1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 4

These are three patent medicine bottles: Daffy's Elixir
Dalby’s Carminative and Turlington’s Balsam of Life. 
These products were patented in Britain.  Note that
each bottle has a unique design, particularly the King's
Royal Patent: Turlington's Balsam of Life.  This was to
prevent copycats from making pirated versions, and to
make the official patented product easy to spot by
potential customers.  (4)

During the botanic medicine craze that lasted through the course of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it is said that there were over 100 British patent medicines sold in both Europe and America.  Listed here are some of the more common remedies you might take for respiratory ailments.


1.  Scot's Pills:  These were initially made by Patrick Anderson around 1635. The compound contained aloes, jalap, gamboge, and anine. (1, page 291)

Here is part of an article about Scott's Pills in the London Gazette, probably from some time in the 17th century:

Dr. ANDERSON's, or The Famous SCOTS PILLS; ARE
faithfully prepared only by JAMES INGLISH, son of DAVID INGLISH, deceased... to prevent Counterfeits from Scotland, as well as in and about London, you are desired to take Notice, That the true Pills have their Boxes sealed on the Top (in Black Wax) with a Lyon Rampant, and Three Mullets Argent, Dr. Anderson's Head betwixt I. I. with his Name round it, and Isabella Inglish underneath the Shield in a Scroll.

They are of excellent Use in all Cases where Purging is necessary, and may be taken with Epsom, Tunbridge, or other Medicinal Waters.

This product was provided with a letter's patent, which was a type of patent granted by parliament in 1624 "to curb arbitrary actions like those of previous monarch (prior to King James II)."

Anderson persuaded King James II to grant him a letter's patent for his pills, which meant that he had sole rights to his product so long as he supplied it to the king. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 put an end to an exercise of such royal power over the U.S. Colonies, and the grant was named invalid. This began a rivalry of the various people who claimed to make this remedy. (19, page 71-72)

Daffy's Elixer:  This was a concoction first introduced by Reverund Thomas Daffy in 1650,  and made famous by his relative Dr. Anthony Daffy, who created a pamphlet calling it "the choice drink of health."  He "promised" that it cured gout, dropsy, rickets, consumption, melancholy, etc. (3, page 73)  (3, page 128)(4, page 163)

The elixir was mainly a concoction of alcohol (mainly alcohol) and various herbs, roots and a laxative.  (4, page 128) 

It was available throughout the 18th century and much of the 19th century.  There were also various recipes published in magazines and newspapers for the product for homemakers to make their own versions of the remedy.   


Dutch Drops or Harlem Oil:  Garrison said this is a "mixture of oil of turpentine with other ingredients, has been used since 1672 as a 'medicamentum" (remedy) or routine preventative of disease." (1, page 292) There were other similar remedies that were supposedly meant to be a cure all, many of which could be purchased from private individuals.


This is an ad from the Chicago Tribune in 1880 (10)

Dalby's Carmanative: This was an elixir originally made by James Dalby of London, England, about 1780, and later in the United States around 1804. The product was still being sold at the turn of the 20th century. (7)

The main indications for this remedy were: flatulence, gripes, convulsions, gout, bloody flux, etc.

This medicine is the most ancient and popular arcana in Great Britain, chimed the authors of The Dublin Journal of Medical Science in 1845. It was good for people of all ages, including infants. The authors of the magazine also include the following warning:

"Like other popular nostrums, Dalby's Carminative is made after various receipts, so that the dose, which is perfectly safe when the cordial is prepared by A., may be poisonous when it is manufactured by B. In the Returns from the Coroners of England and Wales, made to the House of Commons in 1839, we find ten cases of death from Godfrey's Cordial, and one from Infant's Mixture. Dr. John Clarke mentions an infant destroyed by forty drops of Dalby's Carminative.—Translator's Note].—Medical Gazette.

This is a before after picture for people who use patent
medicine.  This was a window exhibit at a Chicago drug
store used by Collier's to help Adams make his point.  The
caption under said: Don't dose yourself with secret "Patent
Medicines," almost all of which are frauds and humbugs.
When sick Consult a Doctor and take his prescription: it is
the only Sensible Way and You'll find it cheaper in the end.

This note is interesting, considering one of the main concerns of medicines like this, along with the possibility of inducing alcohol dependence, was inducing side effects -- such as death -- due to the narcotic (in this case opium) contained in it.

Surely the medicine would ease pain and suffering, yet opiates (possibly the most ancient medicine known to mankind) also have a tendency to slow respiration, and may even stop breathing all together.

Considering the doses may vary depending on who makde the elixir, there is no true guarantee how much had been blended into the product.

Goddard's Drops:  Dr. Jonathon Goddard invented this "famous elixir" as a result of performing chemical experiments.  Dr. Goddard died in 1675 of apoplexy, in the street, on his way to his carriage. (26, page 190) (29, page 52) and then the patent was taken over by his relatives.

This was actually the first medicine to be patented in Britain. (22, page 334-336)

Dr. Goddard, before he died, gave his secret to the Royal College, under the stipulation they not publish it during his lifetime (apparently they didn't have to wait long.) (29, page 52) King Charles II granted the patent because he thought commoners  would benefit from it.   (22, page 334-336)

The product was advertised in 1673 by Dr. C. Goddard and communicated by his nephew, Dr. Thomas Goddard. The recipes varied, and one version included "hartshorn, portions of the skull of a criminal who had been hanged, dried vipers bodies and other unmentionable substances." (22, page 334-336)

The drops were  recommended by Dr. Thomas Sydenham, physician known as the Hippocrates of English medicine.  In referring to them, he said they were made by Dr. Goodall. (24, page xlvii).

Sydenham said the  drops are "a highly volatile oleous alcaline spirit, drawn from dead silk worms: but the present practice takes no notice of it." (23, page xlvii)

Dr. Martin Lister said he saw the patent, and that "they were nothing more than the volatile spirit of raw milk rectified with oil of cinnamon."  Along with gout, the pills were also used in "fainting, appoplexies, lethargies and no better than ordinary spirit of hartshorn and sal ammoniac, or other sudden and alarming onsets." (25, page 25)

They were also known as "King's Drops," or "English Drops," because King Charles II loved to use them, even purchasing the secret for 1500 (or was it 5000, or 6000, or 15000, depending on the source) pounds.  (23, page 205)  (1, page 292)

They were also sometimes referred to as "Spirit of Scull." They may also have be recommended for epilepsy.  King Charles II may have also made his own version of the remedy in his own laboratory. (27, page 119)

They were originally sold under the name spiritus salis volatilis oleosus, and later sal volatile drops, and then spiritus ammonia aromaticus. (29, page 52)

Tuscora Rice:  Mrs. Sibilla Masters started production of this product in 1711 under the company name Sibilla Masters.  She went to England to try to get her product patented, but she was rejected. She later sent her husband, Mr. Thomas Masters, to England, and he was granted a patent for the same product.  The product was "actually a food and not a patent.  Little is known about the product nor whether sales were successful." It was the first American patent. (16, page 2)(1, page 402)

Dr. Bateman's Pectoral Drops: According to Griffenhagen and Iogard, it  was the first medicine to be given a patent in Britain by the new rules set forth by parliament after the Glorious Revolution, and the second medicine patent was given to Stoughton's Great Cordial Elixir.  The patent was awarded to Benjamin Okell in 1711.  The product was being regularly advertised by Okell in London by 1721, with advertising in the London Mercury that said: "Each bottle (was) sealed with the boar's head," on which was inscribed "By the King's Patent."  (19, page 72)
 (22, page 334-336)

Stoughton's Great Cordial Elixer:  According to David Wondrich, in his 2007 book, Richard Stoughton owned an apothecary shop in London, and, in 1690, decided create his own proprietary medicine to "get in on the action." (17, page 169)

It was an "alcohol infusion," and it was initially intended as a remedy for stomach and blood ailments, although "users seem to have discovered it was good for one set of symptoms in particular. (17, page 169)
He received a royal patent in 1712, "only the second to be granted to a medicine." (17, page 169)

In 1710, Stoughton's advertising, which had previously hinted at this somewhat less exalted indication, came right out and said: the elixir is "Drank by most gentlemen... to recover and restore weakened or Lost Appetite... occasioned by hard Drinking or Sickness, &c." and "carry off the effects of bad Wine, which too many die of."  (17, page 169)

In other words: it was a hangover cure

Stouighton created a bottle design that made it unique, and it became so common that it "gained dictionary definition." Circulars extolled the product, and served as the package label, mainly because these early bottles did not have paper labels: they usually came wrapped inside the label.  This product made patent medicine popular in Britain.  (19, page 72)

While this remedy wasn't necessarily recommended for respiratory disorders, I would imagine a good draught of booze might take the edge off.  If you drank too much, Stoughton's Great Cordial Elixer would take the edge off your hangover.

Timothy Byfield's sal oleosum volatile:  It's a chemical preparation that "hath been found very helpful and beneficial as well in uses medicinall as others and will much tend to the public use and benefit of our subjects." It was supposedly for ails of the stomach. (18, page 342)

Goddard's Drops were used in making this recipe. (28, page 80)

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup:  A product similar to Dalby's only it was recommended as a soothing medicine for infants, children and animals, regardless of age. (7)

Along with lots of alcohol, the product contained morphia, which is perhaps one of the oldest medicines known to mankind for it's ability to ease pain and suffering of mind and body. Too much, however, and it has a tendency to slow (or even cease) respirations, thus causing death.

Turlington’s Balsam of Life: This product was invented by merchant Robert Turlington, and he obtained a patent from King George II in 1744.  The product gained fame in Britan and in the American Colonies as an elixir that pretty much cured any malady. (9, page 98)

Turlington made an extensive effort to advertise his product with testimonials and warnings against purchasing pirated versions.  He even went as far as to create a unique shaped bottle with the intent of making it very recognizable to customers, and difficult to pirate. The patent claiecds that the product contained over 27 ingredients. (9, page 98)

Molded into the glass of one side of the unique pear shaped bottles was the following: 

"By the King's Royal Patent Granted to"

On the other side was printed:

"Rob't Turlington for his Invented Balsam of Life."

Also, on one edge was printed:London," and on the other the date the bottle was introduced "January 26, 1754."

This unique idea made it very difficult to create counterfeits.

Other patent medicine makers soon used the idea of molding their names into the glass bottles, such as was done with bottles of Dalby's Carminative, which came out with a steeple shaped conical bottle with "carminative" on one side and "Dalby's" on the other. (19, page 73)

The product was so popular that there was even a book published about it called "Turgington's Balsam of Life, prepared and sold by the patentee...The Efficacy and Virtues of which Incomparable Medicine are Exemplified by an Account of Some of the Cures Perform'd Thereby, in this Book Briefly Mentioned," and "By Virtue of the King's Patent: Turlington's Balsam of life is....", and a variety of other similar titles.

Dr. James Powder:  Dr. Robert James introduced his patented medicine in 1747. It was also referred to as Fever Powder, or Dr. James Fever Powder. The powder contained antimony and bone ashes, and it was supposed to make you vomit and perspire. The medicine was marketed as a remedy for fevers, although it was also used for a variety of other ailments, including delerium and asthma (of course asthma was considered a nervous disorder). The remedy was given to King George III to treat his delerium. (31 , page 203)(32, page 79)(33, page 146)(34, page 281)

Francis Hopkins Rammage, a famous asthma expert from the early 19th century, wrote of the remedy being useful for convulsive asthma. (35, page 99)

Does this not look just
like a bottle of liquor?
Was this just a coincidence,
or was it purposeful?  Your
guess is as good as mine. (11)

Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company:  This was among the most famous Companies to make Indian Remedies in the United States, created by John E. Healy and Charles F. Bigelow in Philadelphia.  They had a variety of products that were first patented in the 1860s, and as the company advertisements could be found in various newspapers around 1888.  They had a cure for just about anything, such as:

• Kickapoo Worm Killer: A drink containing a variety of contents claiming to kill worms
• Kickapoo Salve: for skin ailments
• Kickapoo Oil: Containing, among other things, alcohol and opium
• Kickapoo Indian Cough Cure: It was a syrup that contained many ingredients, including ipecac, which made a patient puke.  (11, 30)
• Kickapoo Indian Sagwa:  The product contained mostly alcohol, and was good for dyspepsia. Since dyspepsia can also lead to nervousness, it can also cure nervousness. (30, page 23)

Hale's Honey or Horhound and Tar:  This was supposedly a remedy that would cure inflammation or catarrh.  It was good for coughs, cold, influenza, and "Lung and all bronchial complaints."

Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup: Dr. John W. Bull started manufacturing a family of proprietary products in 1845, and the products (including many pirated versions) by a variety of other people. Most of the products, including the cough syrup, were marketed under the claim "The People's Remedy." There were a variety of similar products, such as Red Star Cough Cure, and the product may also have had other names, such as Dr. J.W. Bull's Vegetable Baby Syrup. The company ultimately became known as the A.C. Meyer and Company, (15) which claimed, in a letter to Adams, that "there is no case of hoarseness, hoarseness (12, page 48)

Shiloh's Consumptive Cure:  It's a nice name, although the contents are not listed, at least not in the U.S.  Adams said the product is made in Leroy, New York, by S.C. Wells and Company, and contains chloriform and prussic acid.  He says "the public would probably exhibit some caution in taking it.  Under the present lax system there is no warning on the bottle that the liquid contains one of the most deadly of poisons." (12, page 47)

Dr. King's New Discovery:  Marketed mainly as a cure for consumption, is was also effective for any disease that caused shortness of breath, or of the chest or throat, including asthma.  An ad for the product said: "Knowing the many wonderful curative qualities of this great discovery, we are willing to stake our reputation on its merits." (12, page 48)

The Special Liquid Blood Cure:  It was the remedy of Dr. Bunyan Along with curing asthma, it was also supposed to cure just about any other malady, including: enlarged tonsils. enlarged glands, ulcers, sores, eruptions, scrofula, impurities of the blood and whole system, etc. According to Adams, "the product looked "cheap at $2, until the Bureau of Chemistry analyzed the miraculous mixture and found it to consist of iodide of potassium and milk sugar with a trace of corrosive sublimate. Then it didn't look like such a bargain." (12, page 129)

Birney's Catarrh Powder:  This product was made by the Birney Catarrhal Powder Company, and ultimately advertised their product as "Cocaine Dr. Birney's Catarrhal Powder." The bottle that contained the powder claimed that you blew the powder and inhaled it through your nose. The company also claimed the product contained less than 3% cocaine. Some reports show that strammonium and menthol were also in the product, along with various other substances. (13, page 297)(12, page 11)

This graphic was used by John Hopkins
Adams in his articles to show that the
alcohol content of many patent medicines
was similar to whisky, champagne, and beer
(12, page 16) 

Duffy's Malt Whiskey:  Sold as a regular drink at saloons, it was patented as a medicine and cure all. It contained mostly water and alcohol. Adams said that doing this was an easy way for manufacturers to sell alcohol where alcohol in states was prohibited. Eventually, when the prohibition amendment was passed, this provided an amble market for patent medicine makers. Of the whiskey, Adams said: "But Duffy's Malt Whiskey is a fraud, for it pretends to be a medicine and to cure all kinds of lung and throat diseases. It is especially favored by temperance folk. "A dessert spoonful four to six times a day in water and a cription for consumptive, makes a fair grog allowance for an abstainer." (12, page 17-18)

Antikamnia (heroin tablets): This was a remedy that was delivered through the postal service, and claimed to be a remedy for a variety of ailments, and was particularly advertised as a painkiller. The claim of the product wa that "its effect on the respiratory organs is not at all depressing, but primarily it is stimulating, which is promptly followed by a quietude which is invigorating and bracing, instead of depressing and followed by lassitude... it neither stupefies nor depresses the patient, but yields all the mild anodyne results without any of the toxic or objectionable phases." (13, page 583)  Adams claimed such claims were "no less fraudulent and dangerous.

Dr. Peruna's book, "The ills of life":  The owner of Peruna products was Dr. S. B. Hartman, who was "once a physician in good standing," wrote Adams. Adams claimed the product was essentially just a mixture of water and alcohol, with food coloring to make the product look appealing, and sweeteners to make the product taste appealing, and was marketed as a "cure all."  (12, page 13)

The author claimed the remedy (Peruna) treated catarrh. John Hopkins Adams claimed, in a series of articles in 1906, that basically any product could claim to be a cure for catarrh, which was basically an old term for inflammation. He said that any ailment presents with catarrh.  (12, page 13) 

Adams said: (12, page 13) 

No matter what you've got, you will be not only enabled, but compelled, after reading Dr. Hartman's Peruna book, "The Ills of Life," to diagnose your illness as catarrh and to realize that Peruna alone will save you. Pneumonia is catarrh of the lungs; so is consumption. Dyspepsia is catarrh of the stomach. Enteritis is catarrh of the intestines. Appendicitis—surgeons, please note before operating—is catarrh of the appendix. Bright's disease is catarrh of the kidneys. Heart disease is catarrh of the heart. Canker sores are catarrh of the mouth. Measles is, perhaps, catarrh of the skin, since "a teaspoonful of Peruna thrice daily or oftener is an effectual cure" ("The Ills of Life"). Similarly, malaria, one may guess, is catarrh of the mosquito that bit you.  (12, page 13) 

Other products were advertised in newspapers, appearing as advertisements, although no advertiser is marked, said Adams.  One example of such an ad is as follows:

CURES CATARRH AND ASTHMA
Foreign Specialists Give Reasons For
Marvelous Success of New
Remedy, Ascatco
Vienna, Sept. 9.—The astonishing suc-
cess of the Ascatco treatment for catarrh,
asthma and bronchitis is wholly attributed
to its marvelous action on the mucous mem-
branes, and having no disturbing influence
on other organs of the body. (12, page 56)

Of this, Adams said:

"It is claimed by European savants, from whom this remedy emanated, that five hundred drops will cure permanently even the most obstinate cases. The dose is small and pleasant to take, being only seven drops twice daily. The Austrian dispensary, 32 West Twenty-Fifth Street, New York, N. Y., will send a trial treatment of Ascatco free by mail to all sufferers who have not tested the wonderful curative powers of the specific. (12, page 56)

Adams used this photo to show that many patent
medicine manufacturers used patent medicine as
guise to avoid alcohol taxes.  As seen here, Duffy's
Pure Malt whiskey, a patent medicine, was available
with other alcohol bottles in this saloon window
in Auburn, New York.  (12, page 18)

Anyone who profited from the benefits of patent medicine, or profited from the sale of them, was out of luck after Teddy Roosevelt signed the Food and Drug Act of 1906.

If you had asthma and you relied on such remedies, you were now forced to seek alternatives.  Those responsible for the passage of the law would probably recommend you see a licensed physician.

References:

1. Garrison, Fielding Hudson, "Introduciton to the history of medicine," 1922, London, W.B. Saunders Company
2. Griffenhagen, George B, and Mary Iogard, "History of Drug Containers and their labels," 1999, American Institute of History and Pharmacy, page 73
3. Monod, Paul Kleber, "Solomon's Secret ARts: The Occult in the age of enlightment," 2013, Great Britain, International LTD.
4. Photo compliments of Wikepedia, permission granted for public use by deepbluesea.
5. Photo compliments of Wikepedia; copywrite of photo has expired, so no permission required
6. "Patent Medicine," Hagley Museum and Library, hagley.org, http://www.hagley.org/library/exhibits/patentmed/history/history.html, accessed 6/13/15
7. Canon, Richard,"Medicine Chest: Baby and Kid Stuff: http://glswrk-auction.com/060.htm, accessed 6/51/2013
8. "Scientific Intelligence," The Dublin Journal of Medical Science,Volume 22, 1843, page 418
9. Kelly, Kate, "Old World and New: Early Medical Care, 1700-1840," 1910, New York, Infobase Publishing
10. "1880 Patent Medicine Advertisement," Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/site/ct-per-flash-patent-medicines-0505-20130505-002,0,1192064.photo, accessed 6/15/13
11. "Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company," bottlebooks.com, http://www.bottlebooks.com/kickapoo.htm, accessed 6/15/13
12. Adams, John Hopkins, "The Great America Fraud: Articles on the Nostrum Evil and Quackery  Reprinted from Collier's," 1905-1912
13. Ecless, R.G., Dr. Birney's Catarrhal Powder," "The Western Druggist: A Journal of Pharmacy, Chemistry, and Allied Sciences," Volume XVI, 1894, Chicago, G.P. Englehard and Co.August 1894, page 297
14. "Medical Gleanings," New Albany Medical Herald, volume 22, No. 286 October, 1904, New Series Volume 11, Number 157 
15. Canon, Richard, "Medicine Chest: Confusing Medicine," http://glswrk-auction.com/061.htm, accessed 6/15/13
16. Henderson, Metta Lou, editor, "Women Pharmacists: Contributions to Profession," 2002, New York, The Haworth Press Inc., 
17.  Wontrich, David, "Abstinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Solute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar," 2007, New York, The Penguin Group, 
18. "Nostrums and Pharmacists," JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 29, August 14, 1897, John B. Hamilton, editor, July-December, 1897, Chicago, AMA
19. Griffenhagen, George B, Mary Iogard, "Catalogue of Druggists and Performers," 1999, American Institute of History and Pharmacy
20. "Letter's Patent," Britannica.com, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/337533/letters-patent, accessed 6/16/13
21. Vogel, Virgil J., "American Indian Medicine," 1970, London, Oklahoma University Pres
22. LaWall, Charles H., "Curious Lore of Drugs and Medicines," 2003, 
23. Thomson, C.J.S., "Mystery and Art of the Apothecary," 2003, 1923, 
24. Sydenham, Thomas, "The Works of Thomas Sydenham," volume I, 1788, London, page xlvii
25. Lee, Sir Sidney, Leslie Stephen, editors, "The Dictionary of National Biography," volume 22, 1890,  New York, MacMillan and Co., page 25
26. Chalmers, Alexander, "The Tatler: a new edition, carefully revised, in four volumes, with prefaces, historical and biographical," 1822, London,  volume 
27. Rooney, Ann, "The history of science: The History of Medicine," 2013, New York, Arcturus Publishing Limited, page 119, 
28. Medvel, Victor Cornelius, "The history of clinical endocrinology: a comprehensive account of endocrinology from earliest times to the present day," 1993, New York, Parthenon Publishing Group Inc., page 80
29. Knight, John, Henry Lacey, "Professional Anecdotes: or ana of medical literature," volume I, 1823, London, Paternoster Row"
30. "Family Cook Book," 1891, New Haven, Healy and Bigelow, Kickapoo Indian Sagwa Cures Dyspepsia
31. Emsley, John, "The Elements of Murder: A history of poison," 2005, New York, Oxford University Press
32. Jackson, Mark, "Asthma: A Biography," 2009, New York, Oxford University Press
33. Sylvanus, Urban, "Review of New Publications," The Gentleman's Magazine and historical chronicle mdccxcii, volume 71, London, England, February, 1792, printed by John Nichols, page 146,
34. Cheyne J., authoer of article: "Dr. Cheyne on James Powder", , The American Medical Recorder, volume 1, 1818,  Philadelphia, James Webster, publisher
35. Ramadge, Francis Hopkins, "Asthma, it's species and complications," 1835, London, Paternoster Row

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1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 3

This was a typical ad for patent medicine

It says: Sick Made Well, Weak Made Strong

Marvelous Elixir of Life, etc.

They usually contained some form of testimonial,

and a picture of a licensed medical practitioner

Such claims were often fabrications.

  (5)(12, page 4-8)

There were always skeptics of botanic medicine, and the skeptics would often refer to it as folk medicine or even quack medicine. The greatest critics, and understandably so, were the licensed medical professionals.

As noted by the authors at Hagley Museum and Library:

"From the beginning, some physicians and medical societies were critical of patent medicines. They argued that the remedies did not cure illnesses, discouraged the sick from seeking legitimate treatments, and caused alcohol and drug dependency. The temperance movement of the late 19th century provided another voice of criticism, protesting the use of alcohol in the medicines. By the end of the 19th century, Americans favored laws to force manufacturers to disclose the remedies' ingredients and use more realistic language in their advertising.

"These laws met with fierce resistance from the manufacturers. The Proprietary Association, a trade association of medicine producers, was founded in 1881. The Association was aided by the press, which had grown dependent on the money received from remedy advertising. The pivotal event occurred when North Dakota passed a limited disclosure law, which included patent medicines. Proprietary Association members voted to remove their advertisements from all state newspapers. Finally, with strong support from President Theodore Roosevelt, a Pure Food and Drug Act was passed by Congress in 1906, paving the way for public health action against unlabeled or unsafe ingredients, misleading advertising, the practice of quackery, and similar rackets." (6)

Perhaps no critical voice was louder than that of John Hopkins Adams, who, between 1905 and 1912 ,wrote a series of articles in Collier's Magazine showing what he considered to be the truth about patent medicine

Collier began the series on October 7, 1905, with the following:

Gullible America will spend this year some seventy-five millions of dollars in the purchase of patent medicines. In consideration of this sum it will swallow huge quantities of alcohol, an appalling amount of opiates and narcotics, a wide assortment of varied drugs ranging from powerful and dangerous heart depressants to insidious liver simulants; and, far in excess of all other ingredients, undiluted fraud. For fraud exploited by the skillfulest of advertising bunco men, is the basis of the trade. Should the newspapers, the magazines and the medical journal refuse their pages to this class of advertisements, the patent medicine business in five years would be as scandalously historic as the South eSa Bubble, and the nation would be richer not only in lives and money, but in drunkards and drug fiends saved. (12, page 3)

Of the ingredients of most patent medicine, he said:

Cocaine and opium stop pain; but the narcotics are not the safest drugs to put into the hands of the ignorant, particularly when their presence is concealed in the "cough remedies," "soothing syrups," and "catarrh powders" of which they are the basis. Few outside of the rabid temperance advocates will deny a place in medical practice to alcohol. But alcohol, fed daily and in increasing doses to women and children, makes not for health, but for drunkenness. Far better whiskey or gin unequivocally labeled than the alcohol-laden "bitters," "sarsaparillas" and "tonics" which exhilarate fatuous temperance advocates to the point of enthusiastic testimonials. (12, page 4)

None of these "cures" really does cure any serious affection, although a majority of their users recover. But a majority, and a very large majority, of the sick recover, anyway. Were it not so—were one illness out of fifty fatal—this earth would soon be depopulated. (12, page 4)

Adams believed that the best remedy would be for newspapers to stop allowing the advertisement of patent medicine, although this was difficult because newspapers benefited from such advertising profits. Another solution would be for the Post office to stop allowing such products to be carried by mail, although, again, the U.S. Post Office benefited from said profits. Another remedy, whose route would be the ultimate demise of patent medicine, would be for laws regulating or outlawing such practices. Some states, such as Michigan, did pass such laws, although enforcing the law was next to impossible. (12, page 3, 9-10)

It may have been Collier's articles that were the final straw that inspired a progressive Congress to act, thus debating and sending to the Senate, and finally the desk of President Theodore Roosevelt, a bill that would end patent medicine craze: the Food and Drug Act of 1906.

However, while the patent medicine craze ended, botanic medicine can still be found in stores, sold mainly as natural remedies for the various ailments that plague the world, such as insomnia, obesity, diabetes, allergies, and asthma.

For references, see "1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 4."

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1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 2

Kickapoo Indian Sagwa,
 Blood, Liver, and
 Stomach Regulator. 
An old patent medicine 
advertisement.
 No artist credited.
(5)

Proprietary medicine, also known as botanic or patent medicne, was a craze that began in Britain during the 17th century and continued through the 18th century.  Of the more than 100 British patent medicines concocted by quack doctors, many made their way to the American colonies, where, in the absence of licensed physicians.

Of all formulas concocted by quack doctors in Britain, over 100 of them made their way to the American colonies, an inexpensive and "convenient way to treat their ills." (2, page 74)

Apothecaries in New York, Boston and Philadelphia often advertised in newspapers that they had received shipments of the latest products of proprietary medicine. (2, page 74)

One example is noted by George B. Griffenhagen and Mary Iogard in their 1999 book "History of Drug Containers and their labels.  They said:

Apothecaries in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia regularly advertised in the newspapers of the eighteenth century that they had fresh supplies of drugs and patent medicines imported in the latest ships from London.  According to the Pennsylvania Gazette, 27 July, 1769, Thomas Preston, "at the Goldon Mortar" in Philadelphia had imported from London, "all the most useful Anderson's, Hoopers, and Lockyer's Pills, Bateman's Drops, Walker's Jesuits Drops, British Oil, Squire's Elixir, Greenough's Tincture for the teeth and gums, Stoughton's Bitters, Turlington's Balsam of Life, Dr. James Fever Powders, Godfrey's Coridal, etc."  (2, page 74) 

These and similar products were not just sold at apothecaries, but also at general stores, post offices, or by peddlers.  Sometimes they were sold by physicians as they did their rounds. (6)

Many of the names and claims were quite creative, as was the case with Turlington’s Balsam of Life, which had a unique shaped bottle to prevent piracy and which had carved into the bottle, "King's Royal Patent." (2, page 74)

Yet despite the exciting names and claims, most contained mainly alcohol, often blended with water, with some herbs, roots, morphine and cocaine tossed in for good effect. (2, page 74)

Yet the sellers usually didn't tell the purchaser this. In fact, the remedies were usually kept secret, with the seller claiming things like, "This is the secret recipe of the Indians," or "this is the famous recipe loved by King James II." (2, page 74)

Botanic medicine became known as patent medicine mainly because the creators of such medicine sought patents, or letters patents, in order to better profit from their inventions.

Letters Patents were first doled out by the Royal Crown in 1449, although only to the inventors of products or services the king thought would benefit the people of Britain.  Such patents were only granted to men, and  always in return for favors to the crown.  Favors might include supplies of the product itself, or a certain percentage of the profits.

In 1623 members of the Parliament grew tired of the king doling out favors and enacted the Statute of Monopolies, thus allowing Parliament to grant patents.  The owner of the patent now had sole right to the profits from the product or service for 14 years. (20)

By the 19th century many of the makers of proprietary preparations had received patents for their products, and those who did not claimed that they did anyway.  So by this time such preparations were usually referred to as patent medicine by physicians, politicians, and the general public.  Until the 19th century it was necessary to ship the original British products and bottles from Britain to the United States.

In the 19th century, "it was not necessary to order the medicinal content from abroad; they were frequently compounded by the American colonial pharmacists." (2, page 75)

Some of these pharmacists noted the difficulty of faking the original design of the bottles and making them look like the official, patented products.

The American Revolution "interfered with" importation of patented medicine, requiring pharmacists to make their own solutions to fill into the empty bottles they had access to.  (2, page 75)

After the war, when shipments of the actual remedies were once again shipped to the now United States, pharmacists continued to make their own versions of the fake medicine. Many of these fake, fake patent medicines varied in contents and strength of the various contents, and the bottles were often somewhat different, and even the labeling, spelling, and dates were unique. (2, page 74)

In the United States there were also patent medicines invented and sold by American proprietors, and such products "supposedly" contained remedies used by the native Americans that kept them young, healthy, and vibrant.  (21, page 139)

Certainly some of these may have been actual Indian remedies, but most were simply concoctions that mostly contained alcohol, and maybe some herbs, roots, morphine, and cocaine, similar to the contents of other patent medicine. (21, page 139)

Some examples of these products are: "Katonka, the great Indian medicine," "Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company," and "Kickapoo Indian Sagwa: Blood, Liver and Stomach Renovator," "Mugwump Specific: Cure and Prevention for Venereal Disease." (21, page 139)

So you had patent medicines made in Britain, and patent medicine made in the U.S.  Of course most such products weren't patented, although quite often the inventor, or peddler, would claim there was a patent to increase credibility and prevent copycats. Or, more than likely, they were copycats themselves. (6)

Along with curing asthma, it was also supposed to cure just about any other
malady, including: enlarged tonsils. enlarged glands, ulcers, sores,
eruptions, scrofula, impurities of the blood and whole system, etc.  (12, page 129

In this way, due to few if any laws regulating the production and sale of medicine, the inventor and peddler could basically make any claims they wanted in order to sway a potential customer. And, of course, the contents were usually kept secret to prevent skeptics (mainly licensed physicians) from proving the products to be bogus. (6)



Antikamnia Tablets, Birney's Cararrh Powder, and other similar
products were marketed as an ideal remedy, particularly for
headache and catarrh.  Warnings posted in drug stores warned: 
"BE AWARE OF ACETANILID: Take no nostrum of this class
without a doctor's prescription, unless you are sure it contains
no acetanilid. Make the drug- gist tell you. He is responsible.
A suit for damages has recently been won against a New York drug
store for illness consequent upon the sale of a "guaranteed harmless"
headache tablet containing three grains of acetanilid.."
(12, page 38)

These products were advertised freely in newspapers, and the products were made to look like panaceas.

Surely people who suffered with breathing difficulty, be it due to heart failure, consumption, dropsy, pneumonia or asthma, were susceptible to falling for the claims of the marketers of patent medicine. This would especially have been the case for people who lacked respect for the medical profession, or who lacked access to a physician.

For references, see "1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 4."

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1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 1

Figure 1 -- A home recipe for Daffey's Elixir, 1829 (5)

When you lost faith in licensed medicine, or if you were tired of their harsh remedies, or if you simply had no access to them, chances are you'd be tempted to try the natural remedies of botanic physicians.

The ancient Romans referred to medicines that were sold but not tested as nostrum remedium (6)

During the middle ages these remedies were referred to as "proprietary preparations," and by the 19th century as "patent medicines."

Blood letting (venesection, bleeding) was a common remedy
 for many of the ailments that plagued mankind during the
 17th century, and it was often duly prescribed by physicians
 and barbers.  One can only imagine the fright among the
 many patients.From Main's II Barbiere, 1626. (1, page 301)

Some of the first inventors of proprietary preparations were alchemists from the middle ages who mixed various chemicals searching for the ultimate remedy. They'd mix in some food coloring to make it look nice and sweetener to make it taste nice. Then they'd pour it in bottles with an attractive label or pamphlet claiming it will prevent or cure some ailment, or  (1, page 287, 291)

There was an obvious market for such remedies in Britain and the U.S.  The following are some of the theories why botanic medicine became such a craze:

1.  The melancholy nature of the nation caused by diseases such as syphilis, leprosy, scurvy, diarrhea, consumption, pneumonia, influenza, asthma, gout, blindness, deafness, skin diseases, mental illness, etc.

2.  The high rate of death caused by accidents or one of the above listed diseases, and the fact that more than half of all children died at birth or within the first two years of disease. Infant mortality consisted of two-fifths of all deaths in England. (1, page 311)

3.  Medicine was expensive: "Apothecary bills were exceptionally high in the seventeenth century, and the cost of medicine was often exploited by physicians and surgeons as an excuse for running up their charges."  (1, page 293)

4.  Physician's remedies often made patient feel worse: Due to their theories, many remedies consisted of induced bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, burning of the skin, etc.  Their remedies may have provided a glimmer of hope, but most provided little more.

5.  The contents of physician's remedies were less than appealing: Consider that the various pharmacopoeia of the 17th century contained such ingredients as spiders, semen, blood, bugs, birds, animals, etc.

6.  Many physicians were seen in a negative fashion:  "By the seventeenth century the physicians had become a sterile pedant, and cox comb, red-heeled, long robed, big wigged, square bonneted, pompous and disdainful in manner making a vain parade of his Latin and instead of studying and caring for his patients, tried to overawe them with long tirades of technical drivel, which only concealed his ignorance of what he supposed to be their diseases." (1, page 297)

7.  Battle between physicians, surgeons, barbers, grocers and apothecaries (druggists). Druggists often set up as physicians who both made and prescribed remedies. Grocers sold medicine too, although this ended in 1606 by James I. Apothecaries came to a head with physicians about the time of the great plague of 1665 when most physicians (including Sydenham) left their posts, and apothecaries stayed at their posts. (1, page 293)

8.  Physician's fees varies by mile and sex:  The further the physician had to travel the more he charged. Charges for women were often much higher than for men.  (1, page 295)

9.  The booming newspaper business:  It is believed by many experts that the reason the patent medicine industry boomed during the course of the 19th century was due to the growth of the newspaper industry.  In Manistee, Michigan, for example, a small town along the shore of Lake Michigan where the Manistee River joins the lake, there were five newspapers.  This was interesting, considering the population of Manistee today is less than 10,000.  So the market was obviously booming for such products.

This booming market created a great opportunity for the manufacturers of Patent Medicine to advertise the great healing properties of their remedies.  To catch the eye of potential customers, the advertisements often came with testimonials from people who tried the medicine, and doctors who recommended it with good results.

However, as is still true today, the validity of the testimonials was often in question, and whether the claims were true generally fit into the phrase: caviet emptor (buyer beware).

There was also no requirement that claims had to be true, and even if there were, such laws were often ignored.  Whether a product had the claimed ingredients, or whether it was made by a doctor, an apothecary, or a simple house wife was usually never known.

Why was the product being advertised in the newspaper.  Of course the claim was always that this natural remedy or that would cure this or that disease.  But whether the seller was someone who benefited the product and was simply offering a public service, or was someone who was just out to make a profit, was also never known.

Of course, as was the case with most patent medicine, the author could claim anything he wanted.  Perhaps the author simply made up the recipe to sell the recipe book. Or, as may sometimes have been the case, the author may have had a perceived benefit from use of the product, and thought he was doing a public service by publishing the recipe.

A perfect example here is a recipe for Daffy's Elixer that was published in newspapers in 1929.  The author claimed the recipe was the "genuine recipe." Was it?  Your guess is as good as mine.

10.  Physicians were not always available: Due to the sparse amount of new territory in the United States, licensed physicians were far and few, creating a market for peddlers selling patent medicine.

While there were a few European physicains who crossed the Atlantic to advance medicine in the newly formed American colonies (Jamestown and Virginia in 1607, Plymouth Colony in 1620, and New Netherlands in 1623), (1, page 306)

Most physicians in America were homegrown and poorly trained, mostly learning on the job as apprentices.  In fact, "until 1769 the term doctor was not even employed in the colonies." (21, page 307)

There would have been very few physicians away from original settlements, villages or cities in America, and only a passing few poorly trained physicians on the frontier. Costs would have been relatively expensive for poor colonists, who often paid with tobacco or corn. (21, pages 263, 307-308)

Sick colonists may also benefit from prayers offered by American physicians, as many were also preachers of the gospel. (1, page 306)

So one can easily see how such proprietary preparations must have been eagerly sought after by people who were sick, especially the poor -- which most people were -- even if they tasted horrible and contained secret remedies that were sometimes nothing different than what a physician would offer, and sometimes nothing more than alcohol. 

In fact, botanic, or patent medicine, was such a booming industry during the 17th and 18th centuries that even well respected physicians and surgeons entered the arena, sometimes as sellers, and sometimes by attributing their names to such products.  Some physicians made a lot of money doing this. 

Some, as they made their rounds, the oils, ointments, plasters, drinks, etc. that they would use and recommend were products they profited from. Such "family doctors" would charge for their preparations as opposed to their services. (1, page 409)      

So even those who chose to stick with a licensed physician didn't know if they were getting actual approved remedies, or patent remedies.  In this way, there were times when it was difficult to tell the difference between licensed and quack medicine.

For references, see "1600-1900: Botanic medicine becomes a craze, part 4."

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