Unidentified cylindrical pellet container (glass/wood?) in a one-piece cardboard box with flaps at the top and bottom to open and close it; the box is wrapped and sealed with a single sheet of printed paper which lists product information, and has a line drawing of a unclothed woman with a lion; re…
Unidentified cylindrical pellet container (glass/wood?) in a one-piece cardboard box with flaps at the top and bottom to open and close it; the box is wrapped and sealed with a single sheet of printed paper which lists product information, and has a line drawing of a unclothed woman with a lion; red ink stamp in the shape of a pair of wings over the manufacturers name.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Purchased by Dr. M. Chiong for his patent medicine collection from Goodrich, USA in Oct. 1993.
Paper wrapper/label reads, "HUMPHREYS' // HOMEOPATHIC // No. 16 // REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. // MALARIA // F. Humphreys M.D. // HUMPHREYS' HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE CO. // New York // MADE IN U.S.A."; back reads, "AVERAGE CONTENTS 32 TABLETS // Quin.Sul - Nux v. - Ipec. - ced. - Eup.p"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A2-4 Row A
Length
8.0 cm.
Width
2.4 cm
Depth
2.4 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Container is unopened and unused; there is minor wear at the top and bottom of the box on the paper wrapper; all printing is legible.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Document
Wikipedia
Reference Comments
See laminated advertisement for Humphreys' Homeopathic Remedies; "Snake-Oil Syndrome" by A. Walker Bingham, pp. 13-14
Research Facts
For Malaria, Fever and Ague, Dumbague, intermitting fever; malarial fevers; effects of malaria; old suppressed agues.
Frederick K. Humphreys (March 11, 1816 – July 18, 1900) was an American physician and the founder of Humphreys Homeopathic Medicine Company in New York City in 1853.
Frederick K. Humphreys (1816-1900), founder of Humphreys Medicine Company, appeared at the rise of both greater acceptance and popularity of the homeopathy in the United States, as opposed to more orthodox medicine. Although bolstered by the relatively high cost and low success rate of traditional medicines, homeopathic remedies soon became a source of controversy due to the largely unknown ingredient lists and contradictory claims of effectiveness. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis (MS/MS) was used to pinpoint the ingredients of four “specifics” in Humphreys’ Homeopathic Remedies. Generated spectra showed similar base peak ions for each pill, leading to the hypothesis that each remedy contained the same basic ingredients. Further MS/MS analyses identified these base peak ions as adducts of sucrose (m/z 365, 381), its related ions (m/z 433, 203, 185), and apigenin (m/z 271).
When placed into a historical context, the application of chemical analyses to study these early remedies can provide insight into the question of validity that evoked arguments during the late nineteenth century.