Medicine Without Physicians: A History of Home Remedies

Commercial Medicine

Glass bottles for Schumann and Doescher - Prescription Druggists (large brown bottle embossed with the name and a large safe); Gombault's Caustic Balsam by Lawrence Williams Co. (large clear bottle with embossed lettering); Ramon's Santonine Worm Syrup (clear bottle with paper label); Larkin smelling salts (small green bottle with screw lid and paper label).

A large brown bottle embossed with the name and a large safe for Schumann and Doescher - Prescription Druggists.

Glass bottles for Schumann and Doescher - Prescription Druggists (large brown bottle embossed with the name and a large safe); Gombault's Caustic Balsam by Lawrence Williams Co. (large clear bottle with embossed lettering); Ramon's Santonine Worm Syrup (clear bottle with paper label); Larkin smelling salts (small green bottle with screw lid and paper label).

A large clear bottle with embossed lettering for Gombault's Caustic Balsam by Lawrence Williams Co..

Glass bottles for Schumann and Doescher - Prescription Druggists (large brown bottle embossed with the name and a large safe); Gombault's Caustic Balsam by Lawrence Williams Co. (large clear bottle with embossed lettering); Ramon's Santonine Worm Syrup (clear bottle with paper label); Larkin smelling salts (small green bottle with screw lid and paper label).

A small green bottle with screw lid and paper label for Larkin smelling salts.

Glass bottles for Schumann and Doescher - Prescription Druggists (large brown bottle embossed with the name and a large safe); Gombault's Caustic Balsam by Lawrence Williams Co. (large clear bottle with embossed lettering); Ramon's Santonine Worm Syrup (clear bottle with paper label); Larkin smelling salts (small green bottle with screw lid and paper label).

A small clear bottle with paper label for Ramon's Santonine Worm Syrup.

Widely available and affordable, patent medicines were a popular form of alternative medical care that was embraced by people from all walks of life.

Companies and salesmen capitalized on people’s tendency to seek out self-help methods before calling for, or in absence of, a doctor. Although thought of as "uniquely American," these ready-made botanical and herbal remedies originated in England during the eighteenth century and were popularized in the United States during the nineteenth century. They often promised a painless cure to numerous ailments from aches to fevers and diseases.

This page contains photos of items that are both on display in the physical exhibit and items that could not be pulled due to space limitations. This is only a sample of the holdings of the History of Medicine Artifacts Collection, 1550-1980s.

Cover of the 1878 Mrs. Winslows Domestic Receipt booklet. In an oval frame, in the middle of the cover, is a domestic scene depicting a woman with her hair in a bun in a well-decorated home sitting on a chair as she tends to a baby in her lap. Two young girls of different ages with full, layered skirts stand next to the woman and look at her and the baby attentively. All people are white.

Cover of Mrs. Winslows Domestic Receipt Book (1878).

On display in the physical exhibit is this commercial cookbook. It was related to Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, a patent medicine said to be created by a Mrs. Charlotte N. Winslow that was specifically marketed towards mothers for their fussy infants. An item bottle of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup is on display next to this cookbook.

Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup later became known as “the baby killer” due to its high alcohol and morphine content. It would not be until the passage of the 1912 Sherley Amendment the Food and Drug Administration would be able to bring charges against Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup for misbranding and fraudulent claims. In addition to new recipes and homemaking advice, the booklet served as an advertisement for the Mrs. Winslow brand.

In addition to acting as a commercial item, this cookbook helps demonstrate the blurred lines and connections between health, healing, medicine, food, domestic work, caretaking, and childrearing.

  • c81adb16-6a0f-47e5-94eb-5d29468b26ec.jpg

    Three small bottles with corks and paper labels for patent medicines.

  • c81adb16-6a0f-47e5-94eb-5d29468b26ec-2.jpg

    Several pill containers made from glass, metal, or paper for patent medicines.

  • c81adb16-6a0f-47e5-94eb-5d29468b26ec-11.jpg

    Assorted glassware ranging from bottles with paper labels and corks to dosage glasses for various patient medicines and tonics.

‹›

Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info