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History of Medicine

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Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera
Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera banner. Here Today, Here Tomorrow is written in brown lettering above Varities of Medical Ephemera written in blue letter. Addiction written in blue lettering below an image of a woman laying in a bed with two children at her side. AIDS written in blue lettering below a red AIDS ribbon Bookplates written in blue lettering below an illustration of a man leaning against a stack of books holding a rod of Asclepius in his left hand. Children written in blue lettering below a color image of a boy sitting in a chair playing doctor on a dog lying on a table while three girls look on. Medical Education written in blue lettering below an illustration of a doctor making patient rounds in a hospital with three students attending. Medicine Show written in blue lettering below a color illustration of the cover of Graphic Scenes Kickapoo Indian Life in the South and West. Public Health written in blue lettering below a diagonal half white half black illustration with a cigarette in the center surrounded by a red circle with a line through it. The bottom right black diagonal has Thank you for not smoking here written in white lettering. Tuberculosis written in blue lettering below a predominantly blue poster with white and yellow lettering. In the center is an illustration of Santa Claus holding a little girl in one arm and an oversized Christmas seal in the other hand. Buy Christmas Seals Fight Tuberculosis is in yellow lettering at the bottom. Women written in blue lettering below a black and white image of a woman standing and taking the pulse of a man sitting in a chair. In the upper left corner are the words The Lady Doctor in black lettering.

Women

Images of women have always been featured in product advertisements, and large collections of medical ephemera could be built on this theme alone. A special genre of such ephemera is the group of publications dealing with women's diseases, and the champion in this area is undoubtedly the Lydia Pinkham Medicine Company. The firm published more than one hundred booklets on various subjects which would be expected to be of interest to women - on cooking, picnics, famous women, beauty tips, etc., each of them carrying notices of Lydia Pinkham products. Mrs. Pinkham's warm grandmotherly face played a prominent part in much of the company's promotional material. Further, there are postcards, trade cards and even popular songs the subject of which is the female physician, more unusual in earlier times than today. Much more widespread is the ephemera dealing with nurses and nursing, an almost exclusively female profession until recently. Many of the items relating to both female physicians or nurses are designed to be humorous, such ephemera revealing the political incorrectness of prior periods.

Black and white image a head and shoudlers, left pose of Lydia E. Pinkham in an oval surrounded by filigree. At the top written in black ink is This treatise on the Diseases of Women is Dedicated to the Women of the World. At the bottom is written Yours for Health, Lydia E. Pinkham.

Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.,
The Home of Lydia E. Pinkham's Remedies,
32 page pamphlet,
Lynn, Massachusetts, 1908,
20.6 x 14.7 cm.

A color illustrated post card of a man lying in bed being attend by a lady doctor who is sitting on the edge of the bed. On the right side of the post card written in black letter is Am sick and I'm sorry I'm getting well.

Am sick and I'm sorry I'm getting well,
color post card,
USA, c. 1910,
8.8 x 13.9 cm.


A color trade card of a woman in an elegant gown sits holding a fan in her right hand. At the bottom is written Appetine for the cure of stomach, kidney, and liver troubles.

Appetine,
trade card,
n.p., c. 1895,
16.5 x 10.5 cm.

A color lithograph trade card featuring a girl standing on a chair holding a bottle of Barry's Tricopherous in her left hand while using a comb behind a woman with long black hair. At the top it says Barry's Tricopherous, established 1801. At the bottom in black lettering is written guaranteed to restore the hair to bald heads and to make it grown thick, long and soft.

Barry's Tricopherous,
color lithograph trade card,
USA, c. 1890,
13.3 x 7.8 cm.


Color illustration of a head and shoulders right pose of Marie Curie. A white plaque with Marie Curie, scientist is in the center bottom of the card.

Marie Curie,
card in series of famous people in health care,
USA, c. 1965,
7.4 x 5.2 cm.

Color sheet music cover featuring A woman in a yellow dress taking the pulse of a man with a monocle who is holding top hat and a can in his left hand. At the top in red lettering is title La Doctoresse.

La Doctoresse,
sheet music,
Paris, c. 1900,
27.2 x 17.6 cm.


An advertisement for Dodd's Female Pills in Drane and company's price list.

Dodd's Female Pills,
advertisement in Drane and company's price list,
128 page pamphlet,
London, c. 1900,
21.6 x 13.6 cm.

A color illustrated post card of a male tramp standing outside a doctor's office with the lady doctor standing in the open doorway. The caption has the tramp asking: Has Dr. Brown any old trousers? Lady: Dr. Brown's trousers wouldn't fit out. Tramp: How's that? Lady: I am Dr. Brown.

Has Dr. Brown any old trousers?,
color post card,
England, c. 1935,
14 x 8.8 cm.


Women written in blue lettering below a black and white image of a woman standing and taking the pulse of a man sitting in a chair. In the upper left corner are the words The Lady Doctor in black lettering.

The Lady Doctor,
post card,
n.p., c. 1910,
13.7 x 8.6 cm.

A color illustration of a woman seated in a chair holding a fan across her lap. The title at the bottom says Famous Women of History.

Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.,
Famous Women of History,
32 page pamphlet, illus.,
Lynn, Massachusetts, c. 1920,
17.6 x 11.5 cm.


A woman wearing a white dress with a red cross in the middle and a white head covering hands aspirin to a small child. There is an open door with snow falling while people wearing winter clothes wait to see the woman. At the bottom is the title Lutte contre la vague de froid. L'hiver se poursuit rude et rigoureux, mais grace a la bonne infirmiere de Usines du Rhone et a son Aspirine bienfaisante, le plus malheureux peuvent se preserver des maux qu'il engendre translated means Fight against the cold wave. Winter continues rough and tough but thanks to the good nurse plants in the Rhone and its beneficial Aspirin, the most miserable can protect against the evils it causes.

Usines de Rhone,
La Lutte Contre la Vague de Froid,
color lithograph advertisement,
Paris, 1925,
39.1 x 29.8 cm.

A color illustration of a woman standing in a forest setting holding up a box in her left hand while holding a basket full of herbs in her right arm. The title says Nature's Gift to Women

Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.,
Nature's Gift To Women,
32 page pamphlet, illus.,
Lynn, Massachusetts, c. 1920,
17.6 x 11.5 cm.


A color illustrated trade card of a woman wearing a scarf and glasses stirs a bowl on a table with a spoon. At the top it states Old Time Home Nurse.

Seabury's Medicated Toilet Soaps,
Old Time Home Nurse,
trade card,
New York, c. 1890,
11.6 x 7.6 cm.

A pamphlet for Madame Winneford's Magnetic Maternal Wafer on pink paper.

Universal Dispensary,
Madame Winneford's Magnetic Maternal Wafer,
4 page pamphlet,
Grand Rapids, Michigan, c. 1895,
21.4 x 13.6 cm.


Black and white cover of Health Helps. At the top hand written is Doctors Daughter. Below is a head and shoulders front pose of a woman with Doctors Daughter below her photograph. Below on the right and left are two more photographs. On the left is a head and shoulders, right side view of Dr. William H. Wilbur with his name below. On the right is a head and shoulders, left pose of Dr. John Wilbur with his name below.

The John Wilbur Daughter Co., Inc.,
Health Helps,
32 page pamphlet, illus.,
Westerly, Rhode Island, 1910,
22.9 x 15.3 cm.

A trade card for with the title Wright's Little Liver Pills. In the center is an oval image of the head and shoulders back side view of a woman resting her head on hands.
Wright's Little Liver Pills,
one of a pair of trade cards,
Dunkirk, New York, c. 1890,
10 x 7.5 cm.

Last Reviewed: January 25, 2024