See Dr. Grace Feder Thompson's
letter appealing for patients, Dr. Pierce's medical
empire and Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound
 
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"Home Treatment for Women," (menstrual
problems, childbirth, dizziness, headache, "female weakness,"
etc.)
(aka "CARDUI Home Treatment of Female Diseases"), before 1920?
Chattanooga Medicine Company, U.S.A.
Complete booklet, 64 pages plus covers
Wikipedia says this about Black Draught:
A black draught [draft, meaning
a gulp of liquid] was a saline aperient [laxative] mixture used, along
with a blue pill, as a purgative in the 19th century and well into the
early part of the 20th century, with veterinarians
prescribing these to constipated cattle and horses [added emphasis in red
throughout].
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management
has this recipe for a black draught:
2587. The Common Black Draught.-- Infusion of senna 10 drachms; epsom
salts 10 drachms; tincture of senna, compound tincture of cardamums, compound
spirit of lavender, of each 1 drachm. Families who make black draught in
quantity, and wish to preserve it for some time without spoiling, should
add about 2 drachms of spirits of hartshorn to each pint of the strained
mixture, the use of this drug being to prevent its becoming mouldy or decomposed.
A simpler and equally efficacious form of black draught is made by infusing
1/2 oz. of Alexandrian senna, 3 oz. of Epsom salts, and 2 drachms of bruised
ginger and coriander-seeds, for several hours in a pint of boiling water,
straining the liquor, and adding either 2 drachms of sal-volatile or spirits
of hartshorn to the whole, and giving 3 tablespoonfuls for a dose to an
adult.
'Black Draught' is also the name of a once-common commercial liquid
syrup laxative, sold since the late 1800's, a cathartic medicine composed
of a blend of senna and magnesia. Much like other castor oil, it was a
commonly used folk remedy for many ailments.
A musical jingle for the product was sung by a very young Dolly
Parton: Smile from the inside out smile from the inside out Black
Drought makes you smile from the inside out.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_draught)
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Below: Pp. 32-33. Besides the Black Draught
- no, this is not about drafting blacks into the army - read the
interesting page about menopause (at right), eskimos, and age at menarche.
Vegetable compounds were popular in this era,
most especially Lydia E. Pinkham's.
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Below: Enlargement of the drawing, above:
I suspect we're seeing a drawing of Lookout Mountain,
a famous site near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the company had its base.
Read an 1891 court
case about this medicine.
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