In the late seventeenth century, there was a boom in English imports of drugs from the Americas, such as sassafras, guaiacum and sarsaparilla. This was a result of a wider increase in colonial trade, the English acquisition of new drug-producing territories, such as Jamaica, and a broader trend towards greater medical consumption of drugs. How were these American drugs received in early modern English medicine? James Petiver (1665–1718), an apothecary in London, incorporated these drugs in his retail trade and institutional care. Analysis of Petiver's medical receipt books, daily prescription journals and administrative records demonstrates that American drugs, such as Virginia snakeroot, guaiacum and jalap, were readily accessible and dispensed to patients of all social classes in London by the turn of the eighteenth century. One-third of Petiver's private patients and one-fifth of his institutional patients were treated with American drugs. While men, women and children were all routinely prescribed American drugs, a greater variety of these drugs were available to his retail clients.

在17世纪后期，英国从美洲的药，鱼子酱和sarsaparilla毒品进口激增。这是由于殖民贸易的增加，英国对牙买加等新毒品生产地区的收购以及更广泛的医疗药物消费趋势的结果。这些美国药物是如何通过早期现代英语医学获得的？伦敦的药剂师James Petiver（1665–1718）将这些药物纳入他的零售业和机构照护。对Petiver的医疗收据，每日处方杂志和行政记录的分析表明，十八世纪初，伦敦的所有社会阶层患者都可以轻松获得并分配美国药品，例如弗吉尼亚蛇根，愈创木酚和jalap。Petiver的三分之一私人患者和他的五分之一的机构患者接受了美国药物的治疗。尽管男人，女人和儿童都是常规使用的美国药品，但他的零售客户可以购买到更多种类的这些药品。