Sonja MacCrimmon is an Honorary Life Member of the Lake Country Heritage and Cultural Society.
Now who is this Dr. Chase? In the nineteenth-century manner, Chase earned his fame and fortune with equal parts of hard work and self-promotion. Born in New York State in 1817, Alvin Chase came to Ann Arbor in 1856 to... [Continue Reading]
Dan Bruce, our Curator, bought this little booklet to complement our patent medicine collection. It doesn’t have a publication date but there’s a rudimentary ‘Baby Book’ with a place for a picture and some birth statistics. Written in pencil is... [Continue Reading]
I have always liked arrowroot biscuits but I didn’t realize the history behind them until I started researching the museum’s can of Montserrat’s Arrowroot. Arrowroot has a long history of cultivation in the Caribbean as a food staple. Arrowroot thickens... [Continue Reading]
I thought that Zam-Buk might be boring. I vaguely remember a tin of it at home when I was a child although I don’t remember it being used. It was just there. According to the script on the tin it... [Continue Reading]
This medication was first manufactured by Hazeltine & Co in 1864 apparently started out labeled as a remedy for consumption although it was really only ever a cough remedy and the jury is still out on that. One source says... [Continue Reading]
Leonard Ear Oil is the first patent medicine in the collection that I found that was condemned as useless by a medical authority. In 1925, DR. ARTHUR J.CRAMP (Director of the Bureau of Investigation, American Medical Association) condemned Leonard Ear... [Continue Reading]
This small bottle contains 1.5 fluid ounces of syrup that contains senna, sodium citrate, fennel, sodium bicarbonate, rhubarb, oil of anise, glycerin, and sugar. We’ve seen these ingredients in other medications for gastrointestinal disorders. This one says that it’s a... [Continue Reading]
I just finished putting up a display in the lobby of the District of Lake Country offices. It was inspired by the Heritage Week theme for 2010. In 2010 Heritage Week is February 15-21, and this year it coincides with... [Continue Reading]
Looking this medication up was yet another adventure. “McPhee’s 33″ led me to Katharine McPhee’s wallpaper site where you can download 33 different poses of the singer/songwriter. I also found Adam McPhee, an Australian footballer whose player number is 33. ... [Continue Reading]
I don’t have an insertion for this because the box is still sealed and I was reluctant to open it. The product is supposed to be a ‘True Herbal Medicine’ for disorders of the Digestive System. Regulates the bowels for... [Continue Reading]
