YOUR remedies for
menstrual period pain and problems. See more
remedies here.
A discussion of the
letter testimonials, and their
authenticity, of the Pinkham company (in a
discussion of a Pursettes ad with a letter
testimonial)
See two letters to MUM about the ingredients of her
Compound, and one about the lyrics of an English pop song, Lily the Pink, about
her.
Other amazing women:
Nelli Bly, Dr. Marie
Stopes, Dr. Grace
Feder Thompson
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The Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.,
maker of medicine for headaches, stomach ills,
insomnia, depression, cancer, tumors, women's
diseases, flatulence, fertility,
menstruation, etc:
British Pop Group
"Scaffold" Sings "Lily the Pink," 1960s, About
Lydia Pinkham
Linda Semple, who works for a
health board in Edinburgh, Scotland,
sent this e-mail about the woman who
was maybe the most famous maker of
patent medicine in the U.S.A., Lydia
Pinkham. By the way, Americans,
especially college students, also
sang funny songs about Mrs. Pinkham,
part of one being at the bottom of this
page:
This is a wonderful site!
I've added a link to it on our
internal network, just to see what
happens when people stumble across
it.
I'm sure that someone may already
have told you about this, but there
was a "pop" group in the 1960's in
Britain called "Scaffold"
whose main claim to fame was that
one of them was Paul McCartney's
brother and one was the
Liverpool poet Roger McGough.
However, they had a long-running
number one hit with what
most people took to be a children's
song called "Lily
the Pink":
We'll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the Pink the Pink the
Pink
The saviour of the human race
For she invented medicinal
compound
Most efficacious in every case.
Mr. Frears
Had sticky-out ears
And it made him awful shy
And so they gave him medicinal
compound
And now he's learning how to
fly.
Brother Tony
Was notably bony
He would never eat his meals
And so they gave him medicinal
compound
Now they move him round on
wheels.
[Chorus]
Old Ebeneezer
Thought he was Julius Caesar
And so they put him in a Home
Where they gave him medicinal
compound
And now he's Emperor of Rome.
Johnny Hammer
Had a terrible
ss..ss..ss..ss..ss..ss..stammer
He could hardly s..s..say a word
And so they gave him medicinal
compound
Now he's seen (but never 'eard)!
[Chorus]
Auntie Millie
Ran willy-nilly
When her legs, they did recede
And so they rubbed on medicinal
compound
And now they call her Millipede.
Jennifer Eccles
Had terrible freckles
And the boys all called her
names
But she changed with medicinal
compound
And now he joins in all their
games.
[Chorus]
Lily the Pink, she
Turned to drink, she
Filled up with paraffin inside
and despite her medicinal
compound
Sadly Picca-Lily died.
Up to Heaven
Her soul ascended
All the church bells they did
ring
She took with her medicinal
compound
Hark the herald angels sing.
(Incidentally, Picallilli is an
English mustard and vegetable relish
- hence the play on "pickled.")
It is attributed to tradition, and
arranged by McGough/McGear/Gorman
which suggests that it may have had its
origins in folksong. I
would hazard a guess that it could
have been a music
hall (vaudeville) song
which possibly became a children's rhyme
- maybe it was a children's rhyme
originally.
I'll keep searching - possibly
there's something in the Peter and
Iona Opie [famous English collectors
of children's games and song]
collection.
[An e-mailer wrote in January,
2008, that Shel Silverstein wrote
the lyrics.]
Keep up the incredible work.
Yours,
Linda Semple
Research Assistant
Public Health
Lothian Health
148 Pleasance
EDINBURGH
EH8 9RS
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See "her" handwritten letter
to a sick woman, Typed letter
to a Canadian (1918), Ad from the
Salt Lake Weekly Herald
(1881) for Mrs. Pinkham, trade cards (flowers, girl with cat) - More Mrs. Pinkham (her
first page)
Radcliffe
College, of Harvard
University, has probably the largest collection
of material about the Pinkham
enterprise, the records of the Lydia
E. Pinkham Medicine Company.
Part of the donation of SarahAnne
Hazelwood to this museum, much of it
patent medicine and old medical
equipment, was a very interesting
biography and study of Mrs. Pinkham's
business, Female
Complaints: Lydia Pinkham and the
Business of Women's Medicine,
by Sarah Stage.
See two letters to MUM about the ingredients of
her Compound, and one about the
lyrics of an English
pop song,
Lily the Pink, about her.
Other amazing
women: Nelli Bly, Dr.
Marie Stopes,
Dr. Grace Feder Thompson
See also the patent
medicine Cardui, Dr.
Grace Feder Thompson's
letter appealing for patients, Dr. Pierce's
medicines, and Orange
Blossom medicine.
© 1998,
2005 Harry Finley. It is illegal to
reproduce or distribute work on this
Web site in any manner or medium
without written permission of the
author. Please report suspected
violations to hfinley@mum.org
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