The Ferry Landing in Windsor, Ont., Canada

It looks as if the ferry has just docked and the passengers are walking up the street past Gibson Brothers' Tobacco shop. Brian from The Paper Sponge kindly sent me this card, because he knows I love street scenes like this. They really are a slice of life, showing what people wore, the cars they drove, and what sorts of businesses were in a town. This one is especially nice, because it's a street scene in Canada, but also shows the skyline of Detroit, Michigan across the river.

If you would like to look at (or download) some great old postcard images of Windsor and nearby places, visit the Southern Ontario Image Archive.  And, be sure to check out Brian's website, The Paper Sponge; he features postcards and all sorts of other interesting ephemera. Here's the back of the card, which shows that it was printed by the famous Valentine & Sons.

Good For What Ails You #4

Here's another card advertising Dr. Jayne's miraculous cures. See yesterday's post for more information on Dr. Jayne.

Good for What Ails You #3

Dr. David Jayne was born in Stroudsburg, PA in 1799 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He founded his company in 1822, and moved it to Philadelphia in 1850.

Two of his popular remedies, Jayne's Expectorant and Jayne's Alterative, contained ingredients such as tartar emetic, spirits of camphor, ipecac, opium, lobelia, tolu balsam, digitalis, and squill.  Some of the ingredients, such as tolu balsam and squill, were probably relatively harmless, but spirits of camphor are dangerous when taken internally, with the potential to produce convulsions, hallucinations, and death. Tartar emetic is considered highly toxic, and ipecac can induce vomiting. Lobelia can also induce vomiting and has other side effects if you can keep it down. Digitalis slows the heart rate and can cause irregular pulse, blurred vision, and nausea. Although the opium might induce a feeling of well being, it could also cause nausea and vomiting, and is addictive. It's hard to imagine that anyone could keep from vomiting up these remedies, a reaction which was probably in the patient's best interests.

But aren't the pictures lovely?

Oh dear, look at those glassy eyes. I think mother, daughter, and cat may all be addicted to opium now.

I'd hate to think what's in the vermifuge that you're supposed to give to your weak child who may or may not have worms. Albert Brundage's Manual of Toxicology from 1909 and 1920 lists the ingredients for Jayne's vermifuge as sodium santonate, pink root, jalap, erigeron, and turpentine. This may have worked to rid someone of worms, but I can't imagine it left anyone feeling stronger.

Jayne's vermifuge was produced long after Dr. Jayne died. In 1943, the Food and Drug Administration issued a notice of judgment that Jayne's vermifuge was ineffective:

Jayne's Vermifuge.—Dr. D. Jayne and Son, Inc., Philadelphia. Shipped
Dec. 18, 1943. Composition: essentially extracts of plant drugs and a
small amount of potassium carbonate, with sugar, alcohol and water,
flavored with peppermint oil. Misbranded because falsely represented to
remove large roundworms from children and adults, whereas tests on
humans and laboratory animals showed that it did not do this.—ID. D.
N. J., F. D. C. 1237; June 1945.]


Uh-oh, this one's high on opiates too.