This collection contains an almanac published by the Merchant's Gargling Oil Company in 1876, and a reprint of an 1894 advertisement poster for Merchant's Gargling Oil with the slogan: "A Liniment for Man or Beast". The almanac has a note from John Hodge, then Secretary and later President of the Merchant's Gargling Oil Company, as ...
MoreThis collection contains an almanac published by the Merchant's Gargling Oil Company in 1876, and a reprint of an 1894 advertisement poster for Merchant's Gargling Oil with the slogan: "A Liniment for Man or Beast". The almanac has a note from John Hodge, then Secretary and later President of the Merchant's Gargling Oil Company, as well as an ad for Merchant's Worm Tablets. Also included in the almanac are directions for taking Gargling Oil for different ailments, notes on the moon phases, recipes and household tips, customer testimonials, and humorous short stories of two or three lines. George Washington Merchant, the town druggist for Lockport, NY, first produced Merchant's Gargling Oil in 1833. The first Gargling Oil was marketed as a catch-all salve that could cure all possible illness of domestic animals. Despite its name, Merchant's Gargling Oil was intended for external use and used to treat skin ailments and surface wounds on horses, cattle, sheep, and poultry. A version for human use was introduced in 1875. Humans could use the Gargling Oil externally or interally to treat a variety of conditions including burns, rheumatism, lame back, chapped hands, sore throat, and stomach cramps, among others. To take the Gargling Oil internally, the advised dose was to combine fifteen to twenty drops of the oil with sugar, or mixed with syrup, and to take a dose every three to six hours. The product for animals was packaged in a yellow wrapper, and the one for humans had a white wrapper. The company said that, in an emergency, humans could use the version for animals though it would temporarily stain their skin.
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