Rectangular light green bottle with long cylindrical neck and tooled broad round collar with lower bevel at the lip; the front panel has a square recessed section with an embossed word; both bottle sides are embossed; bottle is empty except for minor traces of medication residue.
Rectangular light green bottle with long cylindrical neck and tooled broad round collar with lower bevel at the lip; the front panel has a square recessed section with an embossed word; both bottle sides are embossed; bottle is empty except for minor traces of medication residue.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Purchased by Dr. M.Chiong for his patent medicine collection, in Kingston in Aug. 1993.
Depressed front panel section reads, "DAVIS"; left side panel reads, "VEGETABLE"; right side panel reads, "PAINKILLER"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A4-7 Box 2 Row B
Length
12.4 cm
Width
4.0 cm
Depth
2.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Bottle has no chips, cracks or wear; there is a very small amount of medication residue inside
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Document
Reference Comments
"Bottles" by Michael Polak, p. 19 & 21; see label from Dr. Chiong's exhibit, formerly at Bracken
Library; "The Golden Age of Quackery" by Stewart H. Holbrook, pp. 149-156
Research Facts
Perry Davis’ Pain Killer, a combination of opium, alcohol, and other substances, was formulated in 1839 and marketed successfully worldwide within 4 decades as both an internal and external pain remedy. Perry Davis (1791–1862) was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Perry Davis began to manufacture his Vegetable Painkiller in 1839. His son Edmund carried on the business after Perry's death in 1862; product available up until 1958.
Perry Davis' Vegetable Pain Killer is reported to have been given to both soldiers and horses during the American Civil War. Davis trademarked the name "Pain Killer" and was at last a financial success.
This product is said to be one of the first directed specifically at pain management, rather than a particular disease or ailment. It was distributed worldwide by missionaries, and was considered a wonder drug.
In 1955, Canada Packers bought the Canadian patent of Davis & Co., Davis & Lawrence for many years.