is very hard on me. Today I had to go to the 1600 block of St. Mary's Road from Henderson Highway. Three buses, two transfers and about four blocks to make my connections. For the return trip, four buses, three transfers and about six blocks to make my connections. Not to mention the time factor. What a joke this new system is. Len St. Marie Winnipeg The issue of quality food being provided in our care homes should be on everyone's mind. We are an aging society and whether we want to face it or not, many of us will require care home assistance at some point in the future. I experienced this situation when my father-in-law had to move into a Winnipeg care home. We visited him regularly, often during mealtimes so that we could sit and talk comfortably with him, and I was appalled at how limited his food choices were. A sandwich of white bread with a thin film of mayo and one thin slice of ham (so thin you could have read the Free Press through it) and a tiny fruit cup is not an adequate meal. We realized how awful this was for him at a spring visit during Covid. A fence had been erected just outside an exit door where they could wheel out patients and permit family members to talk to them from across the fence. As my father-in-law was quite deaf, he could barely understand us and became highly frustrated. At the end of this horrific visit, in a desperate attempt to reach out to him, I screamed, 'What can we bring you?' He heard that and screamed back one word, 'Food!' His life had been reduced to almost nothing and all he wanted was some tasty food. We began taking him burgers and fried chicken and he was immensely grateful. Care homes are so obsessed with keeping patients alive they have forgotten to let them live. It was pointed out to me that the food we brought was not healthy, to which I replied he was over 90 years old, so why did it matter? It made him happy. We need to think hard about this, because one day each of us may end up in a care home and have no choice about our food. We should be permitted to enjoy what little of life we have left. Steve Oetting Winnipeg Re: 'New build, big price' (Letters, Aug. 6) I'm with Alice French regarding her letter to the editor about the unattractive infill houses being built in older neighbourhoods (out of the average person's price range to boot). I'm not averse to changes in style, and I understand that whoever buys a lot can pretty much knock down and (within building codes) put up whatever they like. But the people who've designed these infill houses haven't used their talents to add elements to help them blend into the aesthetics of the area. Either that or their client in each case forced their hand. ('No! I said dystopian!') In my neighbourhood, some are two-storey boxes clad in dark corrugated metal and others are 2-1/2-storey, barn-shaped monoliths that block out the sunlight in their neighbours' backyards. They stand out like sore thumbs. Imagining a future where formerly charming neighbourhoods are filled with expensive corrugated boxes and massive barns, with all the tall, old-growth elms felled by Dutch elm disease, is pretty depressing. These homeowners likely move into their neighbourhoods because they like them as they are, but they're the leading architects of their demise. Cheryl Moore Winnipeg I was pleased to read Pam Frampton's article Ageism keeps rearing its ugly head (Aug. 6). I agreed when she mentioned that society often renders older adults invisible. Look at TV and print advertising for products and services that older adults use — anything from coffee to pet supplies, yet all the people in the ads are younger. I have written to some of these businesses, and the responses varied from no response to 'we believe in diversity.' There are businesses I don't shop/buy products from as they don't value older adults. As older adults, we need and deserve to be visible and not fade away as time goes on. I also like Frampton's suggestion of renaming OAS to the Canadian Retirement Supplement — I would change the word 'supplement' to 'benefits,' as this is close to the current Guaranteed Income Supplement. Just like her, I am waiting for Manitoba's Seniors' Advocate to start sooner rather than later. Thank you, Pam, for raising this important issue. Cindy Kelly Winnipeg Can we not see what Erna Buffie saw in the July 28 Free Press (Clean energy is the future — why are we investing in fossil fuels?), that wind and solar energy fit easily with Manitoba? With global warming, we see that Hudson's Bay will be open for more months of the year to export grain, potash and meat to the world. Fossil fuels will be out of date by the time an oil pipeline is built, as fewer consumers will be using oil and natural gas as their energy sources, perhaps since solar and wind will be less costly. Manitoba has resources to export, a rail line to get to port and a good terminal to ship these resources to those in need. Fossil fuels are becoming an older energy source. Let us look ahead to what Manitoba does best. Nature is our greatest resource. Let us continue to use the resources which Manitoba has. Farmers, fisherpersons and forests, as well as the creative people, are what we have in abundance. Let us stick with our strengths and forget the out-of-date fossil fuels. Barrie Hammond Winnipeg Winnipeg is finally having to pay the piper for its neglected infrastructure needs! We read almost daily that the City of Winnipeg is struggling with its attempts to catch up with our major accumulated infrastructure deficits, including our rapidly increasing costs for water and sewage treatment plants, rapidly deteriorating roads and dilapidated bridges, most of which are close too or have now exceeded their 'shelf life.' By and large, this is a result of its councils' irresponsible decision to choose 25 years of unwarranted tax restraints, which was exacerbated by Winnipeg's 14 years of property taxes being frozen, which finally came to an end in 2012. In fact, since 1998, Winnipeg's compounded property tax increase has only been 35 per cent while other major Western Canadian cities have seen increases ranging from 129 per cent to 189 per cent over the same period. Rick Lambert Winnipeg Real Canadians should abhor any Canadian leaving Canada to visit family, friends or just vacation in the good old U.S.A. because of President Donald Trump's recent tariff increase from 25 per cent to 35 per cent against Canada. Give your head a shake, people. He hasn't mentioned us becoming the 51st state lately but his recent actions push Canada closer to this ultimate end. Spend your Canadian dollars in Canada first and anywhere else on our planet, but not in the U.S.A. The good old U.S.A. is just not good anymore. R. J. Moskal Winnipeg
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
HSC reports sex assault, bomb threat as nurses vote on safety concern-driven measure
As Health Sciences Centre nurses continued to vote on a measure encouraging colleagues to steer clear of the hospital because of safety concerns, the facility alerted staff about another sexual assault early Friday. Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. HSC officials sent a notice to staff at 11 a.m., reporting a sexual assault — the sixth in recent weeks — had occurred on the campus in the morning. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. 'HSC Security and the Winnipeg Police Service swiftly responded, with the WPS apprehending the individual and ensuring ongoing care for the survivor. There is no ongoing threat to HSC staff, visitors or patients,' reads the notice, obtained by the Free Press. 'We thank our security team and the WPS for their quick response and HSC staff for their care provided to the survivor.' If the MNU measure passes, members at the hospital will formally urge their nursing colleagues not to accept jobs there until safety demands made to the employer are met. It would not impact the jobs of the 3,000 members currently working at HSC. Meanwhile, HSC officials also notified staff about a second security incident, involving a bomb threat, in a separate notice sent at 12:44 p.m. Thursday. 'An incident occurred involving a patient being transferred from Crisis Response Centre to the HSC Adult Emergency Department. The patient indicated they were in possession of an explosive device. Security and Winnipeg Police Service responded immediately. The patient was assessed and authorities confirmed there was no explosive device found on the person,' the notice read. 'There is no threat to the safety of staff, patients, or visitors.' WPS Const. Pat Saydak confirmed police responded to the bomb threat, and it was quickly resolved without incident. Nobody was placed under arrest, and there was no evidence of a bomb, he said. Saydak said he was still looking into the reported sexual assault and could not yet provide confirmation or details. A union spokesperson said the two incidents highlight the safety risks nurses are forced to deal with. 'The failure to adequately address these issues — whether it's the lack of proper screening or the absence of crucial safety protocols like a Code Black announcement — makes it clear that the situation is not improving,' the spokesperson said in an email to the Free Press. 'Nurses are putting their lives on the line to care for Manitobans, and it's time the employer took concrete action to prioritize their safety.' A Code Black refers to a bomb threat or similar security emergency. The Manitoba Nurses Union criticized the hospital's response to the bomb threat in a social media post Friday, saying the HSC did not alert staff to the threat until after police resolved the incident. 'To our knowledge, the individual gained entry with their possessions, apparently unsearched or unscreened,' the union said. 'This is yet another example of an ineffective and insufficient safety protocol.' The latest incidents come after several assault on women on or around the hospital grounds on July 2. Police said a teenage girl was confronted by a man and assaulted in the area of Elgin Avenue and Sherbrook Street at about 7 p.m. that day. Later, an HSC staff member was assaulted walking near the hospital on Emily Street near McDermot Avenue. Another staff member was assaulted while walking in the hospital tunnels, followed by a sexual assault report on the 600 block of Notre Dame Avenue, police said. Police arrested a 28-year-old man the following day and charged him with five counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual interference, three counts of assault and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. The union moved to grey list the hospital in the wake of the assaults. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The union has resorted to using the measure only five times in its 45-year history. The most recent case was at Dauphin Regional Health Centre in 2007. A union spokesperson said members voted in favour of grey listing at HSC in 2020 amid a number of unresolved grievances. The employer agreed to work on the issues, and the measure was not imposed. The results of Friday's vote are expected to be available immediately after the voting window closes, a spokesperson said. If nurses vote in favour, HSC would be asked to require swipe cards to access hospital tunnels, create an early alert system to warn staff members and patients about security incidents and ensure controlled entrances are staffed and maintained. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
