Patent medicines were wildly popular in America during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were non-prescription preparations protected by a trademark and advertised with a trade name. There was very little in the way of regulation. They were sold in drug stores and peddled by traveling salesmen.
Many were marketed as therapeutic “snake oil, and while oil derived from snakes did have therapeutic effects in traditional Chinese medicine, the widely- promoted products in America had no snake-derived content. Manufacturers made wild claims, promising that the products could improve a person’s appearance by addressing problems with hair, complexion, or weight and could cure virtually all illnesses.
The patent medicines came in the form of liquid tonics which were taken internally or used externally as salves, balms, and liniments. S.B. Goff’’s Magic Oil, for example, promised to treat everything from neuralgia and toothaches to sore throats, chapped skin, pimples, and dysentery. Many such medications contained a hefty dose of alcohol. These were particularly popular in dry states like North Dakota.
One of the more popular patent medicines was Peruna. Samuel Brubaker Hartman had already patented two other remedies, but Peruna was his most successful. This was in large part because he had a seemingly unlimited advertising budget. At one time, Hartman had fifty United States congressmen endorsing his product as “an invaluable household remedy.” Hartman claimed Peruna would cure “whatever ails you.” The label recommended taking three wine glasses full of Peruna in forty-five minutes. With a dose like that, it is no wonder it was so profitable. It was estimated that Hartman was making about one hundred thousand dollars per day, which is the equivalent of three and a half million dollars today!
That gravy train ended in North Dakota thanks to the efforts of Professor Edwin F. Ladd, the administrator of the State's pure-food laws. On this date in 1906, he announced that Peruna could no longer be sold in North Dakota because the manufacturer refused to print the ingredients on the label as required by state law. Ladd said he would travel the state to inspect drug stores. He promised to prosecute anyone one who sold products that did not comply with North Dakota’s regulations.
Dakota Datebook by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican. “No More Peruna.” Fargo ND. 7/28/1905. Page 2.
Smithsonian. “Cure-alls and Salves.” https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/cure-alls-and-salves Accessed 6/20/2023.
John Panella and Joe Widman. “In the Medicine Chest.” https://www.fohbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Peruna_ABGC_April20.pdf Accessed 6/20/2023.
CPI Inflation Calculator. “$100 in 1905.” https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1905 Accessed 6/20/2023.
