(via The Doctor is Out)

#TBT: Unreal Medical Quackery—Chlorine for Colds! Strychnine for Alcoholism!—from San Francisco's Past

23 August 2017

V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi

Looking back at history brings with it a sense of fascination, and often the nostalgia of wanting to live in another time. But few things will make you appreciate the modern age more than seeing some of the zany, and in some cases downright dangerous, medical practices of the past.

Some of these tonics come from lack of knowledge, others were just a gimmick to make a quick buck (come to think of it, that still exists). Be prepared to scratch your head, have your stomach turn, and mouth fall agape at some of the quacky medical ads we found in the archives of San Francisco publishers from the 1855 to the 1920s.

This ad, for Sand's Sarsparilla, was found in the September 7, 1855 edition of California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences. The concoction, availabe for sale at 146 Washington Street in San Francisco, promised to cure such things as ulcers, "female complaints," liver complaints, pimples, and a condition known as scrofula.
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in 1890, Curticura Resolvent was one of the many remedies focused on purifying the blood. It was also meant to cure skin ailments, and was not shy in claiming to be the best version out there. Probably a more useful claim is that it contained mercury, and was therefore dangerous. Um, no thanks.
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It's probably a safe bet to assume women have been obsessed with the size of their chest for eternity. This gimmick, sold by the Institute Physical Culture, promised women larger breasts, that, yet, are not "over-developed," the curing of all "female diseases," "perfectly pure skin," and "perfect health" among other things. So basically everything a woman could possibly want--all in a handy book. Yeah, ok.
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People were starting to find ways to treat alcoholism, which opened the doors to all kinds of quick fixes and cure-alls. One of these were Dr. Charcot's Tonic Tablets. With these tablets, you can cure alcoholism, nervousness and melancholy--money back guranteed. How convenient! Also, worst advertising tagline ever: "The tablets can be given without knowledge of the patient."
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For some reason, electricity made a big buzz (pun totally intended) in medicine back in the day. That is incredibly scary to think about. We are not sure how an electric belt could fix "nervous derangement," but, hey, it's touted as "the greatest blessing in medical world," so it has to be legit (total sarcasm). This craziness was available right here, on Market Street, to be exact.
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Snake oil was such a ripoff that the term became to be known as a symbol of getting swindled. The irony is that the Chinese used a water snake oil that was high in Omega-3 and appeared to actually help aches and pains. What was usually sold, however, was rattlesnake oil, or whatever mix of fakery that occured to vendors.
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Over the years, we have learned that ads that include words such as "reliable," "safe," and "common sense" can very well signal the exact opposite. You have to be leary of a company with common sense in its name. Part of this "common sense" is treating such a debilitating addiction as morphine abuse with a cure performed in the comfort of your own home. By you. With a book whose contents you know nothing about.
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Double Chloride of Gold is what was administered to patients, with alcoholism, drug, and/or nicotine addiction, at the various Keeley Institutes. Keeley was smart enough to realize these were biological diseases, but not smart enough to realize that injecting patients with toxic chemicals (including strychnine and cocaine), would make them more sick than healthy. There were 88 cases of insanity stemming from the administration of this "cure."
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The irony of the times is that people were both prescribing--and fighting to cure--addiction. This 1920 prescription for paregoric (a camphorated tincture of opium) was to be filled out at Langley & Michaels Co. and was issued by--get this--the Treasury Deparment. Paregoric contains both opium and morphine, and was classified as a Schedule III narcotic in 1970 (and is still available by prescription today). During the 1920s, it was widely used as a remedy for fussy babies (as young as five-days-old), colic, diarrhea, cough, and teething (and was available without a prescription). Wtf?!
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If you wanted to help fight off a cold, you could use Chlorine Kilacold Bomb, made by Richard, Price and Hyde in San Francisco. "Bomb the first sneeze"--and your life--for that matter. Chlorine gas, just like Botox, was developed for chemical warfare before being doled to the masses as a health fix. Exposure can cause a range of health problems, including headaches, wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, lung damage, and injury to the larynx. Thanks doctors!
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