history of medicine

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 […]

I Cure Fits!

“Dr.” H. G. Root was a New York chemist whose remedy (not named in most of his adverts) was called Elepizone. According to Martindale’s Extra Pharmacopaeia of 1892, it was made of “bromide of sodium 30 grains, bromide of ammonium 30 grains, bromide of potassium 20 grains, tincture of nux vomica 15 minims, with caramel q.s. […]

Corns, Bunions and Deformed Nails

This chiropodist appears to have been a fine, upstanding member of the community rather than a charlatan – but his advertisement has just enough of the yuk factor to make it worth including. Joel Farbstein was born in Warsaw in about 1820 but probably spent some time in London before settling in Hull in the 1840s. […]

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 […]

White's Restorative Salo Pills

Nothing very funny about today’s remedy, I’m afraid. Adverts for abortifacients appeared in many 18th- and 19th-century newspapers, but they had to be discreet, as is the case with this one, which focuses on the pamphlet before mentioning the availability of the pills. The pamphlet was most likely an advertisement for Mr and Mrs White’s other services – they also offered lying-in […]

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 […]

Dr. De La Motte's Sassafras Chocolate

The sassafras tree is native to North America, and its healing properties were valued by Native Americans long before it became an export to the Old World. This 1848 advertisement lifts most of its text verbatim from Dr Richard Reece’s book, The Medical Guide, published in 1828. Neither Dr De La Motte nor the retailer can therefore be blamed for the […]

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. […]

Rees's Compound Essence

I decided against searching for a picture to go with this one… REES’S COMPOUND ESSENCE has proved in all cases the most safe and efficacious remedy ever discovered for the removal of strictures without the use of a bougie, as well as a speedy and certain cure for all discharges, gleets, whites, seminal weakness, irritation […]