Ephemeral Beauty: Dr. Jacques German Worm Cakes

What have we here? A mother and child—they’re being visited by a fashionable lady who seems to be offering something to them. Soap, perhaps? Or is it a German Worm Cake? After all, they never fail.

Why would this healthy-looking young lady need worm cakes? She seems to be okay, maybe a little tired. Her ENORMOUS baby seems hearty enough. But, then…who can tell when worms might attack? They come from candy, you know? What? You didn’t know? Well, I didn’t either, but that’s what the reverse of the card tells us. Candy and good health bring worms. Poor health and over-eating brings worms. Water and air bring worms. Everything brings worms! Worms, worms, worms! You need vermifuge! You need it now! 

Read on and be afraid…

DR. JACQUES' 
German Worm Cakes, 
The Most Efficient Remedy Discovered

     These Worm Cakes have had the most wonderful suc-
cess, and have proved to be the very best, safest and
most efficient Worm Remedy ever placed within reach of
the people. They are a safe medicine and easily admin-
istered, as children will readily take them, and their
efficiency is remarkable. Nearly all children are at some
time affected with worms, and worms in the system are
more dangerous than is generally supposed , as they de-
prive the children of the benefit of the food they eat,
thus reducing them to a constant state of emaciation and
debility, and also lay the foundation of many serious dis-
eases. The origin of worms in the human body is very
obscure. However, it is certain that children of scrof-
ulous tendency and generally depraved health are most
apt to be affected with them, although they are also
quite generally found in children who are in robust
health. Certain causes are well known to be exceedingly
favorable to their growth, such as excessive indulgence
in food, excessive indulgence in candy and confectionery,
impure water, etc. Worms are most abundant in moist
countries or during a long prevalence of warm, damp
weather. Children after weaning, are more frequently
affected than very young infants, and Convulsions or
Spasms are often caused by worms in the system. Be
sure to ask for Dr. Jacques’ German Worm Cakes.

                           Prepared by theEMMERT PROPRIETARY CO.,    --    Chicago, Ill. 
                          PRESENTED BY… 

NO ONE.

Let's translate the above, shall we?

So, whether you’re strong or weak, whether you eat well or poorly, whether you’re a grown up or a baby…WORMS ARE GONNA GET YA. So, you might as well eat these German Worm Cakes. We don’t tell you what they are or what’s in them. Are they also made of worms? We’ll never tell. Just know that worms are going to get you and make your baby have spasms and be depraved. And, you’ll never know where they came from!

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Blood Bitters

Click on image to enlarge.

Burdock Blood Bitters. That sounds tasty. It wasn’t made of blood. It wasn’t made by someone named Burdock. Apparently, this medicinal elixir was made from a type of thistle called burdocks. Burdocks have been ground up for centuries and used in a suspension to calm the stomach. The practice was especially popular in monastic orders who, I suppose, have little else to do when not praying and baking bread. Blood Bitters were meant to cleanse the blood and to encourage intestinal health.

And, so, here’s another trade card from my collection. Printed by Coback and Company of Buffalo New York, I’d guess this card dates to the late 1870s. The front features a chromolithograph of a happy tot in a fine little outfit of turquoise velvet, a rough and cute little sash of gold and red silk. He even has little shoes and attractive pink socks.

I can’t help but be a little disturbed by the face that he’s making. I suppose that’s the face of a being with happy bowels. He holds aloft a bottle of Burdock Blood Bitters and he seems to be saying, “Look at this. This will please your bowels.”

Sadly, the reverse of the card is a little ruined after having been first glued into an album (which is really for what these cards were intended), and then, ripped out of said album a century later. On one hand, being in an album preserved this card for over a hundred years and allowed me to add it to my collection so I can preserve it even longer. However, it also compromised the integrity of the reverse printing.

Let’s see if we can’t make out some of it.
_________ on receipt of 3 ct _______ 
____________ & Co. Buffalo, N.Y. 

DON’T DO __ T 
     Don’t get married if you have dyspepsia _____
stomach are pretty sure to breed misery in __________
hold.
     DON’T attempt a big job of work with the __________
plaint, as ten to one you’ll fail.
     DON'T try to be a society favorite if you are bilious.
Sour folks are poor company.
     Don’t aspire to any high position in the world if you
are debilitated, nervous or weak. It is the strong and
tough who win.
     DON’T imagine that ______________ life if your bloos
is impoverished.
     DON’T labor to loo_______________ a case of scrofula
on your hands.
    DON’T malign t______________ you’ve no appetite.
Tone you your stomach ___________
     DON’T drag through _______ with any of the dis-
eases we have here _________ is a way to avoid it.
     DON’T forget that Burdock Blood Bitters cure dys-
pepsia, cure disorders of the liver and kidneys, cure
nervousness, biliousness, constipation, debility, any
disease of the blood.
     DON’T forget that Burdock Blood Bitters are whole-
some, economical, quick to relieve, thoroughly satis-
________, and can be obtained of any druggist ____. 

Well, that’s not scary at all. Very uplifting ad copy. Not at all like a demented scrofulous Mad-Lib.

Then, on the bottom, stamped crookedly in pink (which I suspect was once red), it reads:

Sold by A.L. Field, Druggist 

251 Thorndike St., Davis Corner 

Lowell, Mass. 

Object of the Day: Dr. Jacques German Worm Cakes

What have we here? A mother and child—they’re being visited by a fashionable lady who seems to be offering something to them. Soap, perhaps? Or is it a German Worm Cake? After all, they never fail.

Why would this healthy-looking young lady need worm cakes? She seems to be okay, maybe a little tired. Her ENORMOUS baby seems hearty enough. But, then…who can tell when worms might attack? They come from candy, you know? What? You didn’t know? Well, I didn’t either, but that’s what the reverse of the card tells us. Candy and good health bring worms. Poor health and over-eating brings worms. Water and air bring worms. Everything brings worms! Worms, worms, worms! You need vermifuge! You need it now! 

Read on and be afraid…

DR. JACQUES' 
German Worm Cakes, 
The Most Efficient Remedy Discovered

     These Worm Cakes have had the most wonderful suc-
cess, and have proved to be the very best, safest and
most efficient Worm Remedy ever placed within reach of
the people. They are a safe medicine and easily admin-
istered, as children will readily take them, and their
efficiency is remarkable. Nearly all children are at some
time affected with worms, and worms in the system are
more dangerous than is generally supposed , as they de-
prive the children of the benefit of the food they eat,
thus reducing them to a constant state of emaciation and
debility, and also lay the foundation of many serious dis-
eases. The origin of worms in the human body is very
obscure. However, it is certain that children of scrof-
ulous tendency and generally depraved health are most
apt to be affected with them, although they are also
quite generally found in children who are in robust
health. Certain causes are well known to be exceedingly
favorable to their growth, such as excessive indulgence
in food, excessive indulgence in candy and confectionery,
impure water, etc. Worms are most abundant in moist
countries or during a long prevalence of warm, damp
weather. Children after weaning, are more frequently
affected than very young infants, and Convulsions or
Spasms are often caused by worms in the system. Be
sure to ask for Dr. Jacques’ German Worm Cakes.

                           Prepared by theEMMERT PROPRIETARY CO.,    --    Chicago, Ill. 
                          PRESENTED BY… 

NO ONE.

Let's translate the above, shall we?

So, whether you’re strong or weak, whether you eat well or poorly, whether you’re a grown up or a baby…WORMS ARE GONNA GET YA. So, you might as well eat these German Worm Cakes. We don’t tell you what they are or what’s in them. Are they also made of worms? We’ll never tell. Just know that worms are going to get you and make your baby have spasms and be depraved. And, you’ll never know where they came from!

Unusual Artifacts: A Medicine Pot and Cover, 1540-55

Apothecary Pot and Cover
Italy, 1540-1555
The Victoria & Albert Museum

During the Middle Ages, as the art of creating medicines become more prominent and standardized, books of the ingredients of medicines were shared by apothecaries, and soon, an increasing demand for appropriate storage vessels for medicines developed.

Pharmacies were, subsequently, a major source of income for makers of maiolica.  As the V&A tells us, “The pharmacies and dispensaries of monastic orders, hospitals and noble families required large numbers of jars to store their various herbs, roots, syrups, pills, ointments and sweetmeats. These were sometimes marked with coats of arms or other heraldic devices.”

Such drug containers , inscribed with their contents, began to be produced in the middle of the Fifteenth Century.  Non-inscribed vessels continued to be made.  The  upside of these were that they could be washed and refused for other tinctures.

The shape of this Italian, Sixteenth-Century pharmacy bottle is based on Fifteenth Century  glassware.  It is made with a lid.  On the front, in a panel enclosed by a decorative band with leafy scrolls scratched through a blue ground, is a half-length figure of a bearded man in profile against a blue sky. Below this panel, a scroll is inscribed in Gothic characters with the name of the contents: “A. Eufragia.”  This was also called “Eyebright water,” a suspension of roses and herbs which was meant to cure illnesses of the eye, and, in doing so, strengthen the head and promote better memory.

This was made in Castelli, Italy, between 1540 and 1555 by the workshop of one Orazio Pompei.

Object of the Day: Dr. Arnold's Balsam

Click image for the sake of your bowels.

Well, this is one of the oldest of the trade cards in my collection—dated to 1859. So, what does this pre-Civil War, American card advertise?

Diarrhœa.

Well, not just Diarrhœa, but diarrhea with an extra “œ” thing. Okay, it’s not really as much pro-Diarrhœa as it is against it. It’s an ad for Balsam Tonic. Essentially, this was an Eastern European herbal liqueur which was used for stomach complaints and gave folks a good excuse to get lit--all in the name of happy bowels.

The age of the card is evident. The obverse shows a rather smoky scene of a towered-bridge which is something of a staircase and walkway to an observatory. There’s a figure evident on the stairs. He appears to be going in search of something.

Beneath this image reads:Where is the Yacht of the Sailor cured by using Dr. SETH ARNOLD’S BALSAM? 

The reverse says:

DR. SETH ARNOLD’S BALSAM, 
The Best Remedy for all Bowel Complaints. 

Dr. Seth Arnold                                       Pawtuxet, April 4, 1859

     Dear Sir,--Permit me to acknowledge the benefit of your
valuable medicine. In 1854, while on the coast of Africa, I was
taken with the Diarrhœa, which lasted me sic or seven months, and
then became Chronic Diarrhœa, which lasted me until I got a couple
of bottles of your Balsam, which has completely cured me. This was
in September, 1858. I had been to several doctors and did not
receive any benefit until I took your Balsam. Since that time
I have been perfectly well, and have not taken and medicine since.
                                                Yours, &c., JOSEPH R. SHEPARD.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Scott's Emulsion, The Sailor Boy

Scott’s Emulsion was a “medicinal elixir” which, essentially, amounted to cod liver oil. In the true spirit of Victorian elixirs, the people at Scott’s took great pains to make sure that their product claimed to calm, cure, prevent, and otherwise banish any imaginable malady. The advertisements often features a hale and hearty lad dressed in a sailor suit. Both of the Scott’s emulsion trade cards in my collection feature this boy. You’ve seen one. Here’s the other.

In this example, “Our Boy” has been dubbed “Sailor Boy” and it seems that he caught a large ugly fish with his bare hands. He holds it aloft, posing for a nonexistent camera, his bare feet on the rocks. But, bare feet on cold rocks and grappling with sea creatures are no match for Scott’s Emulsion! This plucky lad can enjoy all sorts of dangerous activities—knowing all the while, and his mama, too, that he is protected by this magical cod liver oil. Perhaps he will squeeze the fish that he’s caught to make his own emulsion.

The Scott’s Emulsion folks knew that these cards were collectible, and, so they made certain that each one stated their name as often as possible. The front of this one, under the little fish-catching boy, we see:
Compliments of 

Scott & Bowne

Manufacturers

of SCOTT’S EMULSION 
THE GREAT REMEDY FOR CHILDREN 



So, let’s see what the reverse says. I’m sure it’s perfectly logical and the claims made therein are wholly truthful and accurate.

THE SAILOR BOY. 

     This boy is as proud in catching this large fish as
a man would be in conquering an empire. The great
pleasures of life are in our achievements, in doing
something that we think has surpassed our fellow
men. One of the greatest achievements in medical
science has been accomplished by the manufacturers
of SCOTT’S EMULSION, in making this
acknowledged remedy, Cod Liver Oil, palatable and
easily digested, so that everybody, children as well
as adults, can take it without the slightest trouble,
whereas the ordinary cod liver oil is repulsive to
everybody. Scott’s Emulsion of Cod Liver
Oil and Hypophosphites, the remedy so well
known all over the world, is a most wonderful food
medicine. Its power to check the wasting ravages of
disease, and to build up an strengthen the body, is
truly marvelous. For sickly wasted children, for
Anaemia and Emaciation in adults, and for Consump-
tion in various stages, it is really surprising in its
results; and for colds and chronic coughs, it seems to
outrival any other remedy. We desire to impress
upon the minds of mothers the great importance of
using Scott’s Emulsion for their children when they
are weak, sickly and run down, and where the ordinary
food fails to nourish them; it will build them
up with wonderful rapidity, Don’t fail to try it.
     For sale by all DruggistsSCOTT & BOWNE, NEW YORK.

Object of the Day: McElree's Wine of Cardui

Click on image for barnyard fun.

Each month of 1887, McElree’s Wine of Cardui issued a new trade card which featured a handy calendar as well as an attractive comic scene based on that month’s zodiac sign. Here’s one from my collection. This one was, obviously, for March of 1887 and it depicts the antics of Aries the Ram who seems to have upset the pastime of a gentleman artist. I’m sure that these cards did their job perfectly. They fit right into the Victorian mindset of collecting and offered the sort of endearing and bright imagery which was en vogue.

But, what is McElree’s Wine of Cardui? Let’s see if the reverse of the card has anything to tell us.

First of all, it reminds us that the April card will be out soon. And, then, it tells us a story. An insulting and condescending story of womanhood with loaded words such as the aforementioned “Womanhood,” “Period” and “Peculiar,” AND “Derangement.”


Our April Card will be ready on the 1st of the month. Call on
Your druggist for it.
-------------------- 
A LIFE SAVED 

     A wealthy planter in Georgia had two
daughters aged respectively 13 and 16 years.
the oldest became afflicted when passing to the
period of womanhood with serious derangements
peculiar to her sex. At first no attention was
paid to it, but when several months had passed
with no appearance of the usual signs, her
mother became alarmed. Physicians were sum-
moned, all the usual remedies were used and
everything that money and kind friends could
do, was done for her. A cough set in, her lungs
became involved and at the age of 19 years this
dearly loved daughter died.
     Closely following her death, the other
daughter became afflicted with precisely the
same symptoms as those of her elder sister at
her age. She suffered severe pains at the usual
time each month but nearly all external signs
were absent. After this had continued several
months with no improvement, the parents saw
no hope for their only remaining child. By
chance a pamphlet published by the Chatta-
nooga Medicine Company, of Chattanooga,
Tenn., fell into their hands. In it they read of
wonderful cures performed by McElree’s Wine
of Cardui or Woman’s Relief. They at once
sent for six bottles of the Wine, which they ad-
ministered to their daughter as directed. Great
was their joy when a decided improvement was
noticeable before a half dozen doses had been
taken, and in three months they reported a
complete cure. The young lady’s life was saved,
and she enjoys excent health.
     This wonderful new remedy is FOR SALE BY GEO. K. HOPKINS & Co., St. Louis, Mo. 





AH, what fun! Aries the ram! And, death by menses! Or lack thereof. Or something. Now, clearly, I’m not a woman, but if I were, I don’t think I’d want my “friends” to be doing anything about my “ladies’ days.” What exactly were these “kind friends” doing? No. Don’t think about it. And…well, what the hell? What’s going on in that second paragraph? And…and…”excent” isn’t a word! I…I… 

And, what was the calendar used for, then?  It all started off so pleasantly, and...

Oh…Aries the Ram. I don’t know.

Print of the Day: Der Narresneider, 18th C

Der NarresneiderPrint, 18th Century
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This peculiar print is of unknown origin, but likely dates to the end of the Eighteenth Century. Since the myriad writing incorporated into the image is in Dutch and German, we can guess at its place of origin.

The image shows a man being treated by a doctor. That’s not so strange. What is strange is that he’s tied to the wall and the doctor is about to cut off his ear. Hmmm… Furthermore, the doctor has the face of Mr. Punch. Luckily for the patient, Dr. Punchinello has been distracted by a woman who seems to indicate that she has a bump on her head.

Since my German is quite bad and my Dutch is even worse, and, I can’t really make out what the text says, I’ll just let you decide what’s happening here.

The print is part of the Royal Collection.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Ayer's Pills

Click above image to enlarge.

Dr. James Cook Ayer (1818-1878) of Lowell, Massachusetts was one of the wealthiest patent medicine makers in Nineteenth Century America. Ayer was famous for both his Sarsaparilla and his Cathartic Pills.

We’ve looked at several examples of American Victorian trade cards advertising for Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, but here’s one for Ayer’s Pills—clearly marketing them to young ladies.

The front of the card has a very attractive illustration of several healthy looking young girls and adolescent young ladies—all of whom look very healthy. They hold a banner which reads:

“THE LITTLE FAVORITES”
AYER’S PILLS – SUGAR COATED 

Sadly, the reverse of the card has been damaged. The card was once glued into an album. This is to be expected since these cards were collected for that purpose. Frankly, it’s rare to find one that isn’t ruined on the back. Since it was removed from the album, only part of the original text remains as you can see in the photo below. However, let’s see if we can’t piece some of it together.

It reads:

THE LITTLE FAVORITES 

_______

Charming group of smiling girls 

Bright and happy as the day, 

With your winsome eyes and curls, 

Always frolicksome and gay, -- 

Surely, surely never ache 

Did those lovely forms distress – 

Never physic did you take 

But the _________ens answered, “Yes!” 

Just like __________le, we 

Have our troubles and our ills 

But, we cure them, don’t you see? – 

With those sugar-coated pills. 

That’s the reason everywhere 

Through the country, they are famed, -- 

That the Pills of Doctor Ayer 

“Little Favorites” are named.” 

The popularity of Ayer’s Pulls has steadily increased 

________ demand for them exceeds that of all others 

________ which their purely vegetable components are 

____, their mildness and efficacy, their delicate sugar- 

coating, and adaptability to family use have made them 

Pills, par excellence. The People’s Medicine. 

Ayer’s Pills 

Created by Dr. J.C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. 

Sold by all Druggists and Dealers in Medicine 

Ayer’s Sarsaparilla Makes _________________ng.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Maltine

What’s Maltine, you may ask? I’ll tell you. It’s actually a series of elxixirs, most of which included some combination of phosphate of iron, quinia, and strychnia. Mmmmmm…sounds healthy. It comes in a giant bottle carried by a putto. Seriously.

Look for yourself if you don’t believe me. 

Now, I seriously doubt that Maltine is available at your local pharmacy. But, it was a popular bit of quackery swill in the 1880s—developed by one John Carnrick. Maltine, like most elixirs of the era, made a lot of wild claims and, by using rosy-cheeked tots in its advertising—implied that it was safe for the kiddies. After all, how bad could strychnine be for you?

It seems that strychnine wasn’t enough of a seller, so, around 1894, Carnrick and his partner, some fellow named Reed, decided to add Coca Wine to the mix. In case you didn’t guess, that’s not a cola—it’s cocaine juice. Well, as you can imagine, that kept people coming back. After all, they were addicted.

Perhaps that explains the putto’s expression.

Maltine came in a variety of emulsions, each for different uses. Each claimed to be healthful and insisted it could cure all manner of ailments.

The reverse of this card—which is undeniably handsome, I must say—has been slightly damaged after being yanked out of the album which protected it for the last century and a few decades. Still, we can make out most of it. Let’s see what Maltine can do for you.

ITS COMPOUNDS ARE 
MALTINE with COD LIVER OIL. The best and most
     palatable emulsion and the greatest
     remedy in the world for all diseases of the
     lungs.
MALTINE with PEPSIN and PACREATINE. The
     surest cure known for dyspepsia, the disease
     most common to Americans. 

MALTINE with CASCARA SAGRADA. Used with
     invariable benefit in all cases of chronic con-
     stipation and the troubles resulting thre-
     from, acting both as a tonic and a laxative.
MALTO-YERBINE. An efficient remedy for pulmon-
     ary affections, bronchitis and for ordinary
     coughs and colds.
MALTINE with HYPOPHOSPHATES. Valuable in
     consumption, rickets and deficient ossifica-
     tion.
MALTINE with PHOSPHATE of IRON, QUINIA
     and STRYCHNIA. A most excellent nerve
     tonic.
MALTINE with PEPTONES. A highly concentrated
     food, containing a large proportion of the
     nutritive elements of beef artificially digested.
     It will be found of great benefit in all
     wasting diseases and in convalescence from
     fevers, &c.
MALTINE preparations can be obtained from all drug-

And, then, we’ll never know.

However, I don’t think I’ll be making my own batch of Maltine anytime soon. I’ll just wait for that bleary-eyed cherub to bring me some.

Object of the Day: Barry's Tricopherous

Click on image to grow some hair.

Good news for the Victorian lady and gent with thinning hair. Not only thinning hair—heck, even bald folks can use this exciting product to grow long, lustrous locks. What is this boon to the hairless? Why, it’s Barry’s Tricopherous. Of course.

The “oldest, and the best, Tricopherous was established in 1801. This handsome trade card tells us that Barry’s lotion is “Guaranteed to restore the hair to bald heads, and to make it grow thick, long and soft.”

Though I doubt the product’s claims, I must admit that this is a gorgeous chromolithograph. This handsome couple, aside from being attired in the finest fashions of the 1870s, both have lovely heads of hair. I particularly like the lady’s fan and the intricate details on her gown.

Let’s see what the reverse tells us. I have a feeling it’s going to be very insistent.

Well, this is odd. They’re talking about the Venus de Medici. But, they’re not showing her. She’s nude, you know. No doubt, a long meeting was held to discuss this. Obviously, they concluded to show a contemporary woman with all her clothes on—and, of course, a healthy head of hair.

What are they telling us?

THE VENUS DE MEDICI. 

     What is most remarkable about
this exquisite statue is the natural
appearance of the hair. Knowing
that a lovely chevelure is the crown-
ing perfection of a woman’s beauty,
the artist gave particular attention
this feature. Every lady who
desires to add new luster to her
charms must study the artistic
arrangement of her hair. She will
be greatly assisted in effecting this
by using Barry’s Tricopherous.
The only preparation yet discovered
which preserves, beautifies and
adorns the hair; prevents it turning
gray and falling out, and makes it soft, silken and glossy.
     The celebrated Barry’s Tricopherous was just as much
thought of 50 and 75 years ago by the leading families
America, as it is to-day, and we can prove the truth of what
we assert, as we have still the original certificates in our
possession.

                                                          SAVANNAH, GA., June 11, 1865.

Prof. ALEXANDER C. BARRY:Dear Doctor:-- Your agents here having disposed of your
first consignment of the Barry’s Tricopherous within two
days after its arrival, myself and many of my friends are
unable to obtain a supply on the spot, and as we have now
been deprived of our favorite toilet article for over four years,
we feel rather impatient to renew our acquaintance with it.
Some of us think we have become gray for the want of it,
but perhaps it is only from the anxiety occasioned by the war.
At any rate, send us four gross, for which, please find the,
money enclosed. Forward by Adams and Co., directed to
George Dewitt Erwin, to be left at the Company’s office till
called for.

                                                         Yours, etc.,

                                                                           G.D. Irwin. 

Wow! It not only grows hair, but it makes gray hair colorful again! Sign me up! I’ve got plenty of hair, but the color, well… Will it make your hair any color you choose? How does it know?

Hmmm…maybe I won’t be able to get any. Though, the pesky Civil War is over—finally.

Ah, the American Civil War. Brother against brother, follicle against follicle.

Oh...and here's the Venus de Medici--just because we're not scared of her stone nudity.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Blood Bitters

Click on image to enlarge.

Burdock Blood Bitters. That sounds tasty. It wasn’t made of blood. It wasn’t made by someone named Burdock. Apparently, this medicinal elixir was made from a type of thistle called burdocks. Burdocks have been ground up for centuries and used in a suspension to calm the stomach. The practice was especially popular in monastic orders who, I suppose, have little else to do when not praying and baking bread. Blood Bitters were meant to cleanse the blood and to encourage intestinal health.

And, so, here’s another trade card from my collection. Printed by Coback and Company of Buffalo New York, I’d guess this card dates to the late 1870s. The front features a chromolithograph of a happy tot in a fine little outfit of turquoise velvet, a rough and cute little sash of gold and red silk. He even has little shoes and attractive pink socks.

I can’t help but be a little disturbed by the face that he’s making. I suppose that’s the face of a being with happy bowels. He holds aloft a bottle of Burdock Blood Bitters and he seems to be saying, “Look at this. This will please your bowels.”

Sadly, the reverse of the card is a little ruined after having been first glued into an album (which is really for what these cards were intended), and then, ripped out of said album a century later. On one hand, being in an album preserved this card for over a hundred years and allowed me to add it to my collection so I can preserve it even longer. However, it also compromised the integrity of the reverse printing.

Let’s see if we can’t make out some of it.
_________ on receipt of 3 ct _______ 
____________ & Co. Buffalo, N.Y. 

DON’T DO __ T 
     Don’t get married if you have dyspepsia _____
stomach are pretty sure to breed misery in __________
hold.
     DON’T attempt a big job of work with the __________
plaint, as ten to one you’ll fail.
     DON'T try to be a society favorite if you are bilious.
Sour folks are poor company.
     Don’t aspire to any high position in the world if you
are debilitated, nervous or weak. It is the strong and
tough who win.
     DON’T imagine that ______________ life if your bloos
is impoverished.
     DON’T labor to loo_______________ a case of scrofula
on your hands.
    DON’T malign t______________ you’ve no appetite.
Tone you your stomach ___________
     DON’T drag through _______ with any of the dis-
eases we have here _________ is a way to avoid it.
     DON’T forget that Burdock Blood Bitters cure dys-
pepsia, cure disorders of the liver and kidneys, cure
nervousness, biliousness, constipation, debility, any
disease of the blood.
     DON’T forget that Burdock Blood Bitters are whole-
some, economical, quick to relieve, thoroughly satis-
________, and can be obtained of any druggist ____. 

Well, that’s not scary at all. Very uplifting ad copy. Not at all like a demented scrofulous Mad-Lib.

Then, on the bottom, stamped crookedly in pink (which I suspect was once red), it reads:

Sold by A.L. Field, Druggist 

251 Thorndike St., Davis Corner 

Lowell, Mass. 

Mastery of Design: The John Monson Locket, 1597

Locket of gold and other stuff
Inscribed for John Monson, 1597
The Victoria & Albert Museum

It’s a pretty locket.  It really is.  So, I don’t want to be icked out by it, but, I can’t help it.  You see,  according to the tradition of the family for whom this necklace was originally made, this locket contains part of the caul (the membrane enclosing the fetus before birth) that John Monson was born with in 1597. This was considered to be lucky, especially as a protection against drowning.  Why?  I couldn’t tell you.

At this point in our human history, there was a strong belief in the medicinal or magical properties of various natural substances , especially in Renaissance England. For instance, unicorn horn (actually part of the horn of the narwhal, an arctic whale) or bezoar stone, which was found in the stomach of a goat, were thought to be powerful antidotes against poison. Yucky things such as these were often set in pieces of jewelry.  Human stuff, too, it seems was assigned magical and medicinal properties.  Hence this baby-gunk locket.

When this was made, around 1579, men and women alike would have worn such a necklace, but only if they were part of the aristocracy.  You see, good ol’ Henry VIII (ruled 1509-1547) had made various attempts in the form of sumptuary laws to restrict jewelry wearing to the upper classes.  Many agreed with this idea.  For example, in 1585 the Puritan Philip Stubbes complained that it was impossible to tell “who is noble, who is worshipful, who is a gentleman and who is not” because jewels were worn by anybody who could afford them, whatever their rank.

So, we can assume that this was part of the jewels of a wealthy family.  Most likely,  this locket was made as a christening gift. Most babies in Elizabethan England were baptized within a few days of their birth, but aristocratic families often postponed this in order to allow for social arrangements.  Baptism gifts were often made of precious metals and were meant to be kept by the recipient well into adulthood.  John Munson, it is thought, wore this necklace for many years.

Object of the Day: For Worms in Children

Click image to be graceful.

Sometimes, Christianity borrowed the iconography of previous cultures in order to communicate a concept. An example of this is “The Three Graces.” In Greek mythology, the Three Graces (or Charities) represented concepts such as charm, beauty and creativity, among other similar concepts. The graces were typically personified as three diaphanously-clad young woman who would often huddle together. Christianity, having three graces of its own, used a similar depiction to communicate to concepts of Faith, Hope and Charity.

So, what does that have to do with worms? We’re about to find out.

Dating to about 1870, this trade card boasts, on the obverse, a very handsome chromolithograph of “The Three Graces.” And, they don’t look at all Greek, do they? So, you’d think this was a card for something pretty…like silk, or jewelry, or…well, not this.

The reverse is rather shocking, in fact. It reads:

FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY, the
Album picture on the other side, is a new treatment in
miniature, for our special use, of the celebrated painting, “The
Christian Graces.” We trust it will prove acceptable, and that
The following suggestions will share your attention, Dr. D.J. & S.
THE BEST TONIC—for grown persons and
children—safe, effective, and reasonable in price, is Dr.
Jayne’s Tonic Vermifuge. In DYSPEPSIA, a disease from which
so many adults suffer, and the prominent symptoms of which
are—a variable appetite, heartburn, oppression and soreness
of the stomach, low spirits, sick headache, fever and languor,
this Tonic is really invaluable. It should be taken in small
doses after each meal, using in connection the Sanative Pills
when needed, as per directions. So also when used
FOR WORMS IN CHILDREN, this Ver-
milifuge is exceedingly useful. The presence of these
dreadful pests, which prey on the delicate systems of the young,
until through irritation and general debility, their constitutions
are broken down—may be known by a capricious appetite,
craving of strange articles, weakness of the bowels, swelling of
the abdomen, fevers, sallow complexion, fitful sleep, grinding
of teeth, picking of the nose, flushed cheeks, twitching and a
wasting away. The Vermilifuge should be used according to
directions, remembering that it will not only destroy Worms,
but reason of its excellent Tonic powers (possessed by no
other worm medicine,) the proper action of the stomach will
be restored, and the general health re-established. It will also
be found of much value in Fever and Ague in children.
FOR SUMMER COMPLAINTS of either
Adults or Children, such as Colic, Cramps, Cholera,
Morbus, Diarrhœa, and Dyssentery, Dr. Jayne’s Carminative Balsam
is the SUREST CURATIVE KNOWN. No Family or Traveler
should be without it, as by its prompt use, much suffering and
many lives may be saved.Presented by 

L. COUDRY
                        Greenwood, McHenry Co.,
                                                                 Illinois. 



Well, that was a treat to type.

I hope you read it all. If you didn't, go back and read it. Because, I'll know...

So, let me understand…worms cause children to pick their noses and grind their teeth and twitch until they die. That’s a lot to pin on a little internal parasite. But, hey—I got to type Diarrhœa again and use my little œ. That’s twice in a week. Pretty good rate for something I’ve never used before.

And, really, thank the stars that someone is finally addressing my Summer Complaints.  

In short, Dr. Jayne hopes you like this card which he commissioned—a copy of a famous painting done FOR THEIR OWN SPECIAL USE!!!! He hopes you like it so much that you’ll read all about worms and loose bowels and maybe buy some Balsam Tonic. It’s enough to make you want to pick your nose until you die.