It would be easy to blog about nothing but patent medicine history, a subject that has fascinated me for a long time. And in the Virtual Patent Medicine Museum, headache cures have an exhibit hall all to themselves - not surprisingly, there are many.Here are Charles W. Horn's oddly named Telephone Headache Tablets, dating from about 1900-1910. The telephone is probably analogous to the quickness with which the tablets are supposed to deliver their therapeutic "message" to your headache.
You could order them quickly over the phone, too, as the lady with a symbolic headache rag tied around her head is doing: "Hallo! Send me none but the 'Telephone.' I know what they are and many of my friends have used them without a single failure."
They were not safe for children, says the ad - and as it turns out, you will not be surprised to learn that they weren't safe for adults either. They were found to contain acetanilid[e], which is made of analin (a by-product of coal tar) and acetic acid. Acetanilide (now spelled with the final 'e') is related to acetominophen, used in headache medications today - but it is incredibly toxic and used in the manufacturing of rubber and dyes. Taking these tablets would give you more than a headache, no doubt about it.
The advertisement was scanned from my copy of Nostrums and Quackery (Chicago: American Medical Assocation Press, 1912), p. 539.
10 comments:
Considering the ingredients, this is rich - "Beware of Substitutes".
The telephone is probably analogous to the quickness with which the tablets are supposed to deliver their therapeutic "message" to your headache.
Thanks for explaining that! I was thinking in a very literal sense that the pills were for headaches that one got from talking on the telephone. *facepalm*
Me-Me - Yes, it really ought to read "Beware of Ingredients."
Hairball - It actually took me a fair amount of time to figure out why they were called that. It isn't glaringly obvious, really. I think the strange name was supposed to attract attention.
fascinating! thank goodness for advancements in medicine.. I'm allergic to aspirin and don't know what I'd do without my less toxic tylenol.
I'm with me-me--loved the Beware of Substitutes! ARe the fake Telephone headache tablets??!
Considering that I actually go get headaches from talking on the phone, I could take these pills in either sense.
Weren't all these old "cures" unbelievable??
Grrrr. That should have read "I actually do get headaches..."
How did anyone survive all of these "helpful and miraculous" products? www.satisfiedsole.com
Margo - Yes, it made me thankful for Advil et al.
Lin - I liked that too. I also noticed that Mr. Charles Horn refers to "telephone Remedies" which sounds terrifying like a whole LINE of this sort of thing.
Phyl - I could use some tablets specifically for the Telephone Headache (extra strength could be called 'Telemarketer Strength')
Pam - It is amazing that anyone did!
>> extra strength could be called 'Telemarketer Strength'
*cackle*
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