Oval amber glass bottle with long cylindrical neck and a tooled, broad flat vertical collar; the front and back panels curve outwards; there is a printed paper label on the front which lists product information; the back is embossed with a trademark (iron safe) and product informations; the bottle …
Oval amber glass bottle with long cylindrical neck and a tooled, broad flat vertical collar; the front and back panels curve outwards; there is a printed paper label on the front which lists product information; the back is embossed with a trademark (iron safe) and product informations; the bottle is filled with Warner's Compound and sealed with a cork and partial paper seal
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Purchased by Dr. M.Chiong for his patent medicine collection, from Goodrich, USA in Oct.1993.
Name changed from "Safe Cure" to "Safe Remedies" after the Food & Drugs Act was passed in 1906
Material
glass: amber
paper: beige
cork: beige
Inscriptions
Bottle back embossed, "6 FL. OZ. // WARNER'S // SAFE // REMEDIES CO. // ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A."; bottom embossed with "1443"; front label reads, "WARNER'S // COMPOUND // A DIURETIC // CONCENTRATED // NON-ALCOHOLIC // 6 FLUID OUNCES // Keep in a cool place // DIRECTIONS" (listed) "// DIET" (listed) "// Warner's Safe Remedies Co. // ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A2-9 Row A
Dimension Notes
Length: 18.4 cm. x Width: 6.6 cm. x Depth: 3.0 cm.
Condition Remarks
Bottle has no chips, cracks, or wear; the paper label has been water damaged and is missing small sections; the paper seal on the top (covering the cork) is broken and missing sections
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Document
Reference Comments
"Bottles" by Michael Polak, pp. 19 & 21; see label from Dr. Chiong's exhibit formerly at Bracken
Library; "Nostrums and Quackery" by Arthur J. Cramp, pp. 208-211; "The Snake-Oil Syndrome" by
A. Walker Bingham, pp. 22-24; p. 32
Research Facts
Used as a diuretic.
Hulbert H. Warner apprenticed to tinsmith at 15, opened a hardware store in Michigan at 18, went bankrupt, and at 28 became a dealer in Rochester for a predecessor of the present Mosler Safe Co. In 1879, founded at 37 years of age, his medicine co.; by 1884 had offices in London, Toronto and Rangoon; in 1888 reputed to have the largest proprietary medicine business in the world; Safe Kidney & Liver Cure played on the fear of Bright's disease (a wasting kidney disease), but the alcohol and potassium nitrate (principal active ingredients) were kidney irritants and would hasten death from Bright's; also made Safe Kidney & Liver Cure, Safe Diabetes Cure, Safe Nervine, Safe Bitters (later called Tippecanoe), Safe Asthma Cure and Safe Rheumatic Cure (probably no difference between them); built observatory for Lewis Swift, amateur astronomer who discovered several new comets; organized Rochester Chamber of Commerce and was its first president in 1887; in 1893 (year of The Panic) lost all his assets in bankruptcy and it was sold (the American Branch) to the distillery which made Duffy's Malt Whiskey.
In 1906 (Food & Drug Act) it became Warner's Safe Remedies and lost a lot of its alcohol, but lived on until 1946; originally had 35.7% alcohol.
Hulbert H. Warner turned from manufacturing proof safes to proprietary medicines in 1870; his trademark of an iron safe (1879) appeared embossed in bottles and printed in his labels.