Lackadaisycats.ru

Laudanum is an old time opium tincture. Because of epidemic levels of addiction in the 19th century, it had ended up a controlled substance by the 1920s. Evidently Dr. Quackenbush keeps some on hand, though.

A note about the photo slipping through the floor:
In homes built in earlier periods, floorboards and joists would be the only thing dividing your living space and cellar, whereas modern houses are typically built with subfloors. Usually, even in older homes, the floorboards would joint together edgewise (shiplapping or tongue and groove) to minimize the formation of gaps. Some earlier styles of flooring simply involved floating boards flush against each other and nailing them down, though. After some wear and tear and foundation settling, one can end up with unwanted openings into the underworld.