Tag Archives: health

“You feel sour, sunk and the world looks punk.”

From 1942 or so. Found on the back of a newspaper clipping.

From 1942 or so. Found on the back of a newspaper clipping.

So what exactly was in Carter’s Little Liver Pills? A laxative.

I guess not having calomel was a good thing since it often caused mercury poisoning.

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“It’s just the flu.”

1905 ad for Horsford's Acid Phosphate
1905 ad for Horsford’s Acid Phosphate

Let’s go back to calling influenza “the grippe”.

Did you know acid phosphate was one of the original ingredients in Coca-Cola and essential at soda fountains?

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You can really taste the mole asses.

Instant Postum magazine ad found on the back cover of the October 1920 issue of Delineator.
Instant Postum magazine ad found on the back cover of the October 1920 issue of Delineator.

Three ingredients: roasted wheat bran, wheat and molasses.

Postum was developed by C. W. Post, the Grape-Nuts guy. 

It’s baaaack! 

Owl fun facts!

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Do you have under-par children like High-Strung Helen?

Magazine ad for Ovaltine, circa 1934
Magazine ad for Ovaltine, circa 1934

The History of Ovomaltine, err, Ovaltine

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Be smart. Be brave. Be vaccinated.

Cover illustration by Dick Sargent for The Saturday Evening Post’s March 3, 1962, issue.
Cover illustration by Dick Sargent for The Saturday Evening Post’s March 3, 1962, issue.

But her carbuncles…

A very old ad for Dr. D. Jayne’s Alterative found in a hardcover copy of Charles Addams’ Dear Dead Days collection.
A very old ad for Dr. D. Jayne’s Alterative found in a hardcover copy of Charles Addams’ Dear Dead Days collection.

Bone shards:

Some very interesting words are used to sell this amazing product. My apologies in advance if you are a Victorian hypochondriac. 

Alterative — a drug used empirically to alter favorably the course of an ailment

Deobstruent — having the power to clear or open the natural ducts of the fluids and secretions of the body

Scrofula — a condition in which the bacteria that causes tuberculosis causes symptoms outside the lungs

King’s Evil — (AKA scrofula) a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands, once popularly supposed to be curable by the touch of royalty

White Swellings – a swelling seen in tuberculous arthritis, esp. of the knee

Scrofulous — refers to scrofula, or figuratively, morally contaminated and corrupt

Indolent — lazy or slothlike, or a problem that causes no pain, or is slow-growing and not immediately problematic

Mercurial — characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood

Neuralgia — a stabbing, burning, and often severe pain due to an irritated or damaged nerve.

Tic-Douloureux — a severe, stabbing pain to one side of the face

Goitre — (you might know this as “goiter”) a swelling of the thyroid gland that causes a lump in the front of the neck

Bronchocele (swelled neck) — impacted mucoid secretions within the bronchial tree

Tetter – any of various skin diseases, such as eczema, psoriasis, or herpes, characterized by eruptions and itching, or possibly ringworm for old-timers

Biles — either something having to do with your bile/liver/gall bladder, or going back even further, either of two bodily humours, one of which (black bile) was thought to cause melancholy and the other (yellow bile) anger  

Carbuncles — a skin infection that often involves a group of hair follicles. The infected material forms a lump, which occurs deep in the skin and often contains pus.

Dyspepsia — indigestion

Dropsical Swellings — (AKA edema or dropsy) swelling caused by fluid retention

Don’t you feel smarter (and a little bit sicker) now?

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A Pandemic Limerick

No matter how nice you were asking,
Karen was totes against masking.
In science she’d scoff
As she said with a cough,
“In Covid I’d rather be basking.”

Stiff Competition

What a lovely and fashionable girl.

What do you suppose the 1913 ad she was featured in was selling?

Go ahead, take a guess.

An upscale department store?

No.

The season’s latest fur styles?

No.

A vacation to exotic Canada?

No.

Embalming fluid?

What are you, some kind of wise guy!?

Oh, wait…

You’re right!

It’s an ad for embalming fluid.

Magazine ad for the Clarke Fluid Company found in the December 1913 issue of The Sunnyside by Charles Addams back in the 1950s.
Magazine ad for the Clarke Fluid Company found in the December 1913 issue of The Sunnyside by Charles Addams back in the 1950s.

D-uh. It’s so obvious now!

Bone Shards:

Ripley’s has a lovely handful of weird embalming stories just waiting for you.

The next time you’re in Houston, don’t forget to stop at the National Museum of Funeral History. Slogan: “Any day above ground is a good one.”

I know! I’m sad I missed out on this auction too.

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Wise up. Mask up.

Wise up. Mask up.
A PSA for y’all.

Funtness?

A 1969 double truck magazine ad for GW Energy, err, GW Sugar
A 1969 double truck magazine ad for GW Energy, err, GW Sugar

Wanna lose weight and get in great shape! Eat a shitload of sugar!

On second thought, don’t do dat.

Fun facts:

In the Middle Ages, rich and royal people would commission giant sugar sculptures called subtleties.

Artist Kara Walker confected us a modern one and called it “A Subtlety“.

Want more sugar trivia? Here ya go. Want ever more. Ok, but pace yourself.

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