The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-06-21
The Patent Medicine Business How
Fortunes Have Been Made.

The profit Of patent medicines is il
I Illustrated by some statements made in a
recent report upon the manufacturing re-
sources of Buffalo. 1t first mentions the
success Of Mr.. Loveridgc, the inventor of
the = Wahoo Bitters." Another instance
is that Of MFR Swain, poor Philadelphia
book binder. He 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 a
receipt for making a syrup which was said
wolld cure scrofula, king evil, and other
diseases of the blood. He copied it, got
some of the materials at the drug shop,
took the medicines and in time was cured
He then made some for his friends and ac-
quaintances, and finally left his binder 5
counter and entered upon the manufacture
of Swain panaces. 1t began to sell,
and finally its fame spread wherever civil
cation had gone, and In some parts where
the people do not enjoy that blessing to this
day. He paid enormously for advertising,
and after many years he built blocks OF
stores and splendid mansions in Philadel-
phia, where they appear in al their magnif.
cent proportions, the pride of the city and
a monument to the memory and enterprise
Of a patent-medicine man. He died and
left his heirs million or more.
DR.. David Jayne died in Philadelphia a
few days ago leaving $3,000,0 900. He COM
menced about thirty FIVE years since, as
poor as could be, in putting up round of
what he called |" family medicines" such
as sanative.pills, cumulative balsam, worm
medicine, eXpectorant 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. His resi-
! dence stands on Chestnut street, near the
| Schuylkill bridge The edifce is of pure
marble, and is the most exquisite mansion
in Philadelphia.
DR.. Schenck was Philadelphian. He
put UP syrup for curing consumption, and
at one time kept a small Office on Court
land street, New York. For many years it
was up, hill work to make the medicine
take, but by dint of persistent advertising
he weathered the storm, and has come out
all right. The Doctor owns a large farm
on the New York and Philadelphia railroad
in New Jersey. The station named after
him is at that point where travellers see in
large letters as they go by" Consumption
can be cured. - He is probably worth his
hundreds of thousands by this time, and
all made from the sale of patent medi-
cine. There are scores of others in Fhlla
delphia, whose names escape US at this mo-
ment, who have realized large fortunes and
built for themselves splendid mansions in
that city out Of the same business.
1t may be thirty five years ago that DIR.
Benjamin Brandreth made his debut in
| New York as vcnder of pills. 1t was al,
legged at the time, that he procured his
recipe from an old man that either came
over with him in the ship from England
or that he became, acquainted with him IN
New York II makes no matter which
When he first started in Hudson street lit
was too poor to advertise, and for some
time sold his pills by the single box, unit
he acquired sufficient sum to put short
advertisement in the Sun. AS the pills
began to sell he increased the manufacture
and establishing agencies in all cases leay
ing them with booksellers, never allowing
druggists to sell them as his agents. After
awhile he found the druggists were selling
more than he was manufacturing, whlct
an investigation proved were an imitation
: article This gave him good chance Il
cautioa the pubic against couitcrfeits. Ii
time he opened central office in Broad
way, above Warren street, which, for ;
long time, remained his principal office. A
length he made terms with the druggists
and the pills became regular article on the
price list of wholesale houses. Afterward
site was purchased at 1onkers, where ;
factory was built, which supplied the de
mand. A sloop carried a load of hogs
heads Of pill boxes up, and brought loa'
of pills in boxes back. The Doctor prob
, ably owns a steamboat to do his carryln:
business nov. We have no means of est
mating his riches. The Brandrcth House
corner of Broadway and Canal street, i
owned be him, and we presume he own
whole squares of other real estate in tha
city
Doctor Ayres, of Lowell came very nea
running all his relatives after he started hi
pills, sarsaparila and cherry pectoral.-
1t was tedious time he had in fighting
advertising bills and other expenses. II
spent what little he had, borrowed all hi
relatives had, till finally the medicines be
gan to make returns, and from that time
some twenty years, he has been MAXIM
money He owns paper mill, where h
makes a peculiar paper which he claim
is not easily counterfeted, iu which he
wraps his various preparations. Poop!
who estimate his wealth run him into mil
lions. At one time he was, if he is no
still heavy stockholder in the N. Y. Tt7
Juae Association. Such men are apt t.
leave their imprint, even if they max
their money in the manufacture Of paten
medicines.
William B. Moffat was silk merchan
in New York. Besides being bankrup
his health had become very much impaired
from overwork and trouble of one kind o
J another. In his extremity he had conceiv
cd the idea of making pill and bitters.-
, They cured his infrmities, and made
millionaire of him in less than twenty years
, Persons familiar with New York can tel
/ the number of magnificent stores he owns o.
Broadway and other parts of the city, II
, died some years ago, but the pills and bit
tiers didn't. The heirs carry on the bus
mess as usual.
) Perry Davis the pain killer man; Don
J aid Kennedy, proprietor of the great med
ical discovery-who has refused one hun
: dfed thousand dollars for his rights
Seth W. Foyle, who bought Wistar's bal
sam of wild cherry from Iscac Butts, 0
Rochester Demus Barnes of New York
the largest patent medicine depot in Amer
! lea; Hostetter, Helmbold, the Mexica