Bottle history

Hi again – I wrapped up the excavations during the second week of September, and am now back in Berkeley, busily processing all of the artifacts with a great team of undergraduates. In the meantime, the intact medicine bottle with embossed information we found this summer has been studied by Dr. Joe Nickell, and I’ve posted his research report below – it’s fascinating!

The Elusive
“Dr. Sage”
Forerunner of Dr. Pierce,
“Prince of Quacks”

A curious little bottle came my way after it was discovered in the summer of 2008 during an archaeological excavation in the yard of the historic Matilda Joslyn Gage home at Fayetteville, New York. (Gage, 1836–1898, was a prominent suffragette and the mother-in-law of The Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum.) My colleague, Tom Flynn, learned of the find and—given my knowledge of old bottles (Nickell 1990, 35–57), including patent-medicine bottles (Nickell 2001; 2006)—suggested I be sent the artifact for examination. It would present many mysteries, which I would attempt to solve with the dogged assistance of another colleague, Timothy Binga, Director of the Center for Inquiries Libraries in Amherst, New York.

Mystery Bottle
The bottle is typical of those used for nostrums in the second half of the nineteenth century. Made of common aqua glass, it has a rectangular body and measures only about 5.5 cm. high by 3.2 cm. wide, by 1.7 cm. deep (about 23/16 3 11/4 3 11/16). Neither free-blown nor made by bottle machine, it was blown in a two-piece, post-bottom-plate mold, and its neck and lip were subsequently finished by hand while an assistant held the bottle, not with a pontil (a rod stuck to the bottom by a blob of molten glass), but with a snap-case (a mechanical grasping device).

It would have borne no paper label since each of its sides has an indented panel with vertical embossing: “Dr SAGE’S// CATARRH/REMEDY//BUFFALO// Dr SAGE/&CO/BUFFALO/N.Y.” (see Figure 1). After being filled with the medicine for “catarrh,” the bottle would have been stoppered by a cork.
“Dr. Sage” bottles were plentiful. However, this particular one—indicating sole manufacture by “Dr. Sage & Co.”—is quite rare, only the second one I have come across. Later “Dr. Sage” bottles identify a “Dr. Pierce” as proprietor (Kendrick 1971, 133; Fike 2006, 210). This was R.V. Pierce, M.D., who will be discussed presently.

Catarrh Remedy
Nostrums like Dr. Sage’s Catarrh Remedy were known as “patent medicines,” but that term was usually a misnomer. Few of the ready-made medicines were actually patented, which required disclosure of their ingredients (Nickell 2001, 164), so there was endless speculation about the touted secret formulas of such concoctions. “Dr. Sage’s Catarrh Remedy” was no exception. Various alleged formulations were published, including one by John Harvey Kellogg (1891, 376)—supposedly from Dr. Sage himself—that consisted of “Powdered hydrastis Canadensis 1 oz., powdered borax 10 gr., salt 10 gr., ferro-cyanuret of iron sufficient to color.”

While the alleged Sage formula given by Kellogg can be questioned, an actual analysis of Pierce’s Dr. Sage catarrh nostrum was made in 1916. It revealed: “Common salt 86.7%; water 1.7%; organic matter 11.6%; phenol, camphor, hydrastis, sulfates and a trace of iron present” (“Proprietary” 2008). The ingredients were obviously compounded and sold as a dry powder. Accompanying directions apparently called for mixing with water, whereupon the medicine could “be poured into the hollow of the hand, and snuffed up the nostrils” (Pierce 1888, 487). Salt water is still so recommended by many doctors to clear plugged nostrils and to use as a gargle for sore throat (Tkac 1991, 162, 551–552), and camphor and phenol are still major ingredients in many over-the-counter preparations (Tkac 1991, 168, 547).

Common to both the Kellogg recipe and the 1916 list of ingredients was Hydrastis canadensis, an herb known as Goldenseal. This is a wild, perennial plant of mountainous North American woodlands whose yellow root has long been reputed to have medicinal value, being used by Native Americans such as the Iroquois and Cherokee (Bratman 2000, 96; Chevallier 1996, 103). It was also one of the herbal remedies offered for sale by the religious Society of Shakers, who “became the first people in the United States to produce herbs on a scale large enough to supply the pharmaceutical market” (Miller 1998, 2–3). In the early 1800s, Goldenseal became so in demand that the wild plant was nearly rendered extinct (Bratman 2000, 96).
Goldenseal is still reputed to have astringent and antibacterial effects on the body’s mucous membranes (Chevallier 1996, 103; Balch 2002, 76; Smith 2008, 41–42), indeed to be useful in relieving “all catarrhal conditions, especially those of sinuses” (Naturopathic 1995, 105), as well as sore throat (Montgillion 2002, 25), and other conditions.

Enter Dr. Pierce
An early advertisement in the April 29, 1869, Auburn Democrat (Auburn, New York), announces “Dr. Sage has discovered a perfect specific for Catarrh, ‘Cold in the Head,’ Dizziness, Tainted Breath and Catarrh Headache. The proprietor, Dr. R.V. Pierce, of Buffalo, N.Y., offers $500 for a case of Catarrh that he cannot cure….” This appears to be the first nostrum sold by Pierce, who later mentions it in his book, The People’s Common Sense Medical Adviser in Plain English; or Medicine Simplified (1888).

Ray Vaughn Pierce, M.D. (1840–1914) graduated in 18651 from the Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati. (Eclectic medicine emphasized the use of botanicals and other substances along with physical therapy.) The following year he sported another diploma from the Philadelphia University of Medicine and Surgery (whose charter was repealed in 1872 for selling bogus degrees) (Lynnette 1996, 73). Pierce went into practice in Titusville, Pennsylvania, then in 1867 moved to Buffalo, New York, where he eventually operated a large medical establishment. He dabbled in Republican politics, becoming in turn a state senator and a U.S. congressman for one term each, and had various business interests.

His burgeoning medical business—which involved running an Invalid’s Hotel and Surgical Institute and selling various cure-alls—made him a wealthy man. It also eventually earned him the title, “Prince of Quacks” (Hirsch 2004; Holbrook 1959, 167–173). His multi-story World’s Dispensary building contained his medicine and bottling works as well as his own printing and binding enterprise (Pierce 1888, 979–982). Everywhere, barns were emblazoned with ads for Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery or Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription.

However, when the federal Pure Food and Drug Act became law on January 1, 1907, nostrum peddlers like Dr. Pierce were put on notice. For example, in 1909 the Colorado Department of Health analyzed Pierce’s Electro-Magnetic Cream Lotion, concluding it was misbranded since it neither contained cream, produced electricity, nor possessed any magnetic characteristics (Hirsch 2004, 16). (After his death in 1914, Dr. Pierce was succeeded by his son, Dr. V[alentine] Mott Pierce, until the business was discontinued in 1941.)

Enigma of “Dr. Sage”
As Dr. R. Vaughn Pierce was famous in his day, “Dr. Sage” was equally obscure. However, Tim Binga and I went in search of the elusive physician, one or both of us researching at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, the public library, and the Erie County Clerk’s office as well as Tim utilizing various online resources.

A search through annual editions of Thomas’ Buffalo City Directory failed to show any Dr. Sage for the 1860s. The 1861–1867 directories do list a “Sage & Tucker, druggists” (William S. Sage and John H. Tucker at 232 Main). The 1868 volume lists Tucker solely (at 269 Main) and provides a new entry, “Sage & Co. patent medicines, 303 Clinton.” Also newly listed is “Pierce, R. Vaughn, M.D.” with a house address at 321 Main.

These entries could suggest that “Doctor” Sage was William S. Sage (who would soon return to the family enterprise of Sage & Sons, Lithographers, as superintendent). But it is also possible that “Dr. Sage & Co.” of 303 Clinton Street2 was purely a front for Dr. Pierce, of whom it would later be said in a biographical sketch in The Buffalo Times: “In 1867, he came to Buffalo and opened an unpretending office on Clinton Street, for the practice of medicine” (qtd. in Pierce 1888, 979–980).

Further searching was revealing. An online newspaper archive yielded what is surely among the earliest mentions of Dr. Sage & Co. of Buffalo, an advertisement in a February 11, 1868, Pennsylvania paper, the Titusville Morning Herald. The ad made no mention of Dr. Pierce, yet informed that the product was sold by (among others) Titusville druggists Thompson and Hilton. That is significant because—as shown by an earlier issue of the Herald (September 26, 1866)—“R. Vaughn Pierce, M.D.,” a “Physician, Surgeon and Occulist,” had his “Office over Thompson & Hilton’s Drug Store….”
That same ad claimed: “Dr. Sage, who is a graduate of one of the first Medical Colleges in the land, has been a practicing physician and surgeon for the past twenty years.” Moreover, “He was a great sufferer for many years from Chronic Catarrh, until he succeeded in discovering this remedy which effected a PERFECT AND RADICAL CURE in his own, and subsequently in hundreds of other cases of that distressing malady.” Note that—here, as forever elsewhere—“Dr. Sage” gets no first name or even initial, no place of residence, no identifiable medical school name, or indeed anything that could identify him as a real person. Yet, is claimed as the very embodiment of the biblical directive, “Physician heal thyself” (Luke 4:23).

Certainly, as we have seen, there was no Dr. Sage living in Buffalo during the one-to-two-year period that “Dr. Sage & Co.” or “Sage & Co. patent medicines” operated there. Instead, it appears he was nothing more than the alter ego of “The Prince of Quacks.”

Acknowledgments
In addition to those mentioned in the text, I am grateful to Sally Roesch Wagner and Kim Christensen for sharing this enigma with me. I also want to thank the helpful staff members of the institutions mentioned, especially Cynthia Van Ness and—Sara Lawrence—of the Buffalo and Erie Co. Historical Society for many helpful suggestions.

Notes
1.This is the date on Pierce’s diploma which is in the collection of the Buffalo and Erie Co. Historical Society; Pierce’s book (1888, 979) indicates he graduated in 1862.
2. This appears to be an erroneous address: The Atlas of the City of Buffalo (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1872) shows the area was a park with no building numbered 303.

References
Balch, Phyllis A. 2002. Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-to-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies. New York: Avery.

Bratman, Steven, M.D. 2000. Your Complete Guide to Herbs. Roseville, California: Prima Health.

Chevallier, Andrew. 1996. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. New York: DK Publishing.

Fike, Richard E. 2000. The Bottle Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Historic Embossed Medicine Bottles. Caldwell, New Jersey: The Blackburn Press.

Hirsch, Dick. 2004. The emperor of elixir. Western New York Heritage. Spring: 10–16.

Holbrook, Stewart H. 1959. The remarkable doctors Pierce, chap. 3 of The Golden Age of Quackery. New York: Macmillan, 167–173.

Kellogg, John Harvey. 1891. The Household Monitor of Health. Battlecreek, Michigan: Good Health Publishing.

Kendrick, Grace. 1971. The Antique Bottle Collector. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Lynnette, E. Leidy. 1996. R.V. Pierce and the Invalids’ Hotel: Mechanical Progress and the Business of Medicine, in Sentz 1996, 71–92.

The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals, 1989. Ed. by Susan Budavari. N.J.: Merck & Co.

Miller, Amy Bess. 1998. Shaker Medicinal Herbs: A Compendium of History, Lore, and Uses. Pownal, Vermont: Storey Books.

Montgillion, Dorothy. 2002. Modern Uses of Traditional Herbs, rev. ed. Weston, West Virginia: Smoke Camp Crafts.

Naturopathic Handbook of Herbal Formulas: A Practical and Concise Herb User’s Guide, Fourth edition. 1995. Ayer, Massachusetts: Herbal Research Publications.

Nickell, Joe. 1990. Pen, Ink and Evidence: A Study of Writing and Writing Materials for the Penman, Collector, and Document Detective. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky.

———. 2001. In search of ‘snake oil,’ chp. 25 of Real-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 164–169.

———. 2006. Snake oil: A guide for connoisseurs. Skeptical Briefs, 16:3 (September), 7–8.

Pierce, R.V. 1888. The People’s Common Sense Medical Adviser in Plain English; or, Medicine Simplified, 17th ed. Buffalo, N.Y.: World’s Dispensary Printing Office and Bindery [a Pierce enterprise].

Proprietary medicines. 1916. Health (a publication of the New Haven, Connecticut, Dept. of Health) 43:10 (October), 2–3, 8.

Sage’s catarrh remedy. 2008. Available online at http://www.homemedicine.ca/HomeRemedies/Sages-Catarrh-Remedy.html; accessed September 2, 2008.

Sentz, Lilli. 1996. Medical History of Buffalo 1846–1996: Collected Essays. Buffalo: History of Medicine Collection, State University of New York at Buffalo.

Smith, Ed. 2008. Therapeutic Herb Manual: A Guide to the Safe and Effective Use of Liquid Herbal Extracts. Williams, Oregon: Published by the author.

Tkac, Debora, ed. 1991. Doctors Book of Home Remedies. New York: Bantam.

Overdue update

As it happens, today is rainy and I’m using this opportunity to write this long-overdue update on the excavations over the past two weeks.

First off – a day or so after the last post, a film crew from WSTM NBC Syracuse came to the site, and did a lovely story on the dig and the history of the house. It’s available online for viewing here.

On the 16th, Krissy headed back to California to get ready for classes to start again. I had a great time working with Krissy again, and I’m so thankful for her time with us – we got a lot done. In the end, she did find just about all of the fragments of the blue-and-brown-striped bowl, and it will be a beautiful piece for the Foundation to display in the museum once it’s glued back together.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two weeks excavating within the foundation, and (literally) getting to the bottom of it. It finally ended at reddish-brown compact clay subsoil at over a meter in depth, with most of the artifacts having come from the very top few layers of fill. Unfortunately, the pit under the foundation pre-dates it (as the pit undercuts the walls), and so we’re no closer to determining the foundation’s use than we were when we started. It doesn’t look like it was the privy after all.

We also opened up two units just outside of where the original kitchen door on the house was. This was one of the areas that until last summer had been covered by early twentieth-century house additions which actually protected the nineteenth-century ground surface. We found many artifacts on the ground surface last summer in this area, and opened up these two units to see what the kitchen-yard area was like. As predicted, we’ve found large amounts of artifacts in these units, likely having been discarded directly from the kitchen. We also came across the edge of a line of laid bricks in one of the units – we didn’t expose enough of it to tell exactly what it is, but it may be part of a path that led from the kitchen to the back yard.

Finally, we’ve also started a new unit directly outside of the french doors on the west side of the house that in Gage’s time, led to the formal garden. We’ve placed the unit hoping to catch any footing, etc. of the small deck and steps that led down from the french doors, but didn’t actually expect to find much in the way of artifacts because our other excavations in this general area in years past didn’t turn up much. To our surprise, we found a wealth of artifacts (albeit mixed up with modern debris probably associated with the construction/removal of the sun porch that covered this area until last summer) – including several buttons, a fragment from the head of a porcelain doll, fragments of a hair comb, and – our most exciting find of the day yesterday – an 1859 US penny, with a hole drilled in the top. The coin may have been worn as a charm or jewelry.

And that brings us up to today. This is the last week of working with volunteers for this summer; over the next two weeks I will be working to finish up the in-progress units before heading back to California myself. I’ll be on a somewhat irregular schedule over these next two weeks, but if you’re nearby stop by and I’ll show you what I’m up to. This has been a fun and productive excavation season, and I appreciate the fact that the rain has held off for the past few weeks after our rainy start!

As always, photos are here.

Enough rain, already!

We’ve had a productive week, despite the almost-daily thunderstorms. Last Friday, we were joined by our first new volunteer of the season, Carol, and we opened up a new unit new to the ones we had been working on, along the western edge of last season’s units. Right after lunch, we were rained out. We spent our time constructing screens to dry artifacts on once they’re washed. On Friday, we we were only able to put in an hour or two when the rain hit, and we spent the rest of the day washing artifacts. Saturday, though, was beautiful! We had several volunteers – Barb, who returned again to help (after working nearly daily during the first summer of STP excavating!), and the Hill family. We made quite a dent in the two new units by the end of the day.

After recuperating on Sunday and Monday, Krissy and I returned to the site yesterday to continue work. We started excavation of the interior of the foundation found last summer, with the hopes of determining the structure’s use, in addition to continuing work on the units from last week. We were able to put in a full day on Tuesday, but were rained out today in the afternoon.
While we’ve found that there is indeed a pit feature beneath the foundation, we’re not quite sure yet what it is, as the pit extends below the north and south walls of the foundation. I’ve posted a series of photos on the blog which show the layer-by-layer excavation of the interior of the foundation done so far. Check out those photos and others here.

Keep your fingers crossed that the rain is done!

Day 3

Today was another productive day, and we are nearly done with the unit we began yesterday. We returned this evening for the Foundation’s hosting of the Manlius Chamber of Commerce, and were on hand to show visitors the site and our most recent finds. Tomorrow will be our first day of this season’s work with volunteers, so it should be lively. More tomorrow!

Day 2

The equipment arrived! We were able to put in a good half day of excavating today, and had a great start. We opened up a new excavation unit, to the northwest of some of the units we opened last summer – just off of the southwest corner of the house. The two adjacent units were excavated last summer, where we found what appears to be 19th century trash related to the kitchen – including the yellow ware pie plate and ironstone tea/coffee service fragments currently on display within the Gage House. The new plan for the woodshed addition will be wider than it was initially planned – in order to keep the same square footage of the addition, without impacting with the foundation found last year – and this new unit is located approximately where the HVAC units for the addition will be located.

What we found in the new unit is similar to what we found in the adjacent units last year – below a thick layer of pea-sized gravel, we found numerous artifacts, including a wine glass or water goblet base; part of a crockery lid with a molded floral design; lots of glass – from windows, bottles, tablewares, and lamps; and part of what was probably a hat pin, with a harp at the decorative end (perhaps a symbol of Ireland?). Pretty good for our first day excavating! This shows us that this area of the yard has not been too disturbed by later yard uses, and helps add one more piece of the puzzle to our understanding of how the back yard as it currently looks came to be. We’ll be back out tomorrow, for a long day – 8-4pm as usual, plus we’ll be back on site for the Manlius Chamber of Commerce function held at the Gage House in the evening, from 5:30-7:30pm. In other news, News Channel 3 (NBC) will be coming out to do a story on the project next week. I should start prepping my tv poise…

First Day on Site

Today Krissy and I spent the morning getting equipment organized and checking on how the site weathered the winter. Units that we had finished completely were filled in at the end of last summer, but the area surrounding the stone foundation found was covered with plywood and tarps to keep it safe while we were gone for the rest of the year. Amazingly, when we uncovered part of this area, the ground was barely even wet – a considerable feat, given all of the rain we’ve had here this summer, and even just over the past week or so. I was half-expecting a muddy quagmire, but we just encountered a lot of worms, ants, and spiders that had taken up residence beneath the plywood. We brushed up the site to get ready for excavating, but after just an hour or so the rain started and we closed everything back up for the day. I’m still waiting on some of my equipment to arrive, so it looks like we’ll be able to actually start excavating on Wednesday morning.

Photos from this year’s work are posted on our Flickr page here.

Summer 2008 - Getting started

Well, August is here and we are getting set to start up excavations at the Gage House once again – tomorrow! This summer, we will be continuing the excavations that we started last year, concentrating on the area behind the house. We will be trying to figure out the function of the stone foundation we uncovered last July, excavate some additional units where the woodshed addition will be constructed, and excavate some test units along the west side of the house where the 20th-century house additions were removed last year.

For the next two weeks, Krissy Montgomery and I will be excavating – Krissy participated in the archaeological field school we held at the Gage House last summer, and now she’s back as a volunteer! Krissy & I will be excavating on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with volunteers welcome on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (please email me to schedule). I will be working on site at least through the end of August. This week will be a long one, as we’re getting started on Monday, and will be staying late on Wednesday to participate in the event held for the Manlius Chamber of Commerce on site. Monday and Tuesday will likely just entail us getting our equipment organized, the units from last year uncovered, and new units staked out. Hopefully on Wednesday, though, we will actually be able to start moving some dirt! Please come on out and see us – we may not be on site all day Monday and Tuesday, but the rest of the week we will be there from 8am to 4pm, so come on by! Cheers, Kim

Kids at the Gage House

Two of the more exciting artifacts we found this summer were sherds of a small child’s plate with the alphabet embossed on the plate rim. The two fragments fit together perfectly, and represent about a fifth or sixth of the entire plate. The well of the plate (the central, deeper part) is mostly gone, but on the very edge of the sherds is a bit of the transfer-printed design which would have been the focal point of the plate when whole. Since we only have the very edge of the design, it was not recognizable on its own. Luckily, I happened on to a book for collectors of ABC plates that showed examples of many of the central transfer-printed designs produced, and to my surprise, found the pattern that would have been on the plate found at the Gage House. The pattern is called “Girl at Piano” and shows a little girl in front of a piano, with the following text beneath the picture: “The pretty little child on tiptoe stands/ to reach the piano with her hands.” The fragments we found show just the end of the piano. The book says that this design was produced by the British pottery firm of Elsmore and Son, which was in operation between 1872 and 1887. While our fragments don’t have a maker’s mark on them, it is possible that they too were produced by this particular pottery company – but it is not definite as multiple pottery firms often used the same designs on their pieces. If our plate does date to this particular time period, though, it suggests that it might have been owned by one of the Gage’s grandchildren, as their own children would have been too old to be given one as a gift by 1872. According to what I’ve read, these plates were often given to small children as gifts and were used to help them learn the alphabet and to read. Further research can help us gauge with better certainty whether Elsmore & Son likely produced our plate, and also tell us what grandchildren were present at the Gage House during this time period.

Overall, this plate is just one example of the evidence of kids and their playtime at the Gage House. We’ve also found small items such as two small metal horses, a small porcelain doll head, marbles, and fragments from a miniature porcelain teaset. Finding these bits of childhood from the past serve as reminders that children living in and visiting the Gage House used this property and left their mark just as the adults of the household did.

You can see the fragments of the ABC plate online here and a picture of the whole plate here.

Music of the Day: Work Song from Les Misérables
Diggers Log: July 12, 2007
It has been four days since we have been assigned to this desolate landscape. We are quickly running out of food, water, and stamina. As we look out across the barren moonscape of mottled clay and large rocks we begin to wonder what it was we did to anger Kim in those first days to be assigned to this unit, but then we remember that we chose this unit as it felt lucky. However, it seems our luck has run out. How quaint those optimistic days of yore seem to us now as we scrape our way through compacted layers of clay which continues to taunt us with the occasional rusted nail or small sherd of ceramic in the supposedly sterile soil.
Beads of sweat trickle down our brows as the sun beats upon our bent backs and our hands are slowly stiffening into the dreaded trowel claw, the bane of all archaeologists. Despite repeated attempts at escape, our taskmaster shows little mercy, pointing out a mouth harp, drawer pull, and large rib bone which we found in upper levels. She hopes for more discoveries as we dig deeper into the abyss. But for us, these are distant memories of our past glories.
In recent days there have been distant mumblings among the higher ranks of a possible relocation in our near future, but this has yet to come to fruition. For now we must content ourselves with gazing longingly at our more fortunate peers with significant, non-coal related finds, and better sun to shade ratios. Only the gods of archaeology can predict our future. Today we continue to be hopeful that lady luck shall smile upon us and our next entry will bring more fortuitous tidings.
To Be Continued: Will Laura and Susan survive to trowel another day? Will they melt beneath the sun’s burning rays or will they finally make their escape into the shade?

Brought to you by: Laura Soules and Susan Penacho
PS: we blame the sun for any hallucinations or any descent into melodrama.

End of field season

Well, we finished excavations for the summer on August 14th, and I’m back in Berkeley now that classes have started again. I am working with a great group of undergraduate students this semester (including two who participated in the field school this summer), and we’ll be doing some excavations at a site here on campus as well as processing all of the Gage House artifacts from this summer. We’ll be posting periodic updates as the artifact analyses get started. Happy fall, everyone!