Our Ancestors' Killer Cures: Part Three of Three

Long ago, people’s knowledge of medicine was quite limited. Doctors, who were accessible mostly to the rich, were trained in the best way they could be, given no one really understood what was making people ill until well into the nineteenth century. For hundreds of years, most people never saw doctors; they relied on “wise-women,” monks and nuns, apothecaries, and barber-surgeons who understood and likely grew herbs and other plants that might or might not be effective in treating illness. People were extremely superstitious, believing in magic and witchcraft, so cures based on magic stones and charms and driving out evil spirits were popular. 

The eighteenth century saw many advancements in medical care. Doctors were beginning to study human pathology and Dr. Edward Jenner administered the very first vaccine (for smallpox). There was also a revolution in consumerism at this time. Goods and services that had previously only been available to the wealthy were being advertised and consumed by those of more modest means.

By the nineteenth century, medical discoveries were multiplying, as were quack remedies, which were easily distributed with sales bolstered by advertising. While doctors learned more about bacteria, diagnosing illness, antiseptics, and anesthetics, they didn’t have much of an arsenal for curing. They tended to prescribe large doses of purgatives and enemas or addictive substances, like laudanum, that left their patients even sicker and weaker. Hence, the popularity of patent medicines.

Patent Medicines

Named after the “letters patent” granted to medicine makers in England, patent medicines were pre-packaged, sold without a doctor’s prescription, and generally unregulated. They were most often not patented but were trademarked. At times, in the U.S., they were taxed, but for the most part, anyone could sell anything in a bottle or container without too much oversight up till the beginning of the twentieth century. 

Cocaine, morphine, alcohol, heroin––powerful addictive drugs, known today for their ability to kill in large doses, were used routinely to treat illnesses, from toothache to ulcers. Our ancestors medicated themselves with poisons such as arsenic and calomel, a mercury derivative, in the mistaken belief that they would cure illnesses like syphilis and cancer. They used patent medicines containing odd ingredients both internally and as ointments, hoping for miracles promised by advertisements and hucksters. Let’s take a look at some of the ways our ancestors attempted to deal with illnesses in the absence of accurate and available medical care.

Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral was marketed as a remedy for whooping cough, tuberculosis, asthma, colds, and coughs; its target audience was children. It likely tasted quite good, as it had wild cherry extract in it, but its main ingredient was morphine.

A similar product was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, which was advertised for cleaning teeth, freshening breath, relieving constipation, and calming little ones. Of course, it did the latter, as it was primarily composed of morphine and alcohol, which led to the death of many small children who consumed it. 

("Mrs. Winslow," Dept. of Drugs and Alcohol, public domain https://museum.dea.gov/museum-collection/collection-spotlight/artifact/soothing-syrup)

Paine’s Celery Compound was a tonic for “nerves, strength, and energy,” even purporting to bring people back from “the brink of death.” Advertisements from the late 1800s claim that Paine's was able to cure "aggravated causes of disordered liver and kidneys, mental depression, hysteria, and kindred troubles. . . " It came in a series of colorful bottles and listed a plethora of odd plant ingredients including celery seed. But it also included hydrochloric acid, quinine, and alcohol, and, at some point, may also have had cocaine as an ingredient.

(Ann Arbor Register, 27 September 1888, Ann Arbor District Library, public domain https://aadl.org/node/501513)

Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound claimed to cure a wide variety of “female” ailments, from regulating a woman’s monthly cycle to soothing her frayed nerves. It was on the market for almost forty years before chemical analysis revealed that it was almost twenty percent alcohol. 

(Ad from Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly Magazine, vol. XIII, no. 4, April 1882, p. 514, public domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Pinkham#/media/File:Lydia_E._Pinkham's_Vegetable_Compound_ad_1882.jpg)

Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Purgative Pellets were sugar coated little white pills. Their ingredients looked harmless; after all, they were plants. However, each of the ingredients in these pills was toxic: May Apple is caustic, used for wart removal. Jalap and Aloin, plant resins, cause vomiting, and stramonium is derived from Jimsonweed, which is poisonous. Also in the pills was Nux Vomica, a poisonous seed, known to raise heart rate and blood pressure. 

(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian, public domain, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1338049)

These are just a few of the remedies our ancestors relied on when medical knowledge was limited. Perhaps you still have boxes or bottles among your inherited artifacts or have heard tales of how your ancestors coped with illnesses. If so, be sure to add those anecdotes to your family history so you can preserve both the stories and the artifacts for future generations.

Additional Resources:

“History of Medicine,” by Douglas James Guthrie, Philip Rhodes, and others, Britannica, 17 May 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Verification-of-the-germ-theory

“List of Patent Medicines,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_patent_medicines

“Origin of Patent Medicines,” Smithsonian, https://www.si.edu/spotlight/balm-of-america-patent-medicine-collection/history#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20patent%20medicines%20often,not%20revealed%20to%20the%20consumer.

“What kind of medicines did people use in the Middle Ages?” University of Aberdeen, https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/disciplines/english/lion/medicine.shtml