quack remedies

Basil Burchell's Purging Sugar Plumbs for Worms

Here we have an early example of the grocer’s apostrophe. Basil Burchell was well-known not only for his Worm medicine (which was for getting rid of worms, not for making worms feel better, in case you were wondering) but also for the famous Anodyne Necklace, supposed to soothe teething babies. More about the necklace another time, […]

Dr. Haines' Golden Specific

Dr James Wilkins Haines was a Quaker physician from Cincinnati, and you can learn more about his eventful life at Karen Campbell’s Quaker Genealogy blog. In 1917 the American Medical Association denounced his remedy (by then known as “Haines’ Golden Treatment”) as “a cruel humbug.” On analysing the powders, they found them to comprise […]

Walker's Jesuits Drops

Robert Walker obtained the King’s Royal Letters Patent for his remedy in 1755, and on his death, surgeon Joseph Wessels took it over. The drops were still around, under the name Wessel’s Jesuit Drops as late as the 1870s. In 1843, the Medical Times published a note stating that the Drops were “a spirituous tincture of […]

Carrington's Life Pills

Carrington’s Life Pills were made principally of capsicum, so they might well have cured your cold — if having your entire head blown off could be said to constitute a cure. The Reverend Caleb Carrington was Vicar of Berkeley from 1799 until his death in May 1837, and his eventful incumbency included getting embroiled in a court […]

Holland's Balsam of Spruce

Holland’s Balsam of Spruce is in the tradition of other tree resin remedies, such as Solomon’s Balm of Gilead and the Balsam of Mecca. Given that nearly 170 years later, a cure for the common cold remains as elusive as ever, this medicine would have been worth a punt – if nothing else, it was probably […]

Monteet's Infallible Medicines

Monteet’s Medicines weren’t among the more famous of 19th-century remedies. The proprietor, R. Hodgson, advertised them quite heavily in the Northern Echo for a few months in 1880-81, but after that they disappear. There is no way to tell whether the various mixtures were all pretty much the same, but it wouldn’t be a surprise. My favourite […]

Renovating Essence of Azilica

I have absolutely no idea what was in this medicine, so instead of a witty and/or informative comment, here is a picture of a fellow epitomising health and manly vigour. The image is from the Dictionnaire encyclopédique Trousset, published in Paris between 1886 and 1891, and is reproduced courtesy of Old Book Illustrations. […]

Laffere's Worm Powders

I’ve been looking forward to this one. It’s the most disgusting advert I’ve posted so far. DO NOT read it if you are eating. WORMS! WORMS! WORMS! LAFFERE’S WORM POWDERS are the best remedy for worms; they effect a certain cure, are tasteless, and at the same time are perfectly harmless. As a […]

Lockyer's Sulphur Hair Restorer

(Image: Brunette Combing her Hair. James Carroll Beckwith, 1851) We continue the hair theme today with the pungent-sounding Lockyer’s Sulphur Hair Restorer. This preparation was scrutinised in 1912 by the British Medical Association in More Secret Remedies: What they cost and what they contain. Analysis showed that it comprised: Precipitated Sulphur…..1.3 parts Lead acetate……………..1.6 parts Lead […]

Edwards' Instantaneous American Harlene

(Image: Tempus Edax Rerum, by John Leech. Punch, 1852. Courtesy of the John Leech Sketch Archive.) The advert below has a wonderfully tabloid feel to it, reflecting the sensationalist publication that carried it. The Illustrated Police News featured shocking accounts of true crime stories, and its advertising tended to be towards the seedier end of the spectrum. While the […]