Smyrna times., 1867-07-24
SCELLAN EOUS.
The Patent Medicine Business
Hor Fortunes hare been Made.

The profit of patent medicines is illustra-
ted 10y some statements made IN recent report /
upon the manu-. acturng resources of Buffalo.
1t first mentions the success of Mr. LOveridgG, |
the inventor of the ''Wahoo Bitters" An |
other instance is that of Mr. Swain, a poor !
Philadelphia bookbinder. lie had kind of
sore on his leg which troubled him very much. |
One day as he was running over the pages of
a book he was binding, his eye came across
recipe for making syrup which 1t was said
would cure ScrOtula, king 5 evil, AMI other dis
eases of the blood. He copied it, got some OF
the materials at the drug shop, took the medi
/ cines, and i'll time was cured. lie then made
/ some for = his friends and acqualntances, aud
! finally left his binders counter and entered
! npon the manufacture of Swain penacea.
! 1t began to SELL and finally its fame spread
wherever civilization had gone, aud III some
parts where the people do not enjoy that bles
sing to this day. He paid enormously for ad
ver,ising, and after many years he built blocks
of stores and splendid mansions in Phiadel-
phia, where they appear in all their magnificent
proportions, the pride of the city, and monu-
mcnt to the memory of patent medicine man.
He died aud left his heirs a million or more.
DIR. David Jayne died in Philadelphia last
year, leaving $3,0OO,OO0. He commenced
about thirty five years since, as poor as he could
be, in putting up round Of what he called
carInnated balsam, worm medicine, expectO-
c rant, and score of other curative preparations
Philadelphia is dotted with towering structures
erected by him. He had great taste for the
, tall and massive order of architecture. Hi,
', residence stands or Chestnut street near the
Schuylkill bridge. The edifce is of pure mar
bic, and is the most exquisite mansion in Phila
I'd delphla.
l. DIR. Schenck was Philadelphian. He pu
or time kept small office in CoUrtIandt street
New York. For many years it was uphill
work to make the medicine take, but by din
or OF persistent advertising he weathered tn
n. storm, and has come out all right. The Doc
nd tor owns large farm on the New York an,
es Philadelphia Railroad in Jersey. The statio
rd named after him is at that point where travel
u" lers see in large letters as they go by" Con
ov sumption can be cured" He is. probably
IA worth his hundreds of thousands by this time
all made from the sale of patent medicine
There are scores of others in Philadelphia
whose names escape us at this moment, VIII
have realized large fortunes and built for then
selves splendid mansions in that city out of th
same line OF business.
lc- 1t may be thirty-fve years ago that Dr. Bel
amin Brandreth made his debut in New Yor
as vender of pills. 1t was alleged, at Il
time, that he procured his recipe from an O
|
are ship from England or that he became acquain
ed with in New York. 1t makes no matt
which. When he first started in Hudson sire
he was too poor to advertise, and for some tin
m. sold his pills by the single box until he acqu
ed sufficient sum to put short adyertiseme
in the Sun. AS the pills began to sell he
req creased the manufacture and established age
''n cies in all cases leaving them with bookselle
of never allowing druggists to sell them as
eft agents. After while he found the druggi
sire were selling more than he was manufacture
,an. when an investigation proved that they w
an imitation article. This gave him go
r. chance to caution the public against count
- feits. In time he opened a central office
a" q Broadway, above Warren street, which for
long time remained his principal Office.
<a length he made terms with the druggists, o
SsS the pills became regular article Oh the pr
III. list OF Wholesale houses. Afterwards a site
d at purchased at Yonkers, where a factory '
built, which supplied the demand A slc
L 4 carried load of pillboxes up and brought
load Of pills in boxes back. The Doctor, T
badly, owns a steamboat to do his carry
r business now We have no means of estill
3 ing his riches. The Brandreth House, cor
of Broadway and Canal streets, is owned