Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Pharmacy and Drug Artifacts
Home Health Care
Classification
General Treatment
Pharmacy, General
Pharmacy, Gastrointestinal
Treatment
Home Health
Accession Number
010020389 a-b
Description
Box of kidney-liver pills; brown wooden cylindrical box (a) and lid (b); yellow paper label around box; directions and manufacturing information printed with black ink in English and French; box contains white cotton and brown pills.
Box of kidney-liver pills; brown wooden cylindrical box (a) and lid (b); yellow paper label around box; directions and manufacturing information printed with black ink in English and French; box contains white cotton and brown pills.
Number Of Parts
2
Part Names
a - box
b - cap
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa).
(a) Printed on label: "DR. A. W. CHASE'S // KIDNEY - // LIVER PILLS // DIRECTIONS:" in English and French; "No. 39 Proprietary or Patent // Medicine Act. // MANUFACTURED BY // THE DR. A. W. CHASE MEDICINE CO. // TORONTO, ONT., // BUFFALO, N. Y., LONDON, ENG. // Edmanson, Bates & Co., Props."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A2-5 Row E
Length
a - 4.8
b - 1.3
Diameter
a - 2.5
b - 2.5
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Pills inside box are deteriorating; label on box is stained, ripped
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Internet
Reference Comments
Donor
Why the appeal? A study of almanacs advertising Dr. Chase's patent medicines, 1904–1959. Denise Maines.
Research Facts
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008; the label claims the product works as a kidney regulator, neutralizing kidney acid, stopping Bright's disease, and as a strong purgative.
Patent medicines were advertised, and presumably consumed, with much vigour in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
In 1904, the original product line included Dr. Chase's Nerve Food, Liver Cure, Backache Plasters, Ointment, Catarrh Cure, Syrup of Linseed and Turpentine and Kidney-Liver Pills. Somewhere between 1924 and 1927, Dr. Chase's Liniment was added to this list, and Mouthwash was sold between 1927 and 1938. Paradol, a painkiller, was introduced in the 1950s and D.M.H Cough Syrups, Cold Tablets and Enerjets emerged in 1959. Though Backache Plasters were not advertised in the 1930s, they were included in the 1950s, so that the list of medicines sold by Dr. Chase's Medicine Company in 1959 contains all of the original product line with only minor modifications to a few of these products, as well as the new arrivals.