Antique Medicine Bottles Dr Cannon's Medicine Chest

ANOTHER "PATENT MEDICINE ARTICLE" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

antique bottles THE MEDICINE CHEST --- BY DR. RICHARD CANNON old bottles

We usually collect by category, but I have given little thought to the gradual acquisition of a group of pontiled medicines with 25 different “doctors” embossed. These physicians varied in formal training from none to some. 19^th century medical education in the United States was of poor quality until later in the century when Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale began to pattern their teaching after the more progressive European medical schools.


Dr. Woodworth's Sarsaparilla	Dr. S.M. Giddings's Preparations, N.Y.	Dr. Wood's Sarsaparilla Wild Cherry Bitters.

We have a current reference work. Pontiled Medicine Price Guide, Third Edition, 1995, by Jim Holst. He has put together all of the previously

available information including that of the fabulous Samuel Greer collection. The letters and numbers following the embossing of my bottles are from Holst's book.

A number of these bottles have been included in past Medicine Chest articles. I will give what I've been able to find about 7 of the above.

Dr. S.M. Gidding's / Preparations / N.Y., blowpipe pontil, 7 1/4 inches tall, oval, aqua is considered to be rare. The New York Daily Times advertised Dr. S.M. Gidding's Remedy for Cholera, Etc. in July, 1854 and Dr. S.M. Gidding's Liniment in September, 1854.

Dyspepsia & C // Dr. Hoofland's / German Bitters // Liver Complaint // C.M. Jackson / Philadelphia, blowpipe pontil, 6 7/8 inches tall, rectangular and aqua. C.M. Jackson began to distribute the Dr. Hoofland remedies about 1850. There was also a Balsamic Cordial, H 133 in Holst's book, Greek Oil, and Pills. In 1863, Jackson sold out to Charles Evans and R.S. Jones. Smooth base variants of Hoofland's Bitters 7, 8, and 9 1/2 inches tall, also exist. The “& C” of the embossing probably stands for et cetera or etc.

One wonders if my Dr. Jackson's / Rheumatic / Liniment / Philad, bpp, 5 1/2 inches tall, oval, aqua bottle was also from C.M. Jackson. There's a Dr. Jackson's / Pile / Embrocation / Phila., blowpipe pontil, 3 1/4 inches tall, round, and aqua, as well.

Dr. Mann's // Celebrated / Ague Balsam // Galion, Ohio, bare iron pontil, 6 3/4 inches tall, rectangular, very deep aqua, and scarce, is a beautiful bottle. Dr. Mann's initials are S.K. Ads are known back to 1856, and it was still being advertised in 1892.

Sanford & Co. // Dr. Sanford's / Invigorator // Proprietors, N.Y., blowpipe pontil, 6 1/8 inches tall, rectangular, and aqua, is also scarce. Samuel T.W. Sanford, a New York City physician, began selling the Invigorator in the mid-1840s. About 1878, the Potter Drug and Chemical Co. became a subsidiary manufacturer of some of Dr. Sanford's preparations including the Liver Invigorator, and distributed them from Boston and London. Other products included the Radical Cure, Essence of Jamaica Ginger, and White Pine Balsam.

Dr. Wood's // Sarsaparilla / & / Wild Cherry // Bitters, blowpipe pontil, 9 inches tall, rectangular with wide beveled edges, and aqua is scarce. An ad in an 1847 Meadville, Pa. Paper says “made by Wyatt and Ketcham, 121 Fulton St., N.Y.C.”. It was advertised as early as 1845, and as far away as the North Carolina Standard on April 21, 1847.

Dr. Woodworth's / Sarsaparilla // // Birmingham, Ct., bpp, 10 inches tall, rectangular with beveled edges, and aqua is a scarce and desirable bottle. A 9 3/4 inches tall variant without Birmingham, Ct. embossed also exists. The product was advertised in 1854 as “The Great Connecticut Remedy”. The town of Birmingam no longer exists. It's now part of Derby Ct.

I could have sold medicines when I was a young doctor still in training. There was a little girl with cancer, and this new drug work real well, at least for a while. The good news made a local paper and the child's mother gave readers who called my name. Soon, I was getting many letters from people with cancer who wanted the medicine. It could have been called Dr. Cannon's Celebrated Cancer Cure, in care of the State Penitentiary, Huntsville, Texas.

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