Magnesia Bottle

This cobalt-blue bottle appeared in a Republican position near Fuentes de Ebro (Zaragoza). Between August and October 1937, it was the scene of heavy fighting in which the International Brigades played a prominent role. Despite Republican efforts, Fuentes remained in rebel hands and south of the village a line of fortifications was established that remains in a good state of preservation today.  During the Aragon offensive of March 1938, the Republicans abandoned the positions where this bottle appeared. In one of the sides it is possible to read in embossed letters the word MAGNESIA.

Magnesium is a key mineral for human beings, as it aids in the work of muscles and the nervous system, reinforces the immune system, provides strength to the bones, adjusts levels of glucose, and helps to produce energy. In advertisements of the time, magnesia was marketed as a remedy against a variety of diseases, as was usual then: indigestion, stomach acidity, skin problems, and headaches. However, it is another property of this mineral that better explains the presence of this bottle at the front: it works as a laxative. In the 1930s, a brand of magnesia San Pellegrino was advertised as “the most inexpensive purgative” and is still promoted in this way. Another brand, San Fernando, was marketed as an “excellent purgative, gentle and effective” and a laxative “reuniting all the qualities demanded under such a name”.

The health of Republican troops during the last year of the war can be inferred through the remains left on the battlefield. Among the most common elements we can mention are dietary supplements (vitamins, energizers) and laxatives. Bottles of laxative have been found in several Republican positions that were established late in the war, such as Casas de Murcia (Vallecas) and El Piul (Rivas), both in the outskirts of Madrid. Bottles of other medicines used as purgatives, such as castor oil and mineral water, have also been found. The need to administer these medicines to the soldiers was due to the poor diet that they received. Although they fared better than civilians in the Republican zone, their food was scarce, monotonous, and lacking in fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, which caused gastrointestinal problems and general weakness. In the letters written by the soldiers of the Army of Andalusia studied by James Matthews, there are many references to the repetitive and insufficient diet: one of the soldiers complained that they received “only four chickpeas” and that some of the men in his unit had been hospitalized due to lack of food. There are complaints about food  on the Madrid front as early as January 1938, despite the fact that the daily menu still included 300 grams of bread and 80 grams of tinned meat. As the lack of an adequate diet impacted on the health of the troops, medicines and dietary supplements became an unsatisfactory substitute for food.