Pierce's Memorandum

Pierce's Memorandum
&
 Account Book
...a present from the
World's Dispensary Medical Association

Updated 4 October 2018

Dr. V. Mott Pierce (Harvard, 1888 and MD University of Buffalo 1891) followed his father, Dr. Ray Vaughn Pierce, into the family proprietary medical business (1914), the World's Dispensary Medical Association, where he served as president until his death in 1942. According to his obituaries, he was the first person in Buffalo NY to own a car (6 October 1897)! In addition to the Dispensary, he was founder and president of the Pierce Glass Company, Point Allegany PA.

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"...consult the Faculty of the Invalids' Hotel...by letter!" You can't do this today, if we're talking about a licensed physician, that is. Laws have changed, and though you can consult WebMD and other internet resources online, licensed physicians are not going to respond to a letter or email from you except with an invitation to make an appointment to be seen in person.

Unless constipated, I'm not so sure I'd take medication that promised that blood would be "enriched and purified" by "arousing the stomach, liver and bowels into vigorous action." That sounds like an unpleasant round of diarrhea to me! 

Before the existence of terrorists and nuclear weapons people had problems with "nervousness." It is remarkable this ailment has disappeared from the population! Evidently, we're too dumb to be "nervous" these days!

"Worn-out, run-down, weak and diseased women" apparently were also a problem in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Though it was likely they were equally "run-down" and nervous, men were seldom described this way. Remedies suggested depended upon what the merchant was selling. Drugs supposedly helped, but so did sewing machines and good washboards.

Above is a sample memorandum page. They were scattered among the pages of ads for Pierce products.

Well this is unusual! Above we hear from a nervous man! The importance of testimonials was enhanced by the publication of the testifiers' likenesses adjacent to the testimony. Mr. Jas. D. Lively of Washburn, TN., presumably with no medical credentials whatsoever, recommends Golden Medical Discovery as a "spring tonic." Mr. Lively lived somewhere in the vicinity seen in the Google Earth view below:

Since patriarchy was strong in the late 19th century, it was common for male doctors to have "answers" for women's symptoms. Knowledge flowed from men who presumably had some of it to women, who supposedly had none--and were not encouraged to acquire any. All women had to do was listen to men.

Port Dover, Ontario, Canada is on the north shore of Lake Erie just about at its midpoint. Google Earth provides a satellite perspective below. Though Mrs. Benj. Blake was not listed as one of Port Dover's notable people in Wikipedia, she was probably a prominent individual (or married to one) in her time, perhaps a captain of a fishing boat.

Memorial to Port Dover fishermen (Google Street View)

A booklet entitled Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription is available here, but it actually is devoted mostly to ads for other products and services.

In general, doctors did not invent diseases so that cures could be sold. On the other hand, even today, despite its best efforts, the profession as a whole does not do a very efficient job of dispelling foolish notions if a profit is being made selling products or worthless procedures to "cure" them. Drug company sales representatives are often seen in the vicinity of doctor's offices.

"Curing" aspects of normal human sexual experience by acquiescing to the fiction that  certain widespread behaviors are "abnormal" or undesirable with supposedly horrific side effects is a very common method of generating sales and cash flow. (Worldwide, politicians also use sexual taboos to their personal advantage--while remaining free to fill their personal lives with such experiences, of course.) From Ray Vaughn Pierce's "People's Common Sense Medical Adviser..." comes this example:

From the same source, here's another example (as with above, click to enlarge):

While not completely disavowing the foolish cause and effect itself, R.V. Pierce offers this advice (p.801):

Dr. Pierce was not above raising "false hopes" in order to "secure your money." He was one of several very financially successful Victorian physicians to combine medical practice with drug manufacture and sales. His many booklets spun tall tales primarily to sell product, and only incidentally to inform, educate or heal.

This deluge of advertising was slowly countered by standards of conduct promoted by the American Medical Association, U.S. Federal government regulations for drug advertising and by other sources of unbiased information as they became available to the general public. The AMA's campaign was vigorously prosecuted. Here's a quote from the Journal of the American Medical Association (as with all images on this post, click to enlarge):

In the present time, such deceptions and "inferential falsehoods" persist. Companies interested in "securing" your money peddle drug cures directly to you as well as to your doctors, hoping to duplicate the success of those who sell faith cures using similar advertising techniques.

Inferential falsehood is standard advertising practice. How often do you see wellness products hawked by spokespeople who appear old, stupid, weak or sickly and thus obviously in need of the products advertised? The inferential falsehood portrayed is that you can, merely by purchasing product, achieve the remarkable transformation from sickly middle-aged whiner to robust teenage socializer (or whatever your personal ideal might be).

Beware! Our individual mortality is a common end played by all those attempting to sell us stuff, whether it be drugs or ideas. Or, as Dr. Pierce put it:

"No matter how plausible the web of arguments woven to entrap you, be assured they are the utterance of knaves who care not what false hopes they encourage so they secure your money."

Did Dr. Pierce see a "knave" when he looked at himself?

There is no substitute for doing the hard work of educating yourself by reading and listening widely to a variety of "facts" and points of view from multiple sources. Thinking for yourself is the best use of your time here--and will no doubt benefit your financial situation, too.

If you wanted to contact the World's Dispensary in the early 20th century, you could use this handy form.

Backache is not limited to women, of course. For all humans, arthritis first appears in early adulthood. Most all adults over 30 have it to varying degrees. None of us lift heavy objects properly all the time, either. So the market for backache medication is wide. Women are targeted, however, perhaps because of their assumed tendency to be more honest with themselves about their conditions. Men, fearing a perception of weakness, are more likely to "work through the pain" if they ever admit to its existence at all. Drugs of willful deception, accordingly, are marketed to males, though not generally by physicians, who are frustrated by patients who do not honestly reveal symptoms. Among drugs of deception, alcohol is most commonly used.

The advice to "overworked women" is not as logic might suggest, to rest more or work less or cease doing for others what they could just as well do for themselves. Just take this stuff in multiple doses and all will be well. And keep working, women! The patriarch speaks. From his chair.

What do males know of the "Miracle of Motherhood?" Well, here goes:

According to NY Heritage: "Pierce [Ray Vaughn] was a strong proponent of free enterprise, and took a lead in the fight against the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906." The Food & Drug Administration states the 1906 Act "prohibited interstate commerce in adulterated and misbranded food and drugs."

In other words, Pierce was a enthusiastic supporter of Capitalism unregulated by any government, which in the American Victorian era gave free reign for merchants to fleece the general public, preying upon pervasive ignorance, fear and superstition. Was Pierce engaged in commerce with adulterated or misbranded drugs? Perhaps he thought he was.

Wikipedia has an article on Ray Vaughn Pierce, but none on his son V. Mott Pierce, who carried on in the business after his father's death in 1914.

The World's Dispensary gave out coupons for urine analysis to be redeemed as directed on the back of the coupon. Both the coupon and the Dispensary have expired.

A video of the 60th anniversary pamphlet published by the World's Dispensary Medical Association is available here. (Use arrow to start video, pause to read.)

Pierce's advertising was all over the U.S., even on Oregon barns:

(Google Street View)

Want to hear still more from Dr. Pierce? Here are some links to PDF files of his other advertising booklets:

Dr. Pierce's First Aid Book - Michigan State University's copy is not exactly the same as the paper copy in my possession. It may be a different edition. In any case this will give you a good idea of the advice handed out.

Treatise on the Most Prevalent Chronic Diseases With Suggestions as to Their Successful Treatment - Michigan State University scanned this booklet.

The People's Common Sense Medical Advisor was R.V. Pierce's central work. (Project Gutenberg)

Weather Proverbs and Probabilities for the Home (Internet Archive)

Dr. Pierce's Irontic Tablets

A slideshow version of "Happiness in the Home" is on YouTube.

Dr. Pierce's Neighborhood Gossip & Dream Book

updated 5 October 2018

With a title like that, this little gem cried out to me for special attention. So here it is, Dream Book, your own special page just for you! A PDF of this title is available at Michigan State University (but, of course, it lacks my erudite commentary and great links!)

Dr. Pierce's target audience is clearly depicted here. Even in the twenty-first century,
it is the custom in rural New York State that the women gather in the kitchen to discuss affairs
(not just their own) while the men of the family gather elsewhere to watch sports on TV.
This pattern of gender segregation apparently is cross-cultural and persistent. It was reflected in the design of the Victorian homes (credit: Tristan Bridges' blog) in which many of Dr. Pierce's patients lived at the time.
Of course men gossip and dream, too, but on different topics, it would seem.

No space wasted here. The first ad appears even before the commentary begins!
Judging by the number of potions designed to cure it, digestive ailments were then and remain
among the most common and difficult to cure of any health problem afflicting the human race.

Dreams and dreaming are an interesting topic for further investigation. I wonder if Dr. Pierce
had a side business selling hats: "...a new bonnet promises a new lover."
The Dream Dictionary expands on this booklet's "interpretation of dreams" section.

Consultation by letter was a pioneering service.

"Weaknesses" make all of us look old, of course, not just women. Claims about crow's feet and black circles being "eradicated" are exaggerated as most claims of curative effect were by drug salesmen/physicians in the late1800s and early 1900s. This advertising lacks the "fine print" which warns us of side effects in the 21st century. At least Dr. Pierce listed the ingredients of his potions on his labels. This and their lack of alcohol or narcotics in most formulas were steps forward. Before 1906, you could legally put anything in a bottle and say that it cured multiple ailments, some of which were invented by the drug salesmen!

>>In 2016, a similar situation exists for "food supplements," some of which can be dangerous to your health. No dietary supplements are approved by the FDA.<<

Many of the pre-1906 remedies' secret recipes were later discovered to contain alcohol, even arsenic (poison) and addictive substances of all varieties. Page 35 of the Earl J. Arnold Advertising Card Collection 1885 elaborates on this situation. I have been unable to find any information about Mrs. Albert Skibbe or her son.

These dream interpretations are beginning to read like the daily horoscope. I suspect they are even less reliable. Which is a good thing. Do women who dream of drowning have happy marriages? Really?! Seems just as doubtful as the assertion that dreaming of drowning "brings happiness." So now I know why I'm a little short on the "prosperity and abundance" side of things. I have never dreamed of a cow. All of this is enough to make one "nervous." Fortunately Dr. Pierce (below) has the cure....   

If women pay any attention to what men say about them and listen to their sage medical counsel, it's no wonder they're nervous. Are men ever nervous? Apparently not. According to "a notebook in possession of Dr. Pierce’s grandson ... the ingredients of...Favorite Prescription [were] berberis, valerian, blue cohosh, black cohosh, and viburnum." (from The Center for Skeptical Inquiry) Dr. Sage's Catarrh remedy was part of a suite of medications sold by Dr. Pierce. He also sold a nasal douche to administer this medication. Regarding Mrs. Peter Klem above,   it was reported that on 2 February 1933 "Frances Klem, 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Klem of Route 2, McLouth, died Monday afternoon after an illness of peritonitis and influenza. She had been in failing health for two years."

~ Dr. Sage's Catarrh Remedy ~

Catarrh is a 19th century term describing excessive nasal discharge, for a change, not a condition invented in order to sell merchandise. Assorted decongestants and antihistamines are available to assist in the treatment of this condition today. Allergy specialists can sometimes assist patients by attempting to attack the root cause of the condition using a combination of therapy and changes in the household environment.

Here are the instructions for using the Remedy:

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The bottle came with this revenue stamp on the package:

...and finally, the wrapper for the bottle:

>>Ingredients: 

1. Menthol - probably extracted from mint leaves
2. Resorcin - a derivative of benzene
3. Bergeris Aquifolium - aka "Oregon Grape" 
4. Salt - you know what!
5. Carbolic Acid 1% - a poison! initial anesthetic followed by burning
6. "coloring matter, trace" - who knows what?

Here we go again. Did Dr. Pierce have something against marriage? "To dream of being married signifies death and misfortune." Not good press for matrimony, I'd say.

Morna Rowe Gray (1892-1964) was the wife of Silas David Gray (1891-1959), according to findagrave. From the same source, the "bright little baby girl" referred to above was most likely
Zelma Fern Gray. Dr. Pierce's Lotion Tablets were crushed in hot water to make the lotion. The image below was originally from "anitzy's" listing on eBay, now expired: item number 380818827413.

 

Dr. Pierce's medications were often accompanied by written material not only explaining the contents and use of the medications in the container, but also extolling the virtues of other Pierce formulas.

Having disposed of dream interpretations, we are now delving into recipes. I wonder what it means if you dream of Cabbage Salad or Pea Soup? Looks like there's room for some expansion of those dream interpretations!

Information on Mr. Percy W. Berry of 4 North State Street, Concord NH has not yet been retrieved. However, this is what his old address looks like in Aug. 2011, courtesy of Google Street View:

Stay tuned on that crust! Dr. Pierce needs to sell more product:

F.L. Kettle has vanished from the historical record as far as I can see. F.L.'s neighborhood, however, has not--though there have no doubt been some major changes in its character as seen on Google Maps:

Chas. C. Hannaford of Haverhill MA has disappeared, as has #29 Fountain St., although some residential renumbering may have occurred. Google maps indicates #29 may be the left half of the duplex on the right of the Street View below. The duplex might have been a single family home at one time.

So far there is no information on Mrs. Lizzie W. Best, but Mrs. John Bridgers of Elrod, NC Route 1, was most likely one of the three wives of Confederate Civil War Veteran John Bridgers. 

As seen on the Google Maps view below, Elrod NC is still a rural hamlet, where the Bridgers family had a road named after them.

Mrs. C.E. Lauer lived in this row house in Philadelphia PA, #5726 Vine St.:

Mrs. Daisy Roberts of Newark OH so far has not been found. From the National Museum of American History site, an image of the wrapper for Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription has been obtained (below). Whether any of the ingredients were of any use for curing the ailments described is questionable. However, there is additional testimony as to the effectiveness of Healing Suppositories (Google News).

Mrs. Raymond Searfoss, apparently no longer "run-down physically," was elected recording secretary of the Dallas PA Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1937.

Mrs. Charles Garrett's residence was in the township of Ward, just northeast of Little Rock AR. 

Signs of religious competition indicate the thriving enterprise in 21st century Ward
(while Methodists look the other way.)

The beauty of Ward is remarkable.

910 South Cowen St. in Garrett IN must have been a fair distance from the center of town in the early 20th century when Ila McKinnon lived there. Here's a 21st century view of the area from Google Earth:

The Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906 mandated the ingredients of nostrums be printed on their labels. For more of Dr. Pierce on the excellence of Dr. Pierce and his medications, read the paragraphs below. They are infused with the sexism common to the times. (From the New York Heritage Digital Collections.)

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Ah! The (presumably) healthful benefits of electricity! Every generation explores the health applications of new discoveries. In the 21st century, while sharpening our skills using radiation therapy, we are still mining the biological world for new substances to cure our ills, as Dr. Pierce did in the previous century. 

One of many Dr. Pierce advertisements, this one was captured by Google's nine eyes in 2011 on the side of Doc Pierce's restaurant 120 N. Main St. Mishawaka IN. 

...And just in case you might be wondering how signs were painted on the sides of buildings back in the early 1900s the National Library of Medicine offers the post card reproduced below:

...And now for, for the curious, a photo of the actual stuff--aged about a century:

Contained no alcohol when bottled. Not too curious about what it contains now!
Was it ever really golden?