fat - mostly lard from pigs and tallow from cattle mixed with sodium
hydroxide (caustic soda - aptly named!!) And the white paint I'm
pretty sure was the old white wash - which we certainly still used in
Manchester England in the early 1950's - a mixture of lime (Calcium
Hydroxide, also caustic) and chalk. There's a huge amount of info on
the internet if you want to get into it more deeply!
So to answer your question, they are about as far away from today's
products as it's possible to get.
Carol
Carol Boyce, LCH, MCH, CCH
Director of Education
The Homeopathic Symposium
www.homeopathicsymposium.com
Venkat