Pierce Dr Ray Vaughn (1 results)

Original Pictorial Wrappers. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Medicine and Medical History, Advertising, Most Recent Listing; 48 pages; Clean and secure in original pictorial brown wrappers with images of a farmer and craftsmen in front wrapper and image of the six story building known as the World's Dispensary which manufactured and sold Dr. Pierce's Standard Medicines. Two pages of the account book have neat pencil listings of purchases; e. G. "coffee 28" or "meat 24" [cents]. The inside of rear wrapper has a wonderful ad for one of their most popular products "Dr. Pierce's Compound Extract of SMART-WEED or Water Pepper. " Taken internally they claim it cures diarrhea, neuralgia, cholera, etc. Applied externally it would cure sprains, bruises, insect and reptile bites, enlarged glands, etc. This almost universal palliative was in fact a compound of opium, Smart-Weed, Jamaica Dogwood, Gum Camphor, Jamaica Ginger and French brandy to top it off. The addictive nature of such patent medicines effectively assured the success of their merchandizers. Dr. Ray Pierce (b. 1840 in Stark New York) graduated with a doctorate from the Eclectic Medical College in 1865. In 1867, he moved to Buffalo, New York, where he started The World's Dispensary, a mail-order patent medicine business. Dr. Pierce made aggressive use of newspaper advertisements, billboards, and direct-mail postcards. He also published The People's Common Sense Medical Advisor which comprised some common sense health advice profusely embellished with advertisements for his products. Once established the business was grossing half-a-million dollars a year, equivalent to more than $10 million today. .…