University Health Network - Academy of Medicine Collection
Category
Pharmacy
Pharmacy and Drug Artifacts
Pharmacy, General
Classification
Pharmacy
Pharmacy and Drug Artifacts
Pharmacy, General
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Accession Number
1980.18.31
Description
Glass bottle with a long, rectangular-sided body and a narrow, cylindrical neck that ends in a lip; three of the sides are indented and there is embossed lettering on the smaller sides.
Glass bottle with a long, rectangular-sided body and a narrow, cylindrical neck that ends in a lip; three of the sides are indented and there is embossed lettering on the smaller sides.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Acquired from the Academy of Medicine; source: Mr. Dean Charters.
R. V. Pierce moved to Buffalo in 1867, and the name of his medicine company changed to World's Dispensary Medical Association in 1883.
Material
glass: clear
Inscriptions
Embossed on one side: "R.V. PIERCE, M.D." and "BUFFALO, N.Y."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A2-2 Row A
Length
23.0 cm
Width
7.5 cm
Depth
4.5 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 23.0 cm x Width 7.5 cm x Depth 4.5 cm
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Biography
Books
Website
Reference Comments
"PIERCE, Ray Vaughn," Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress, accessed June 30th, 2021, https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/P000336
R. V. Pierce, "The people's common sense medical adviser in plain English; or, medicine simplified," (Buffalo, N.Y.: World's Dispensary Print. Off., 1891), https://archive.org/details/08834313.5801.emory.edu/page/n9/mode/2up?q=dr.+pierce
"Nickell Collection of Dr. R.V. Pierce Medical Artifacts," New York Heritage Digital Collections, accessed June 30th, 2021, http://www.nyheritage.org/collections/nickell-collection-dr-rv-pierce-medical-artifacts
John S. Haller, "A Profile in Alternative Medicine: The Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, 1845-1942," (Kent State University Press, 1999), pg. 16-19, https://books.google.ca/books?id=mwXloc9v1NwC&dq=%22the+american+school+of+medicine%22+eclectic&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Research Facts
Ray Vaughn Pierce, was born in Stark, Herkimer County, N.Y. on August 6, 1840 and graduated from the Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1862. "Eclectic medicine" was opposed to many common remedies of the time like bloodletting, sweating, and vomiting, opting instead to focus on plant based medicines. He moved to Buffalo, N.Y. in 1867 and started doing business manufacturing and selling proprietary medicines. He established the Invalids' Hotel and Surgical Institute and served as a member of the State senate from 1877-1879. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth Congress and served from March 4, 1879, to September 18, 1880, when he resigned. He published "The People's Common Sense Medical Adviser" books, which served as a way for him to promote his medicines. He created many different medicines, including ""Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery Pills," "Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription Tablets," and "Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets." They often addressed "female illnesses" and many included alcohol and opium. He fought against the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.