Old English Patent Medicines in America

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Griffenhagen, George B.

Contributor:

Young, James Harvey, 1915-2006

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

To be supplied : Project Gutenberg, 2010.

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Old English Patent Medicines in America" by George B. Griffenhagen and James Harvey Young is a historical account written in the mid-20th century. The book explores the origins and journey of English patent medicines that made their way across the Atlantic to America, analyzing their impact on early American medical practices and culture. It particularly delves into various notorious remedies such as Bateman's Pectoral Drops and Godfrey's Cordial, detailing their extravagant claims and the role they played in self-medication among settlers. The opening of the work sets the stage by discussing the backdrop against which these medicines became popular in both England and America. The authors sketch the beginnings of notable patent remedies in 18th-century England, introducing several key figures involved in their promotion. It highlights the early colonial context where such ready-made solutions appealed to settlers facing health challenges with limited resources, foreshadowing the burgeoning patent medicine market in America. This section elucidates the complexity and competition among various medicines and their manufacturers, establishing the context for the detailed examination that follows in subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 61.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2009-10-02