Read a discussion of the letter testimonials,
and their authenticity, of the Pinkham company (in a discussion of a Pursettes
ad with a letter testimonial)
Historical 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 illness, insomnia, depression, cancer, tumors, women's diseases,
flatulence, menstruation, fertility, etc.:
Typed letter to a Canadian doctor
The grandson of a Canadian doctor generously donated this letter to
the museum, with its envelope, that the Pinkham Medicine Co., famous for
its Vegetable Compound patent medicine, mailed to his grandfather almost
90 years ago. Mrs. Pinkham's alcoholic concoction allegedly cured "all
those painful Complaints and Weaknesses so common to our best female population,"
including tumors, depression, "ovarian troubles," "Spinal
Weakness," cancer, menopause difficulties, etc., and kidney complaints
of both sexes. But read two objections to my
assertion that it was the alcohol that counted most.
Under the beautiful head (not Mrs. Pinkham's, the letter's) we find
an admonishment and instructions for distributing one of the many booklets
the company published to push its products and aid the populace (see one
here). Read a short introduction
to the famous woman.
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Both the letter and envelope were originally black on white,
but I want to show how aging caused the nice color in the envelope, the
same color as the letter. Someone ripped off the stamp - not me!
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NEXT:
SEE Ad from 1881
in a Salt Lake City newspaper - See more Mrs. Pinkham, below (and
see her first page)
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The Schlesinger Library, of the Radcliffe Institute
for Advanced Study, part 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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