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Monthly Archives: January 2010

Gordon’s Vital Sexualine Restorative

STRENGTH, VITALITY, MANHOOD. ­A Valuable Treatise on Nervous Exhaustion, Loss of Strength, Mental Depression, Exhausted Vitality, and all special diseases and weaknesses of man; their causes, and means of cure. This book not only contains valuable remarks on how to preserve strength and retain the powers to an advanced age, but points out the best … Continue reading »

Categories: Books & Pamphlets, Youthful indiscretions | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

The Elixir of Opium podcast, plus award news

Podcast: Play in new window | Download A couple of weeks ago a I did a post about McMunn’s Elixir of Opium, and because I had quite a bit of information about it, I intended to do a podcast. Unfortunately I was suffering from the worst cold ever (N.B. every cold I have is the … Continue reading »

Categories: Addiction, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

The Brinkerhoff System

THE Brinkerhoff System —–OF—– RECTAL MEDICATION!! Piles, Fistulal Fissue [sic], Polypsus, Pru- ritus, and Rectal Ulceration Permanently and Pain- lessly Cured. Rectal Ulceration is the most dangerous of all Rectal Maladies, owing to its undermining the system before its victims realize their dan- ger, this being due to the scarcity of nerves of sensation in … Continue reading »

Categories: Embarrassing Ailments | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

The Pure Drops of Life

Source: The Morning Chronicle, 27 August 1803 THE PURE DROPS of LIFE; or, Vegetable Extract, prepared only by T. M. Lucas, V.D.M. Road, near Bath. Sold, by special appointment, at Messrs. H. and W. Humphries, No. 87, Fleet-street; No. 2, Haymarket; Mr. G. Long, No. 13, Great Newport street, Long Acre; Mr. Tabart, 157, New … Continue reading »

Categories: Chest Complaints, With Testimonials | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

The Famous Montpellier Venereal Little Bolus

Source: The General Advertiser, 6 March 1744. Click here for transcript. I wonder if this advert looks familiar to regular readers. The writing style and capitalisation, and even the medicine’s name, are reminiscent of Mr. Burchell’s Famous Little Sugar Plums, and here again we see a proprietor tempting punters with freebies. Dr Russel of the … Continue reading »

Categories: Books & Pamphlets, Embarrassing Ailments, Youthful indiscretions | Tags: , , , , , | 8 Comments

McMunn’s Elixir of Opium

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Source: Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery (Louisville, KY), July 1855 Click here for Transcript There are no prizes for guessing what was in this. First formulated in the mid 1830s by Dr John B McMunn (or M’Munn), it became a big hit in the US once a … Continue reading »

Categories: Addiction, Children, Podcasts, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments

Bond’s Marvellous Corn Cure

Source: The Graphic, 19 Feb 1881 . This is a product I really don’t know much about, but I just had to feature it on the site because I love the chap’s cheerfully unsympathetic response to his friend’s agony. And the agony of corns is not to be underestimated, judging by a case study from … Continue reading »

Categories: Female Complaints | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Nose Machine

NOSE MACHINE.—This is a simple successful contrivance which, applied to the nose for an hour daily, so directs the soft cartilage of which the member consists, that an ill-formed nose is quickly shaped to perfection. Any one can use them, and without pain. Price 10s. 6d., sent carriage free.—ALEX. ROSS, 248 High Holborn, London. Pamphlet … Continue reading »

Categories: Cosmetics, Devices | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments

Harness’ Electric Corset (with podcast)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download . Source: The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times, 31 December 1892 . I’ve decided to have a go at doing a podcast. It’s about 13 mins long and goes into much more detail than the post below, so if you’ve got time, do have a listen. If … Continue reading »

Categories: Electrical Cures, General Health & Panaceas, Podcasts, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

The New Quack Doctor Website!

Happy New Year and welcome to the new home of The Quack Doctor, formerly found at quackdoctor.wordpress.com. I hope you like the site and continue to enjoy reading about the medical curiosities I find in historical newspapers. All my old posts from the wordpress.com blog are now here, and there’s lots more to come in … Continue reading »

Categories: Uncategorized | 6 Comments