An 1885 trade card for cocaine drops. Cocaine was used during this time to soothe toothaches and other forms of pain. Not only would these drops numb pain, but they were said to put the user in a “better mood”.
A 1903 worm removal advertisement. The medicine moves the bowels; the worms are dissolved by those movements and are scarcely recognized in the stool.
Unusual 1880 medical advice for chocking.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, tampons were soaked in opium and belladonna. The opium was to relieve menstrual pain and the belladonna, unknown to be poisonous at the time, was to dilate and relax the vagina.
We’ve all experienced brain freeze, or what is sometimes referred to as ice cream headache. Modern medical research has allowed us to understand that brain freeze is the direct result of the rapid cooling and rewarming of capillaries in the sinuses. The palate then senses this dilation and is picked up by pain receptors, sending signals to the brain. However, according to this 1879 medical book, it was believed brain freeze started in the stomach, the cold contents sending a rush of blood to the head which caused the pain.
The kissing bug. Many of us have seen these insects but did you know they caused a nationwide scare well over a century ago? It is a case known as the “Kissing Bug Scare of 1899”. In the summer of that year, people throughout the country, mostly in the Northeast, woke up with parts of their face swollen, usually their lips. What began as a few bite cases soon turned into an epidemic.
As an interesting side note, criminals at the time would use the excuse during trials that a kissing bug bite had affected them mentally, resulting in them committing their crimes.
There were so many cases of people going to the hospital for these bites (over 300,000 that one summer alone) that the USDA launched an investigation into these bugs. They advised people to send in kissing bugs they’ve captured so that they may be studied. The USDA ended up receiving bugs of every kind, including houseflies and bees. Many people did not know what a kissing bug looked like as they would only strike while that person was asleep. As a result, they sent in any insect they found.
One person during this epidemic wrote a poem about the kissing bug:
Never would be kissed”.
By the end of Summer 1899, the kissing bug scare had come to an end. The bugs just stopped biting, at least to the degree they had been. Though the kissing bug had been in this country 50 to 75 years prior to the 1899 scare, scientists at the time determined the outbreak was due to “climatic conditions favorable to the propagation of the insect.” Temperatures in the Northeast, where most of the reports originated, were 2° to 3° higher than normal, which could have led to an increase in both kissing bugs and other biting insects.
Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup was a leading 19th century over-the-counter pain killer, especially popular for calming teething babies. First sold in 1849 in both the United States and Europe, the medicine’s claim was that it was “likely to soothe any human or animal”. This medicine was very effective. What made it so what its main ingredient, Morphine.
The medicine remained a popular product until 1911, when the American Medical Association published a book titled Nostrums and Quackery. Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup appeared in a section of this book titled “Baby Killers”. Sales dropped immediately in the United States to the point that in the same year, 1911, it was no longer sold in this country. It was, however, still sold in Europe until 1930.
The image below is in reference to what was known as “female hysteria”, a common female “condition” in the 19th century.
Women were taught at an early age that sex is for the act of procreation only and not for pleasure, though it was generally accepted that men could partake in sexual activities for pleasure. It was also considered unacceptable by moral and social standards for women to take care of their own sexual needs.
“Female Hysteria” was diagnosed by doctors when a woman would display a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, irritability, vaginal leakage, sexual fantasies, and “a tendency to simply cause trouble”, as one popular medical book of the time put it. The treatment for this was a “pelvic massage”. The doctor would have the woman lie down, and with his fingers, manually stimulate her until she was satisfied. Husbands often believed this activity could only be performed by doctors, that female hysteria and sexual needs were two completely different things. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that a doctor invented the modern vibrator which allowed steps to be taken for it to be morally and socially acceptable for women to take care of their own needs. This, in turn, prevented female hysteria, which was no longer considered an illness but rather was understood to be sexual frustration.
Root beer was once sold as a medicine, being sold in the Drug Department, as seen in this 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog.
The effects of tobacco on young people according to an 1893 book titled How To Keep Well.
The two paintings below were done by American painter Thomas Eakins. The first is titled “The Gross Clinic”, painted in 1875. The second is titled “Agnew Clinic”, painted in 1889. Both depict doctors, but why are doctors dressed in black in the earlier painting and white in the later painting?
Being a doctor in the mid 19th century was considered a formal profession, hence the color black, a color worn for formal occasions. With high mortality rates of the time, a visit with the doctor was also a solemn event, therefore black being an appropriate attire color. The color black took on a more negative tone as the 19th century continued on. A number of quack doctors began polluting the medical field, using mysticism as a form of curing patients and selling “medicines” which either had no effect or led to further decline in health, including death. The medical field was earning a bad reputation, the color black now representing quackery and mysticism in place of real cures.
What could be done to change the public’s view of legitimate doctors and medicine? A simple attire color change did the trick. White represented cleanliness, purity and a fresh start for the medical field. At the time of the color change, major advancements in medicine were taking place. Doctors shedded their black attire, as they hoped to change the public’s view of medicine from one of quackery and mysticism to one of science, therefore adopting white lab coats. And after a short time it worked. A visit with the doctor was no longer seen as just a solemn event but rather one of hope for restoring health, a fresh start, represented by the color white.
The two paintings below are not only glimpses into the history of medical attire but a visual representation of advancements in medicine, as well as a change in the public’s view of doctors, simply by a change of color.
Phrenology was very much a popular science in the 19th century. It was believed at the time by both physicians and psychiatrists that the size and shape of one’s skull determined their intelligence. The larger the skull the more intelligent the individual. The shape of one’s skull, as well as any characteristics it may contain, was said to determine the individual’s character and traits.
When Charles Guiteau was on trial for the assassination of President James Garfield in 1881, it was one of the first high-profile cases in the United States where the insanity defense was considered. The shape of Guiteau’s head was examined, where his skull was found to be slightly asymmetrical and therefore his lawyers were able to argue he was insane. The insanity defense didn’t work and Guiteau was sentenced to death by hanging.
The daguerreotype below is from 1856, during the height of interest and study of phrenology. The phrenology booklet was published in 1881 following Guiteau’s conviction and explains his character by way of his skull size and shape.
An unusual 1833 cure for cracked lips.
Dr. (George) Scott’s Electric Hair Brush was one of the most financially successful quack medical items of the 19th century. First sold to the public in the early 1880s, the brush contained slightly magnetized rods within it (see x-ray in photos). Though magnetized, the brush was always advertised as electric. This magnetism was said to cure baldness, headaches and neuralgia. In reality, the rods did nothing but make the user believe they were being cured.
Dr. Scott capitalized on the naivety of the public, stating in ads that the brush will lose its magnetic powers if shared, and therefore everyone must purchase their own brush in order to receive its maximum benefits. The public bought into every word, making the electric hair brush a financial success for Dr. Scott.
Now that everyone who wanted a brush to cure balding, headaches and neuralgia had one, how did Dr. Scott make more sales? He began advertising an assortment of additional conditions the brush was capable of curing, including constipation, malaria, rheumatism, diseases of the blood and paralysis. He also created other “electric” grooming items such as a flesh (body) brush, toothbrush, hair/mustache curler, corset and shoe soles, all of which were supposed to be able to cure their own list of ailments and conditions. With his consumer base now fully expanded, the profits rolled in.
