This late 19th Century medicine is part of a large collection of bottles of liniments, nostrums, syrups, balms and tooth drops peddled by unscrupulous druggists, adventurers, but mostly quacks. Unregulated, many of the patent medications had addictive and potent narcotis (cocaine, morphine, opium or heroin). Claims were exagerated, cure was promised from toothache to tuberculosis, to everything. This bottle DeWitt’s Soothing Syrup is one example of the prevailing “patent-medicine” of the time . It was advertised first around 1899. The Chicago-based company advertised the syrup to be “an unfailing remedy for children during nursing and teething”. Due to narcotic content of similar products and exagerated advertising claims, Congress finally introduced the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, a precursor of the FDA. That act of congress stopped unfounded advertising and required disclosure of dangerous ingredients. Description provided by Dr. Andrew I Spielman
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