$10.00 CAD
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Advertisement for Merchant’s Gargling Oil depicting three horses at a watering trough.
$1,000 reward for the proof of the existence of a better liniment for human & animal flesh than MERCHANT’S GARGLING OIL or a better worm remedy than MERCHANT’S WORM TABLETS’
Manufactured by MERCHANT’S GARGLING OIL CO. Lockport N.Y. John Hodge Secy.
On back, very long list of ailments helped by the liniment: Burns and Scalds, epizootic, Foot rot in Sheep, Weakness of Joints, etc..
Also on back, printed name of drugstore handing out this card: ‘P.L. RYAN & CO. Druggists, Syracuse, N.Y.’
Printed by ‘The Courier Lith. Co. Buffalo, N.Y.’
Paper yellowed inside text box. On back, toning in four corners where card was mounted.
3 x 5 ⅛"
Merchant’s Gargling Oil (no, the horse or person did not have to gargle it) could trace its pedigree to 1833 Philadelphia, though it was manufactured in Lockport, New York. The first incarnation of the liniment was intended to cure almost any illness that could befall a domestic animal. The form intended for human use was not introduced until 1875. Four years earlier Merchant’s Vegetable Worm Tablets had made their appearance. Merchant’s Gargling Oil was then made in two versions, one for animals and one for people. The ointment for animal ailments was intended for surface wounds and skin ailments common to horses, cattle, sheep and poultry. A topical ointment was also made for human skin problems. Neither product was intended for internal use, despite the product name of gargling oil
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