Whitman Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil with Hypophosphites
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1910
name: label: maker
content: Whitman Chemical Company
notes: label: Description
content: Cod liver oil was used in northern European fishing communities for centuries as a remedy for ill health, before it became recognized by the medical establishment. Its popularity spread quickly in the United States after Edinburgh physician John Hughes Bennett published the first English-language treatise on cod liver oil in 1841. The oil was used to treat “wasting diseases” such as consumption (tuberculosis), and as a remedy for rickets. By the mid-19th century, the New England coast was producing 24, 000 gallons of the oil annually.
label: Description
content: Yet despite its acknowledged medicinal value, the problem with cod liver oil remained its vile, nauseating, oily taste. To mask the taste, the oil was given in coffee, milk, or brandy, or taken with a pinch of salt, smoked herring, or tomato catsup. Pharmaceutical manufacturers created emulsions, made by mixing the oil with an emulsifying agent such as powdered acacia, water, sugar, and flavoring.
label: Description
content: This bottle of cod liver oil emulsion was made around 1910 by the Whitman Chemical Company of Boston. The label states that it is one-third cod liver oil and 7% alcohol. It also contains hypophosphites, compounds of phosphorous, which were also thought to be effective in treating tuberculosis. At the time this bottle was manufactured, the value of cod liver oil as a medicine was questioned by many doctors. However, it remained popular as a general tonic and nutritive supplement, especially for children.
label: Description
content: The use of cod liver oil would change dramatically after the discovery of vitamins and the role they play in promoting healthy growth and preventing diseases such as rickets (caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D). Cod liver oil is one of the best natural sources of vitamins A and D.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: related event
content: The Emergence of Modern America
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Pharmacy
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content: Health & Medicine
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content: Food
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content: Natural Resources
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mario Cassinelli, Jr.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1984.0782.045
label: accession number
content: 1984.0782
label: catalog number
content: 1984.0782.045
objectType: label: Object Name
content: OTC Preparation
label: Object Name
content: Nutritional Product
label: Object Name
content: Cod Liver Oil
label: Object Type
content: Drugs
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cod liver oil (33 1/3 %) (drug active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: alcohol (7%) (drug active ingredients)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 23 cm x 7.5 cm x 4.5 cm; 9 1/16 in x 2 15/16 in x 1 3/4 in