Popular Medicine in the Modern Era
Mary Flower, Book of Remedies, 1850. MS 108, Rare and Distinctive Collections, CU Boulder Libraries.
This Book of Remedies is handwritten by Mary A. Flower and dates back to around 1850 in Fredonia, New York. It contains recipes for various folk remedies such as tinctures, teas, and salves that were used to treat different illnesses. Very little is known about Mary, her life, and her work. This piece was created using ink and paper and was written in cursive by hand. This particular page of the Book of Remedies contains a recipe for a cure for Dropsy, which is the historic name for edema, or swelling of the body due to retention of fluid. This can affect any part of the body but is most commonly found to impact the lower limbs, can cause severe pain and itchiness, and can be caused by a variety of diseases and disorders. Mary’s folk remedy mixture involves hard cider, mustard seed, and other various botanical extracts, which are simmered, and prescribed to be drunk three times a day. At the bottom of the page, Mary discusses the efficacy of this remedy and notes its ‘striking’ efficacy (Flower 1850, 46). The most likely audience for this work was Mary herself, or other healers with whom she might share her knowledge and ideas.
An interesting comparison to Mary’s work is the Book of Health: or Thomsonian Theory and Practice of Medicine, Including the Latest Views of Physiology, Pathology, and Therapeutics; Also, Descriptions of Disease, Medical Practice, and Materia Medica. This was a book published by physicians Samuel Thomson and Silas Wilcox in 1843 and was meant to provide a handbook of general recipes that people could use to treat their illnesses (Wilcox and Thomson 1843, 5). Thomson’s idea, represented in the theory of Thomsonianism, was that traditional medical practices from Europe such as bloodletting were too brutalistic and ineffective. Thomson preferred to use local plants and botanicals so that everyday people could be their own physicians (Smith Weinstock 1988, 5). Thomson also believed that disease was caused by cold, and therefore to achieve balance within the body, remedies should be made of‘hot’ ingredients. This could include things like ginger, cloves, cayenne, mustard, or horseradish. This understanding of health and disease exemplifies humorism, which is a system of medicine that originated with Hippocrates, and which states that disease is caused by an imbalance of the four humors: black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. Each humor is connected with a certain element, phase of life, part of the body, and ‘temperament’ (cold, hot, wet, or dry) (Chisholm, n.d., 518). In this theory, the disease is treated by either ridding the body of too much of a particular humor, often through bloodletting, or increasing the amount of another humor through consumption of particular ingredients (Greenstone, 2010, 12). These ideas can be seen in the proclivity of healers like Thomson and Mary Flowers towards ingredients that were thought to have a ‘hot’ temperament. As this Book of Health was printed and published for mass production, the intended audience was different from that of Mary’s work. In this instance, Thomson wanted the citizens of early New England to be able to rely on their gardens and cupboards to cure their illnesses, rather than an expensive and sometimes ineffective physician. The idea of disease being caused by an imbalance within the body created by an overabundance of cold can be seen in Mary’s recipes, through her use of ingredients like mustard and hard cider, which in the Thomsonian system are labeled as ‘hot’ ingredients.
This reliance on local plants and extracts to cure disease also reflects the teachings and knowledge of local indigenous groups and the theory by the earlier New England physicians that for every disease that occurred in a particular location, the corresponding natural treatment would also be present (Turner 1664, 255). Early New England settlers were also meticulous in their recording of native uses of different herbs and extracts to be able to treat their people and determine which plants could be viable for commercialization and export (Tannenbaum 2021, 255). Many of the plants utilized by indigenous people in the area were thought of as ‘miracle cures,’ and although Thomson popularized the gentler and more botanical approach to medicine in early New England, scholars hypothesize that the main ideas of his theory originated with local indigenous healers and communities (Vogel 1970, 56). This reliance on native plants reflects the general thoughts on health and medicine that were popular during the early 1900s, and this can be seen in Mary’s book, through her utilization of a vast array of herbs, spices, and other local botanicals.
- Sophia Niquette, Spring '23
Dr. Morse's Indian Root Pills, 1910. Rare and Distinctive Collections, CU Boulder Libraries.
These two pages are advertisements for the herbal medicine, Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills. The first page bears the words, “Almanac” and “Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills” and is an advertisement on the front page of a medical almanac. Alongside the text, there is a Native American man on a horse who is spearing a black bear. The other page provides further information about Dr. Morse’s Indian root pills. It points out the reliability and popularity of this medicine as well as the price of the product. Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills contained aloe, mandrake, gamboge, jalap and cayenne pepper (Smithsonian (2020). Mandrake contains hallucinogenic properties while the rest of the ingredients are defined as laxatives. The product was advertised as aiding in the cleansing of the bloodstream which was believed to be extremely effective during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These works were produced in 1910 and the maker is W.H. Comstock Co. Ltd. The exact location in which this work was produced is not provided, however, it is likely it was manufactured in one of the four places named at the bottom of the second page. The image appears to have been produced using chromolithography, a method of color printing that involves using multiple lithographic stones. The text on the advertisement is printed in black ink using relief printing techniques such as woodcuts.
W.H. Comstock products, especially Indian root pills were likely household name medicines that the general public throughout North America viewed as being highly effective and reliable. The pills were originally created and manufactured by Andrew B. Moore and Andrew J. White, but were sold to W.H. Comstock and were subsequently marketed under the name ‘Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills’. Dr. Morse was never a real person, however, W.H. Comstock did market the product as if there was actually a Dr. Morse. They pushed the narrative that Dr. Morse created the product after having cured his elderly father’s ailment with an assortment of roots and plants that were recommended to him by a tribe of Native Americans. The fictional Dr. Morse was said to have been the first man to establish that all diseases are caused by an impurity in the bloodstream and that he was so passionate about this that he decided to dedicate the rest of his life to manufacturing the pills (Shaw (2019).
Medicines were frequently advertised in relation to the medicinal practices of Native American people due to the fact that they were believed to have more natural or herbal remedies for ailments. Given that the backstory of the product, which includes Dr. Morse gaining knowledge about herbal remedies directly from Native American people, is completely false, it is obvious that companies producing medicine had a vested interest in portraying their products as being of Native American origin. “The Doctor… immediately went to his coach, taking therefrom various plants and roots, which he had learned from the Red Men of the forest as being good for all diseases” (Marcellus (2008). The American public were intrigued by the medicinal practices of the Native Americans, whom they viewed as foreign and mysterious, and were particularly responsive to ads wherein they were depicted (Marcellus (2008).
During the nineteeth and early twentieth centuries, there was limited access to medical care, particularly in rural areas. Many people relied on home remedies and folk medicine to treat their ailments. At the same time, there was a growing interest in science and technology, and people were looking for quick and easy solutions to their health problems. Patent medicines, like Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills offered a convenient and accessible solution to people's health issues. They were widely available, were advertised as having miraculous healing properties, and were marketed as a cure for a wide range of ailments. They were also relatively inexpensive, making them accessible to a wide range of people. In addition to their convenience, patent medicines like Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills were often viewed as safer and more reliable than traditional remedies due to their flashy advertising and scientific-sounding names.
The idea that impurities in the blood caused diseases was a commonly held belief by physicians and the general public during this period. This idea was based on the concept of "miasma," which held that disease was caused by bad air or by an imbalance in the body's humors. This theory was popular during a time when sanitation was poor, and people were often exposed to unsanitary conditions and polluted air. However, germ theory eventually showed that many diseases were actually caused by bacteria and other microorganisms, and could be transmitted from person to person. Germ theory didn’t gain popularity until the late 1800s to early 1900s, which followed the initial production of Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills. With the emergence of germ theory, scientists began to understand that many diseases were actually caused by microorganisms rather than impurities in the blood. This new theory provided a scientific explanation for the spread of infectious diseases, and helped to discredit the belief in impurities in the blood.
A similar almanac bears an advertisement for a medicinal company called ‘Kickapoo’. Kickapoo was named after a Native American tribe and their products were marketed as medicine used by the Kickapoo (Dvids (2018). Much like Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills, Kickapoo was advertised with Native American images given people were intrigued by their mysterious and herbal remedies. The most popular medicine marketed by the Kickapoo company was their Kickapoo Indian Sagwa, a tonic that claimed to cure a wide range of ailments, including rheumatism, neuralgia, dyspepsia, and even cancer. The exact ingredients of Kickapoo Indian Sagwa were never disclosed, but it was believed to contain a mixture of herbs, roots, and other natural ingredients (Dvids (2018). Kickapoo was marketed around the same time as Morse’s Indian Root Pills, evidence of the widespread public interest in Native American-inspired medicinal practices as well as the interest in easy, cure-all remedies.
A variety of products were available from the Kickapoo company. As you can see, the advertisement specifies the Sagwa’s ability to purify the blood, much like how Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills were advertised. It also makes a point to emphasize the wide range of ailments that the Sagwa can cure. Although the Indian Oil does not specify exactly what it does, it is said to be a, “quick cure for all pains”. From this, we can further understand how appealing quick and accessible remedies were to the general public throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (Falzone (2012).
- Elizabeth Eidelson, Spring '23
Dr. Kilmer's swamp-root almanac and weather forecasts ... New York: 1932. Rare and Distinctive Collections, CU Boulder Libraries.
The swamp root tonic and almanac were produced in Binghamton, New York. Dr. Kilmer, full name Dr. Sylvester Andral Kilmer, was a homeopathic physician who was born in Cobleskill, New York in 1840 and began studying medicine at many institutions starting at the age of eighteen. The Swamp Root Almanac is a printed and published book which is bound by string, printed in primarily black ink. It was published in 1932 and serves as an advertisement as well as an almanac, or a calendar that provides statistics and important dates. It is comprised of day-to-day tips and information, and testimonies to the benefits and uses of the “swamp root” elixir, including its use in the kidneys and claims to help problems of “over urinating” by cleansing the urine of sediment. The almanac proceeds to identify when a person should seek help with their kidneys, the detrimental effects of neglecting the kidneys into middle age, and praise for the tonic.
The almanac provides several images such as the Zodiac Man and multiple illustrated advertisements. On the front page is a co-option of Native American imagery, likely used to emphasize the powerful healing properties present in the homeopathic medication being advertised. A similar source to this one at the time is an almanac called “Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills”, produced twenty-two years earlier in 1910. Like the Swamp Root Almanac, this product also deals in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Morse’s Indian Root pills states that the product can cure appendicitis without having to “go under the knife” (Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills, 1910, 28). As seen in the Swamp Root Almanac, this almanac also utilizes Native American motifs to spread the rhetoric of natural, magical healing.
The Swamp Root almanac highlights the intersection of medicine and consumerism. The absolute success by the advertisement as an almanac in 1932 can be identified in part as something that affected the future of medicine to the present. Today, medications are advertised through television commercials, the internet, and doctors alike. This source could be considered a pioneering example of this method of spreading information on a certain product, especially a medical product. It is especially effective due to its use of rhetoric to identify users of swamp root as “sensible” (Swamp Root Almanac, 1932, 16). The intended audience of this piece would have been your average, middle class working families in 1932. Published amid the Great Depression, one can imagine that homemade remedies and remedies that claimed to fix a multitude of ailments without purchasing many products would have been popular. Many people would have relied on the farming information and moon cycles present in the almanac, so including said information as well as the advertisement would have been key.
A depiction of the Zodiac Man in the almanac directly ties to the beliefs and influence of Galen, who imparted the idea that the microcosm of the body corresponded to the macrocosm of the universe (Snowden, 2020, 17). Though this almanac was published after 1800, the presence of the Zodiac Man is a major connection to Galen’s influence on medicine, even into the twentieth century. The Swamp Root Almanac and the Swamp Root product itself can also be connected back to the influence of Dioscorides and his work De Materia Medica. Pharmacology itself is the entire basis of homeopathic medicine, which is the basis of this source itself, and presents a clear link to the founding beliefs that the use of natural items can be remedies to any ailment (Dioscorides).
- Cameron Hunter, Fall '22