How are you feeling after the holidays? Tired, depressed, stomach bothering you, bad cough, toothache, going bald? Maybe a dose, or several, of Brown’s Instant Relief would help. Or maybe not.

Brown’s Instant Relief was locally produced by the Norway Medicine Company, a joint venture of Dr. George W. Brown and Albert L.F. Pike. Dr. Brown originally prepared the mixture of so-called vegetable agents to externally treat a case of “gastric fever”. Finding the formulation to be successful with that patient, Dr. Brown prescribed his tonic for other complaints. Word spread of the powers of this local remedy and demand sent it into volume production.

What made this miracle drug so efficacious? The label on a Brown’s Relief bottle indicates that it was not only 50% alcohol but ether and chloroform had been added for good measure. Feeling better?

Brown’s Relief continued to be produced by the Norway Medicine Company into the early 1930s.

In colonial times elixirs, tonics, liniments and ointments were imported from England. From the Civil War through the early 1900s, what came to be known as patent medicines were commonly produced in the US. In those days it was not acceptable for a “proper lady” to partake of alcoholic beverages. However, it was recognized that everyone needed medication from time to time. Most elixirs and tonics were anywhere from ten to forty percent alcohol and usually contained a secret ingredient. Very often the concoction contained opium, cocaine or morphine and had very little, if any, curative power beyond that of numbing the pain.

The term snake oil was often used when referring to patent medicines because a medicament from India actually did contain extract of a particular water snake. Traveling medicine shows hawked these bottles of hope and sometimes included entertainment to draw a crowd eager to trade their hard earned cash for a bottle of over priced illusion.

Since there were no regulations regarding medications, many of these products were recommended for treating childhood illnesses. Whatever condition caused you concern, the elixir or tonic could cure it, just swallow it or rub it on. Claims included asthma, tuberculosis, stomach complaints, lung issues, depression, liver or kidney problems, malaria, general pain, baldness and hiccups. The list was almost endless. “The worse it tastes the better it works,” was the mantra.

These curatives were available in stores. Doctors mostly discouraged their use since patients would buy them instead of seeking medical consultation and often became addicted to the mixtures.

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 initiated a reduction in the claims made by the patent medicines and required the ingredients to be listed. Some real patent medicines, that are still on the market, were actually developed during this time: Bayer Aspirin and Milk of Magnesia are two examples.

Brown’s Instant Relief bottles as well as other medicine containers and related advertisements are among the many artifacts in the collection of the Norway Museum and Historical Society. Although we must be closed to the public now, we look forward to welcoming you when we can reopen. To view some of our past programs visit us at www.norwayhistoricalsociety.org.

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