First Presbyterian Church of Ironton located at the corner of Reynolds and Knob streets in Ironton
We hope you can join us for our Fall Quarterly Meeting when John Abney will present his program on the Rise and Fall of Patent Medicines in the 19th Century. Patent medicines were over the counter elixirs, tonics, and other concoctions that purported to treat and many times cure any number of diseases and conditions. Although they reached their height of popularity in the latter half of the 19
th century, these mixtures were usually not patented and they certainly weren’t medicines. The term stemmed from earlier English practices of granting "letters patent" for certain remedies.
Without regulation, the makers of these “medicines” could make wild claims about their effectiveness and use any number of dangerous (and sometimes) deadly drugs in their manufacture. One such “medicine” was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup meant to be used by mothers for their teething babies. Among the unlisted drugs used in its manufacture were morphine and alcohol which led to concerns of addiction and possible overdose, especially in infants. With the era of the “muckrakers” in the early 20th century, the makers of these medicines were exposed for what they were, and laws were passed that restricted the wild claims that could be made as forcing manufactures to list their ingredients used. John's presentation will cover this fascinating era in our history and will tell the story of the rise and fall of these drugs’ popularity. We hope to see you there!
