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

Early in the 19^th century there were those who claimed to have an intimate knowledge of Indian remedies and called themselves Indian physicians. Their concoctions became popular, and by the middle of the century hundreds of companies were putting out "Indian" medicines for the public to purchase. I want to present products from three of these companies.

Dr. Larookah's // Indian / Vegetable // Pulmonic Syrup, aqua, rectangular, 8 5/8 inches tall, and crude but with a smooth base. This medicine was first manufactured in 1855, by Severy and Howe of Melrose, Mass., but I'm not aware of any pontiled examples. By 1856, Severy and Ingalls of Melrose were putting it out. Both Severy and Ingalls (John C.) were listed as patent medicine dealers through 1870. In 1869, Severy and Co. was located at Foster and Main, and advertised Vaughn's Horse Liniment as well. In 1870, the company was not listed in the business directory, but Ingalls was given as Rev. Ingalls. An ad gives this information: "Dr. Larookah, a celebrated Indian, has discovered in the combination of four kinds of common Roots and Herbs, a remedy that is warranted to cure Consumption in all cases where the lungs are not mostly consumed, and sufficient left to sustain life; and every disease, of whatever name, having its seat on the lungs or in the bronchial tubes." I've not been able to find out which Indian tribe Dr. Larookah came from.


Dr. Larookah's Indian Vegetable Pulmonic Syrup.	Pawnee Indian Too-Re and Pawnee Indian Balm.	Taylors Cherokee Remedy of Sweet Gum & Mullein.

Pawnee Indian / Too-Re, aqua, rectangular, 7 5/8 inches tall and Pawnee / Indian Balm, clear, rectangular, 4 5/8 inches tall. Charles A. Burgess bought the business of Giesue Rottanzi, San Francisco, Cal., about 1890. Rottanzi's main product had been his Pawnee Long Life Bitters which came in an amber rectangular bottle, 8 inches tall, and with Pawnee Long Life / Bitters / Net Contents 1 Pint 3 Oz. embossed. The San Francisco Directory for 1891, listed the Pawnee Indian Medicine Co. at 2476 Howard, with Charles A. and Wm. Burgess as proprietors. They added Pawnee Indian Too-Re and advertised it heavily: "Assists Nature in the Cure of Blood, Stomach, Liver and Kidney Diseases, Alcohol 20 Per Cent." The bitters was also continued in an amber rectangular bottle 8 5/8 inches tall, embossed Pawnee Bitters / Pawnee / Indian Medicine Co. / S.F. Aqua Pawnee Bitters also exist; all are quite rare. At least two other products were produced, the Pawnee Indian Balm, Pain Balm on the label, and Pawnee Indian Relief, each in aqua embossed bottles according to John Odell. He doesn't list my clear variant. In 1903, one of Charles Burgess' sons, Frank P., took over. When Frank died in 1923, his widow managed the business out of her home at 423 Capp. Mrs. Ida Clark was listed as the principal of the company put out Pawnee Cough Balsam from 3542 Mission St., and in 1935, from 244 Taylor St. The Pawnee Indians were located in Nebraska, and later in northern Oklahoma.

Pawnee Bitters and Pawnee Long

Life Bitters from Ring, C.:

For Bitters Only.

Taylor's Cherokee Remedy Trade Card

from Bingham, A.W., The Snake-Oil Syndrome.

Taylors Cherokee Remedy / Of / Sweet Gum & Mullein, aqua, rectangular, 4 7/8 inches tall. Dr. James A. Taylor and his father, Walter A. Taylor were in business from around 1869 to 1884, in Atlanta, Ga., and at times in partnership with John S. Pemberton, 1831-1888, who put out Permberton's Indian Queen Magic Hair Dye. However, Pemberton is most famous for the invention of the formula for Coca-Cola. Pemberton was engaged in at least twelve different businesses in Atlanta from 1869 until his death. During the 1870s, the medicine company was listed as Pemberton, P. Wilson, Taylor and Co. at 17 N. Pryor. Dr. Joseph Jacobs purchased the business in 1884, and it was at his drug store that Coca-Cola in the glass was first sold from the fountain. Taylor products are listed in drug catalogs through the 1890's and include Mandrake Pills, Liver and Stomach Corrector, and Spanish Catarrh Cure. The Cherokee Remedy was from children's coughs, croup, asthma, and whooping cough as well as consumption, etc. Cherokee were a major North American tribe whose first known center was in the southern Alleghenies.

The May 29, 1909, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that Dr. Lyman F. Kebler, chief, division of drugs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says: "There are on the market many medicinal preparations which contain as ingredients habit forming drugs." Taylor's Cherokee Remedy of Sweet Gum and Mullein was on of those which contained morphine. I have known parents who would have been willing to try morphine for their "little night cougher".

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