A Century of Caring: The Health Sciences at the University of Iowa, 1850-1950: College of Pharmacy

"Patent" Medicines

Proprietary medicines were extremely popular in the last half of the nineteenth century for several reasons. The "heroic" medicine practiced by many physicans consisted of treatments that were often dangerous-such as bloodletting and presribing strong medicines to induce purging and vomiting-and proprietary medicines offered a less traumatic alternative. Physicians were also scarce in rural areas, and often charged more than many people could afford. The rise of industry made proprietary medicines widely available and inexpensive. In addition, proprietary medicines were made for over-the-counter sale, and their "do it yourself" nature appealed to the American ideal of individuality and self-sufficiency.

Because the ingredients of proprietary medicines were secret, manufacturers made wild claims about the medicines' ability to cure all manner of ailments and illnesses. At the turn of the century, proprietary medicines were the most widely advertised product in the United States.

In Iowa, several attempts at prohibition also made proprietary medicines quite popular, as it was often legal for "medicinal" concoctions to contain considerable amounts of alcohol.