Palatable Poisons: The Dark History of Patent Medicine

Post contributed by Jennifer Dai, Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Intern 2025-2026

Patent Medicines, also known as proprietary medicines, nostrums, cure-alls, or snake oils, were popular medications that took advantage of the lack of federal regulations in the 1800s and early 1900s. The name, originating from the “Royal Letters Patent” in England, is a misnomer in modern American language, as no patent was given to these medicines. Instead, they were proprietary, meaning their ingredients were kept secret. The creators of these medicines were not doctors or pharmacists, but businessmen with often no medical training.

The perfect storm of a lack of regulation, low income, and the high cost to see physicians led to patent medicine’s rise during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. A large quantity of the Rubenstein Library’s examples of patent medicine materials sits around the turn of the century, specifically before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created and the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906. Prior to these regulations (don’t worry we will talk about them shortly), a hallmark of these medications is that they often had outrageous claims, for example we have Dr. Sibly’s Re-Animating Solar Tincture which claimed to cure death. Some other claims were to cure cancer, consumption (tuberculosis), epilepsy, and ever the popular “cure-all”.

Piso’s Cure for Consumption: Hazeltine’s Pocket Almanacs

Another unfortunate hallmark was dangerous ingredients. The lack of regulation around narcotics lead to Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, a syrup meant to soothe babies, containing morphine and alcohol. Other examples of these dangers include Coca-Cola, which was originally advertised as a brain tonic and contained cocaine and Piso’s Cure for Consumption which contained chloroform, cannabis, opium, and alcohol

Dr. John Bull’s Almanac

(although they did dispute the cannabis claim). This unregulated and unlabeled use of narcotics was especially dangerous for children. Around the turn of the century, 2 children died after drinking bottles of Dr. Bull’s Cough Syrup that was left within their reach.

With the publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair in 1905, numerous deaths, and consistent articles shedding light on the dangers of patent medicine in Collier’s Weekly by Samuel Hopkins Adams, it was clear that changes needed to be made. In 1906 the FDA was created, and the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed. This did not regulate ingredients but required that medicines be accurately labeled and show accurate therapeutic claims.

Although it was a great start, the act was an imperfect solution to a complex problem. This became glaringly apparent in 1937 when around 107 people died after using Elixir of Sulfanilamide, a medication that contained diethylene glycol (used today as an industrial solvent). Because of this, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed in 1938 which tightened restrictions and increased oversight. Some notable additions in this act were that drugs had to prove they were safe before advertising could begin, and the FDA had more power to prosecute manufacturers for wrongdoing.

The Great American Fraud by Samuel Hopkins Adams

These regulations, resulting from the dark history of patent medicine, are what allow us to have safe prescription and over the counter medications today. I urge everyone to consider the past when looking to the future; we must learn from our mistakes, or we are doomed to repeat them.

Come see the exhibit:
May 5, 2026 – October 2026
Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Room
Duke University Libraries
Durham, North Carolina

Further Reading:

Weill Cornell Samuel J. Wood Library

“Nervine” and Knavery: The Life and Times of Dr. Miles Medical Company by Rudolph J.R. Peritz

The Great American Fraud: Articles on the Nostrum Evil and Quackery by Samuel Hopkins Adams

The New York Historical

John Hooper’s Female Pills

Native American Imagery Reinforcing Colonial Stereotypes