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Turtle's Elixir, Kickapoo Sagwa, Lydia E.
Pinkham's Blood Purifier, Atwood's Jaundice Bitters, and Bee's
Laxative Cough Syrup
These are just a few of the labels on the
118 patent medicine bottles at the Museum.
The colorful
and varied collection of remedies and "cures" for everything
from baldness to foot problems is a fascinating panorama of the nostrums
inflicted on a gullible and unsuspecting public, particularly during the
19th century.
Originating in England as proprietary medicines manufactured under grants,
or "patents of royal favor" from the King to those who provided
medicine to the Royal Family, these medicines were exported to America
in the 18th century. By the middle of the 19th century the manufacture
of similar products had become a major industry in the USA, including
several producers in New England.
Often high in alcoholic content, the
remedies were popular with those who found this ingredient to be therapeutic,
and highly unpopular with the Temperance movements. The medical professions
attacked the patent medicines as false-hope panaceas, often harmful.
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