Dr King's New Discovery for Consumption

[robertk]

Bottle Vitals​

Embossing	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Diameter)	Value*
Dr. King's New Discovery for Consumption	1880	Aqua	Rectangular with tall neck	2" x 6.5" x 1"	$15.00

Bottle Views (click to enlarge):

Front	Back	Side	Side	Bottom
Dr King's New Discovery For Consumption		Chicago Ill	H E Bucklen & Co

Consumption (tuberculosis) was a huge problem in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and there were plenty of patent medicines offering a cure. This one, from the H.E. Bucklen company out of Chicago, was just one of many. On the plus side, it actually did make the patients feel better.

And at least according to advertisements, it was popular

So popular that there were fake concoctions trying to capitalize on it (click to enlarge)



The trouble was, it would probably kill you if you kept taking it long enough. The active ingredients were a mix of morphine, chloroform, pine tar, and alcohol. Collier's Weekly had this to say about it in 1906:

"The indications or uses for this product was for consumption, coughs, and colds. It was advertised in newspapers as to be the "only sure cure for consumption" and that "it strikes terror to the doctors." As it is a morphine and chloroform mixture, "Dr. King's New Discovery for Consumption" is well calculated to strike terror to the doctors or to any other class of profession, except, perhaps, the undertakers. It is a pretty diabolical concoction to give to anyone, and particularly to a consumptive. The chloroform temporarily allays a cough, thereby checking Nature's effort to throw off the dead matter from the lungs. The opium drugs the patient into a deceived cheerfulness. The combination is admirably designed to shorten the life of any consumptive who takes it steadily. Of course, there is nothing on the label of the bottle to warn the purchaser. That would decrease the profits."

* Value is based on sold eBay listings at the time of posting, and varies with color and condition.

 

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[The Rebel]

Nice find!

 

[Limitool]

Good job Robert... nice format. Did you clean this one further as the first?

 

[robertk]

Did you clean this one further as the first?

Actually this one was just soap and water. It didn't really seem to need much beyond that.