Essence of Peppermint, a History of the Medicine and Its Bottle Author(s): Olive R. Jones Source: Historical Archaeology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1981), pp. 1-57 Published by: Society for Historical Archaeology Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25615407 . Accessed: 20/02/2015 20:25 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Society for Historical Archaeology is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Historical Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 209.129.30.134 on Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:25:01 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions OLIVE R. JONES acteristics of the group was that they were packaged in a distinctive container which was immediately recognizable to consumers. Essence of Peppermint, Some of the medicines and their associated Essence of a of the Medicine packaging, including Peppermint, History continued to be made throughout the 19thcen and its Bottle tury and into the 20th century. The history of several of these medicines, and the group as a ABSTRACT whole, appears in the excellent article by Griffenhagen and Young (1959). Without this Glass bottles embossed BY THE/KINGS PATENT/ general background it would have been ESSENCE OF/PEPPERMINT have been found on extremely difficult to fit the many uncon many archaeological sites inNorth America, including nected and references to Essence military, fur trade, native, and domestic/commercial fragmentary a sites. Essence of Peppermint was patented in 1762 by of Peppermint into coherent study. John Juniper and became one of several 18th century In addition to identifying and dating medicines to continue in into English patent production Essence of Peppermint vials, this study has the 20th century. The history of its production, marke served to highlight certain weaknesses in cur ting and distribution, and use is explored, using docu rent research on the material culture of mentary sources and archaeological material. An are attempt is made to identify the type of persons or Europeans. Too often efforts concentrated organizations using the medicine. on the artifact itself: its physical appearance, the technology involved in its production, its maker, its date, and country of origin. In Introduction becoming the central point of study, the arti fact, by implication, is seen as having a reality Square glass vials embossed BY THE/ of its own, rather than as an object belonging KINGS PATENT/ESSENCE OF/PEPPER within a cultural milieu. Very seldom is an MINT have been found on many archaeologi attempt made to use the artifact to increase cal sites inNorth America. These sites ranged the understanding of that cultural milieu and over a broad geographical area and included very seldom is recognition made of the fact military forts, fur trade posts, Indian burials, that the producers were usually not the users. and domestic/commercial sites. From the As Binford (1968:21) has pointed out, every archaeological evidence the bottles seemed to item has a history within a socio-cultural sys date to the late 18th century and first half of tem?the procurement of the raw materials, the 19th century. As marked bottles from the the manufacture of the item, its use, and final period are not particularly common an attempt discarding. The artifact has, then, both a was made to identify the product and date the production history and a use history. It is Essence of Peppermint vials. important to separate the two, particularly During the search for information it gradu when the artifact is a package and not a pro ally became apparent that the vials and the duct in its own right.Within the context of an medicine they contained belonged to a distinct industrialized society, a third element has to group of 18th century English patent medi be added, that of marketing and distribution. cines. These medicines, marketed first by an The following report has been organized individual or single firm, eventually lost their according to the production, marketing and proprietorial associations and were manufac distribution, and use histories of Essence of tured and sold by a variety of persons or firms. Peppermint in the hope that the cultural milieu They became common stock in druggists' and inwhich itwas produced and used will emerge apothecaries' shops. One of the major char more clearly. This content downloaded from 209.129.30.134 on Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:25:01 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 2 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 Production History step to accept a pre-packaged remedy. In comparison to the costs sometimes involved English Patent Medicines of the in consulting a physician or surgeon, patent 18th Century remedies could be comparatively cheap. The development of printing presses and improve Patent medicine and proprietary medicine ments in transportation made itmuch easier to are terms used to describe drugs and drug reach a wider market. Patent medicine ven combinations that are offered and promoted to dors were among the first to understand the the public under a distinctive name and dis importance of advertising and used both tinctive package (Dukes 1963:8). Although broadsheets and newspapers to publicize their some of this type of medication was actually wares. In North America, where many people patented, most of itwas not and the two terms lived in isolated areas far from professional are used loosely and interchangeably. help, where the right plants or compounds The success of the patent and proprietary might not be available locally, the patent medicines lay in several factors, the most medicines were a logical solution to the prob important of these being the inadequacies of lem of sickness. For all those with no knowl orthodox medical practices and knowledge. It edge of the preparation of medicines, patent has been said that 1912 was probably the first medicines were convenient, and even today year in human history fckinwhich the random there is in existence "a basic and spontaneous patient with a random disease consulting a undercurrent of public demand for home random physician had a better than 50-50 remedies" (Dukes 1963:13-22, 33-34). chance of benefiting by the encounter" Of the hundreds of English patent and pro (quoted in Dukes 1963:18). In the 17th, 18th, prietary medicines on the market in the 18th and early 19th centuries there was often a very century, most have disappeared. Some of thin line between the nostrum vendors and the them, however, remained on the market in more learned practitioners of the medical England, the United States, and Canada even trade?the physicians, doctors, barber into the 20th century. Among themore famous surgeons, and apothecaries. The professional of those sold in glass bottles were Godfrey's practitioners not only prescribed and made up Cordial, Dalby's Carminative, Bateman's the patent medicines but also were responsible Drops, Turlington's Balsam of Life, Steer's for originating many of them. As Griffenhagen Opodeldoc, British Oil, Daffy's Elixir, and and Young (1959:167) have pointed out: Balsam of Honey. The history of these medi cines, which is fully described inGriffenhagen In the nature of their [patent medicines] composition and Young (1959), is marked by several simi they were blood brothers of preparations in the various larities. Firstly, they all started as patent or pharmacopoeias and formularies. Indeed, there was medicines. be much borrowing in both directions. An official formula proprietary Secondly, they of one year might blossom out the next in a fancy bottle came so widely counterfeited that they be bearing a proprietor's name. At the same time, the came public property, standard stock in any essential of a medicine, of its recipe patent deprived type of shop selling medicines and no longer original cognomen and given a Latin name indicative of the exclusive property of one person. What its composition or therapeutic nature, might suddenly were and the served was appear in one of the official volumes. they purpose they known and commonly recognized. Thirdly, Other factors also contributed to the suc they were sold in distinctively shaped and/or cess of the patent and proprietary medicines. marked containers which were often wrapped Growing urbanization meant that people had in broadsheets describing the many benefits of become dependent on professionals, such as the medicine. The familiar package undoubt apothecaries, and from there itwas an easy edly contributed significantly to the long This content downloaded from 209.129.30.134 on Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:25:01 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ESSENCE OF PEPPERMINT,A HISTORY OF THE MEDICINE AND ITSBOTTLE 3 period of popularity enjoyed by themedicines. arms, but in 1749 Turlington complained that As the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy theWhitefriars glasshouse was manufacturing report stated, when its members were his vials. The owners of the glasshouse admit attempting to standardize the formulas for ted that "great numbers of bottles have been eight English patent medicines: blown at our glasshouse, of the same shape and size and having the same marks as the We are aware that long custom has so strongly associ bottles, which Mr. Robert Turlington puts his ated the idea of the of the Patent Medi genuineness balsam of life into" (quoted in Buckley 1933: cines, with particular shapes of the vials that contain 235).