Transparent rectangular glass bottle for magnetic ointment with wax sealed cork closure stuck in neck; completely covered with tan paper manufacturer's label includes decorative graphics of man in a laboratory setting sitting in front of pieces of machinery and pipes with a pail between his knees a…
Transparent rectangular glass bottle for magnetic ointment with wax sealed cork closure stuck in neck; completely covered with tan paper manufacturer's label includes decorative graphics of man in a laboratory setting sitting in front of pieces of machinery and pipes with a pail between his knees and provides the manufacturer's and the products name and legal information.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Transferred from the Parks Canada Agency, via Gail Cariou of the Curatorial and Collections Branch.
Printed on label: "DR. A (TRAS) K's // MAGNETIC // OINTMENT // FRANCIS U. KAHLE, // TORONTO, ONT // SOLE AGENT FOR // GREAT BRITAIN // AND CANADA // None Genuine without the Sign (illegible) // J Bre (illegible) // Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1846 in (illegible) // Office of the northern district of the State of New ( illegible)
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A4-6 Box 4 Row C
Dimension Notes
Length 6.7 cm x Width 3.6 cm x Depth 3.6 cm
Condition Remarks
Paper very yellowed, brittle, and crumbling, all edges are torn and fraying; top of label near front face is missing two significant chunks; cap is covered in broken and brittle wax
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Internet
JPG
Reference Comments
"The Attraction of Magnetic Medicines," bottlebooks.com (Digger Odell Publications: 2009 ), http://www.bottlebooks.com/magnetic.htm; CD #6
Research Facts
Perhaps the best known magnetic medicine was Trask's Magnetic Ointment made by the David Ransom & Son company of Buffalo, New York. The ointment a "remedy for pain, nervous headache, inflammation of the bowels, burns, fever sores..." was first produced in 1848 according to the patent office records. According to Wilson in his book on 19th century medicines, "Trask's Ointment was introduced by S. Bull, of New York State in 1846." Ransom became the proprietor in the mid 1860s and ownership changed hands several times after that. It was still being advertised for sale one hundred years after being introduced. There are many different variants of the Trask's Ointment including machine made embossed bottles and a damaged yellow green pontiled specimen. The wholesale druggist catalogs of the 1880s list the ointment in two sizes (25 cents and 40 cents). The inexpensiveness of the brand probably contributed to its long lived success.
Magnetic ointments were popular in the late 19th century and were used to treat a wide variety of illnesses until the United States's Food and Drug Act of 1906 impeded the sale of products deeemed to be fraudulent, which magnetic ointments were.