Controversial Medicines

Bromo-Seltzer was first produced in Baltimore, Maryland in 1888. It was sold as a headache cure, and because of its sedative effect it was a popular hangover remedy. It has been discontinued because of its usage of bromide, a class of tranquilizers banned for their toxicity, and acetanilide, which is also poisonous.

Cosadein is a cough sedative containing primarily codeine mixed in with other drugs, both opium and cannabis being common. It was often flavored cherry, as the flavor was and still is considered to be the most popular for children.

While the traditional way of applying this ointment on skin is safe, the inventor of Vaseline, Sir Robert Chesbrough, was such a believer in the product that he claimed to have eaten a spoonful of it every day (which is absolutely NOT recommended). Although, he was knighted by Queen Victoria and lived to be 96 years old...

On higher settings, this "plasma-ray" machine acted as an electro-shock device, while on low settings it caused body hair to stand up and a tingling sensation.
These devices were baselessly marketed as a "cure" for a variety of ailments. When confronted by the FDA about such allegations, producers simply switched their marketing to them being a "potential treatment".

The active ingredient in this liniment is chloroform, a commonly used anesthetic in the 19th/20th century. Upon further study, its use on humans was mostly abandoned, as the chemical was discovered to be toxic and cause “cardiac arrhythmia” (heart problems).

This is a prescription made for alcohol during prohibition, which was the only way to legally obtain alcohol at the time. It was prescribed as a pain reliver and to counteract alcohol withdrawal symptoms like headaches and tremors.

This volcanic-rock powder was used primarily as a skin exfoliant, but was and still is infrequently used to polish teeth. This dental usage is not highly recommended especially for daily use, as it is a harsh abrasive and can damage enamel.

While this product sounds malodorous (smelly), in reality the oil is just collected fat from the skunk’s back, and was used as an healing balm or liniment. It was supposedly popular for that use with Native Americans, and was sold at a high price to early explorers.

This bottle contains Camphorated Opium Tincture, commonly known as Paregoric. Used to relieve diarrhea in children and adults, its addictive nature (due to the opium) caused its disuse in favor of other diuretics.

Mercuro-Chrome was made up primarily of Mercury and Chromium, two heavy metals not easily processed by the body. It was used as a disinfectant to kill bacterial cells, but also breaks down the patient's cells. In large enough doses the liquid can be toxic, or bring about "Mad Hatter syndrome" through mercury poisoning.