Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-05-14
MANY ODD REMEDIES.
MAN OIL, ANT SPIRITS AND OTHER
CURIOUS THINGS USED.

"Aye want dees filled wit man oil. {"
With this the speaker, rawboned,
stolid looking Swede, handed a dirty,
two ounce vial across the counter of
Division street drug store to the clerk.
Without saying word or moving a
muscle to indicate astonishlnent at this
singular request the clerk took the vial
and disappeared behind the prescription
case. In moment he reappeared, and,
handing the vial back, remarked in an
Indifferent tone:
NINETY cents"
Being asked to tell something about
the traffic in the fat of human beings
the clerk grinned.
81 gave the fellow two ounces of sim
pie cerate and charged fancy price to
impress him with the genuineness of the
man fat, said he. II see no harm in
che deception. The fellow has unbound
ed faith in the virtues of man oil, and he
wouldn't be happy until he believed he
had some. If didn't sell him some, he
would find druggist who would. The
simple cerate will do him just as much
good as man oil. We often have calls for
remedies as absurd as this. We always
I'LL them-out of the simple cerate bot
tie if it be an oil, or some other harm
less drug if it be something else."
Investigation disclosed the fact that
the various portions of the city have their
peculiarities in beliefs as to the efficacy
of various unusual remedies. In the
Swedish settlements man oil is believed
to have marvellous virtues in aches and
pains when applied externally. Over in
the stockyards region and in the south
west portion of the city dogs grease is
held in high repute as a specific for con-
sumption. The men in charge at the dog
pound declare great many of the dogs
that come to an untimely end in the
death chamber there are converted into
a superior article of cod liver oil for the
use of consumptives. They declare that
a number of doctors" regularly visit
the pound and select nice, fat dogs,
which are slaughtered by the attendants,
to be rendered into oil for the alleged
physicians patients. Not only this, but
the patients themselves often send rela-
tives or friends to the pound to get dogs
for this purpose. Usually the attendants
kill and dress the dogs, receiving a
small fee for their trouble. Sometimes
the dogs are taken away to be killed.
One dealer said he usually got from half
a gallon to gallon of oil from dog !;
that the grease resembled lard oil in ap-
pearance; that the oil had no disagree
able odor if the dog was young; that
the dose was tablespoonful three times
a day. An interesting feature brought
out was that after person had once used
dogs grease other remedies would have
no effect whatever ON him.
Out ON Milwaukee avenue rainworm
oil and ant spirits are held in high re
pute. The druggists have frequent calls
for these remedies and they always fill
the prescriptions, the former out of the
olive oil bottle and the latter with alcohol
slightly colored. The Germans believe
both remedies are valuable for external
use for all sorts of aches and pains, in
cluding rheumatism. The ant spirits are
also taken internally. In standard
German pharmacop9ia, DR.. FL. Hager, in
tho edition for 1876, gives formula for
making the ant spirits. The directions
given are to take ten parts of ants to two
parts of alcohol. The ingredients are to
be rubbed in mortar and left to stand
for two days. The resulting colorless
liquid is then ready for use for rheuma-
tism, paralysis and the like.
Snake oil is regularly quoted in some
drug price lists. A man named Schuh
at Cairo, Ills, is engaged in it's manu-
facture. John Jones of Phenix, A. T.,
devotes his entire time to the manufac-
ture of rattlesnake oil, for which he
gets 81 pound, the purchaser to pay
express charges. Snake oil is reputed to
be valuable for rheumatism. He comes
to the city occasionally to work up
trade.
Skunk oil is in considerable demand,
also for rheumatism. The skunk oil is
obtained from the skunk farms, where
the animals are bred for their skins.
Belief in these remedies is often found
among American born people.
In all parts Of the city there is
good trade in "love powders, the pur-
chasers usually being of the servant girl
class.
"When girl comes in after love
powders, J." said drug clerk on North
State street who often has occasion to
fill such orders, II give her little sug-
ar Of milk, which is absolutely innocu-
ous. if she wants it for herself, and tell
her to take two doses day. If she
wants it for her fellow, she usually
asks for the magic drug in the shape Of
candy. In that case give her some
worm lozenges. The drugs must give
satisfaction, for the orders are fire.