Sears Roebuck Catalog 1902

[fureverywhere]

I was leafing through a copy of this catalog while waiting for my snail slow computer. It's entertaining that everything from infant items to tombstones was available in one book. Something horrifying as it is amusing is the pharmacy section. Man, if only CVS had some of this stuff.

Sure Cure for the Tobacco Habit-They didn't list ingredients in those days, probably cocaine.
German Liquor Habit Cure-"It creates an appetite for food instead of liquor"...hum, perhaps hashish?
Cure for the Opium and Morphia Habit-Calming and freeing the victim from their bondage.
Fat Folks, Take Dr. Rose's Obesity Powders and Watch the Result.-Cocaine
Dr. Worden's Female Pills-Female pills were very popular. Everything from curing cancer to "adjusting monthy cycle".
Dr. Rose's Arsenic Complexion Wafers-You'd think by 1902 that they knew better...for that lovely deathly pallor.
Electric Linament-I'm not making this up." This liniment is electrically charged by a powerful current of electricity"..."It never fails in it's magical effect"...Yo, sign me up, I need me some magic.
White Ribbon Secret Liquor Cure- Oh this stuff is great. It's a odorless, tasteless powder that you can slip into somebody's tea. Instantly you have a higher moral character and no desire for drink. Probably cocaine.

Interesting with the abstinence cures, AA was formed in 1935. Maybe it took that long for someone to wise up about the homeopathies. I think the arsenic wafers take the cake though.

 

[RadishRose]

That was a fun list! They were odd in those days.

 

[Don M.]

There's a pretty good reason who doctors were often referred to as "Quacks", 100+ years ago....most of the stuff they prescribed was cocaine based. Come to think of it, many of today's "pain pills" are also cocaine based...things haven;'t changed much in that arena.

Hang on to that old Sears catalog...some of those things are starting to have some real "antique" value. I have an old Montgomery Wards 1952 catalog, and those go for around $50 on EBAY.

 

[FazeFour]

Quackery can still rely on our vanity and desire for youthfulness. Mom could lecture for hours on the importance of face creams and sleeping without a pillow to prevent wrinkles. She's 84 and has very nice skin. I have only a few tiny crows-feet myself, and Mom once said, "I'll bet you're glad I taught you how to care for your skin," and asked me what kind of cream I use. I don't use anything. I told her, "It's genetics, Mom. And probably clean living."

She said, "Oh, pooh!"

 

[fureverywhere]

Dr. Rose's Arsenic Complexion Wafers-You'd think by 1902 that they knew better...for that lovely deathly pallor.

I've got the perfect sales pitch " Kill your rats and beautify your complexion in one easy step".

 

[jujube]

The Temperance Ladies who would NEVER let a drop of demon rum cross their lips were often addicted to their "tonics"......a combination of alcohol and laudanum or cocaine. A hefty slug of "tonic" when things got rough and you were just fine.

Did you know that you could actually buy houses from the Sears catalog back then? The houses came disassembled and you had them put together. The original "kit houses" are highly prized these days.