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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Dr Morse's Indian Root Pills - Comstock's Dead Shot Worm Pellets |
| Reference | 1989-8-56 |
| Library | Philadelphia Museum of Art |
| Collection | The William H. Helfand Collection, 1989 |
| Date | c. 1870-1890 |
| Document Type | Trade Card |
| Theme(s) | Botanic Medicine |
| Keywords | cure, worms, laxative, Native American Indians |
| Additional Information | The Indian warrior on this rearing horse, ready to slay a menacing bear, was a symbol for Dr Morse's Indian Root Pills, one of many proprietary medicines that claimed to be based on formulas obtained from Native Americans. Groups such as the Indians were surrounded by an aura of exotic mystery in the popular imagination and hence were continuously used to promote medicines, for products said to have originated with them were thought to have special healing power. The composition of Dr Morse's pills varied over time, but usually contained a mixture of organic laxatives such as aloes, mandrake, gamboge, jalap, podophyllin, and cayenne pepper. The Indian Root Pills were the major product of the W. H. Comstock Company, which has here added an advertisement for its Dead Shot Worm Pellets, which had no connection with Indians, below the illustration. William H. Helfand, from 'The Picture of Health: Images of Medicine and Pharmacy from the William H. Helfand Collection' (1991), p. 118. |
| Note | Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's catalogue. |
| Visual Content | View thumbnails |
| Copyright | Philadelphia Museum of Art |