Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil
Lactagol
Source.
So far as I can tell, cottonseed of any variety does not promote breast milk production. Flaxseed however is another thing.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 13, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Body, Pregnancy, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Babies and Toddlers, Nineteenth Century
Vital Power Vacuum Massager
A questionable medical device widely advertised in the early twentieth century.The article "Two Millennia of Impotence Cures" details some similar "equally flawed" devices including "the Erector-Sleigh, Gassensche Spirale, Gerson’s Constriction Bandage, and Virility, a double cylinder connected to a bellows to produce a vacuum."
If the Vital Power Vacuum Massager cost $15 in 1921, that would be around $500 today.
Jackson Daily News - Oct 30, 1921
via National Library of Medicine
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 25, 2018 -
Comments (6)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1920s
Dr. Pierce’s Medicines
The full story, with more pix.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 12, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Hair Dressing with Quinine
Source.
Source.
Eau de Quinine compound hair tonic was introduced in the 1850s by Ed. Pinaud’s (Edouard Pinaud), a Paris parfumerie. Advertisements indicate that the product was sold into the 1960s. Quinine is a toxic alkaloid derived from the cinchona tree. When heavily diluted, it was used in hair products, specifically as a treatment for hair loss. Pinaud’s was advertised as the favorite hair dressing of "Cultured Women" and the only tonic "used by the crowned heads of Europe." It was an "indispensable preparation for the refined toilet" with a "delicate fragrance that overpowers the unpleasant effects of excessive oiliness on the scalp. Pinaud’s product was imported to the United States from France and many barbers apparently tried to pass off domestic preparations as genuine Eau de Quinine. In the mid-1920s, Pinaud filed an injunction against companies making the counterfeit product.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 27, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Hair Styling, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Follies of the Madmen #349
FRANK ZAPPA'S LUDEN'S COUGH DROPS COMMERCIAL from ED SEEMAN on Vimeo.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 31, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Music, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1960s
Orangeine: Death in a Box
Original ad here.
The deadly chemical in question.
"I was first called to see the patient, a young lady, physically sound, who had been taking Orangeine powders for a number of weeks for insomnia. The rest of the family noticed that she was very blue, and for this reason I was called. When I saw the patient shoe complained of a sense of faintness and inability to keep warm. At this time she had taken a box of six Orangeine powders within about eight hours. She was warned of the danger of continuing the indiscriminate use of the remedy, but insisted that many of her friends had used it and claimed that it was harmless. The family promised to see that she did not obtain any more of the remedy. Three days later, however, I was called to the house and found the patient dead. The family said that she had gone to her room the evening before in her usual health. The next morning, the patient not appearing, they investigated and found her dead. The case was reported to the coroner, and the coroner's verdict was "Death was from the effect of an overdose of Orangeine powders administered by her own hand, whether accidentally or otherwise, unknown to the jury.'"
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 03, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Growdina, the Marvelous Bust Developer
I just love the name "Growdina."
Source.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 17, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Body, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Twentieth Century
Munyon’s Homeopathic Cures
Once, these remedies were state-of-the-art.
More photos here.
His Wikipedia page.
Although Munyon appears to be clutching a cigar in his upraised hand, that is indeed supposed to be his signature gesture of upraised index finger.
Original ad here.
Certificate here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 13, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Forgotten Figures and Where Are They Now?, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1900s
Hinkle Tablets
In 1915, this nostrum contained a nice little dose of strychnine. One assumes that by the time of the 1956 advert, they had eliminated that ingredient.
Original letter here.
Original ad here (page 13).
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 16, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1910s, 1950s
The Hot Air Cure
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 27, 2016 -
Comments (1)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
| Who We Are |
|---|
| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |