Medicine Bottles & Nicotine Sulfate
Title
Medicine Bottles & Nicotine Sulfate
Subject
popular culture
misrepresentation
stereotype
Description
The Hobo Medicine Co. became located in Shreveport, LA as early as November 14, 1914, and Beaumont, Texas by January 1, 1923.
A 1938 letter to a Texas physician from the American Medical Association Bureau of Investigation: "Government chemists who analyzed Hobo Kidney and Bladder Remedy and reports that it consisted of small quantities of an extract if a plan drug similar to gallium aparine, benzoic acid, salicylic acid (asprine) and water. The water was said to constitute 98% of the mixture." Hobo Kidney and Bladder Remedy was represented as a treatment or cure for Bright's disease, backache, rheumatism, inflammation of thee bladder, diabetes. Claims were declared false and fraudulent by federal authorities between 1920-1940 (source: FDA Notice of Judgement 9493).
"Minneapolis Skinny" explains:
"In the early 70’s, Connecticut Slim and Cheyenne Kidd were talking about men they knew who were sick or injured (but were otherwise healthy and fit), went to the hospital for treatment and were never seen again. 'Yep', said Kidd, 'They were fed from the black bottle'. Slim replied, “Yea, I saw a couple good men lost that way”. What are you guys talking about? I asked. What’s a black bottle?"
“Doctors had black bottles in their office that had poison. They’d kill the patient so they wouldn’t have to waste time treating them, or they’d sell the body to medical schools."
"I didn’t believe what they were saying so I asked Big Town Gorman, who was a bit older than Slim & Kidd. Gorman replied he knows it’s fact – he said he rode with a good guy out of Denver to Pasco, Washington to pick apples, healthy, good natured guy, fell off a ladder and broke his wrist – went to doc for treatment and never came back – and the guy was healthy as a mule, could pick 5 couple bushels an hour."
"Lighting was not good in may doctor offices, so poison bottles were fluted or uniquely shaped so their “feel” was unique to the doctor’s touch."
A 1938 letter to a Texas physician from the American Medical Association Bureau of Investigation: "Government chemists who analyzed Hobo Kidney and Bladder Remedy and reports that it consisted of small quantities of an extract if a plan drug similar to gallium aparine, benzoic acid, salicylic acid (asprine) and water. The water was said to constitute 98% of the mixture." Hobo Kidney and Bladder Remedy was represented as a treatment or cure for Bright's disease, backache, rheumatism, inflammation of thee bladder, diabetes. Claims were declared false and fraudulent by federal authorities between 1920-1940 (source: FDA Notice of Judgement 9493).
"Minneapolis Skinny" explains:
"In the early 70’s, Connecticut Slim and Cheyenne Kidd were talking about men they knew who were sick or injured (but were otherwise healthy and fit), went to the hospital for treatment and were never seen again. 'Yep', said Kidd, 'They were fed from the black bottle'. Slim replied, “Yea, I saw a couple good men lost that way”. What are you guys talking about? I asked. What’s a black bottle?"
“Doctors had black bottles in their office that had poison. They’d kill the patient so they wouldn’t have to waste time treating them, or they’d sell the body to medical schools."
"I didn’t believe what they were saying so I asked Big Town Gorman, who was a bit older than Slim & Kidd. Gorman replied he knows it’s fact – he said he rode with a good guy out of Denver to Pasco, Washington to pick apples, healthy, good natured guy, fell off a ladder and broke his wrist – went to doc for treatment and never came back – and the guy was healthy as a mule, could pick 5 couple bushels an hour."
"Lighting was not good in may doctor offices, so poison bottles were fluted or uniquely shaped so their “feel” was unique to the doctor’s touch."
Creator
Hobo Medicine Company Inc.
Date
1913-1941
Contributor
Minneapolis Skinny
Rights
Hobo Medicine Company Inc.
Format
object
Language
English
Type
still image
Coverage
Beaumont, Texas
Shreveport, Louisiana
Citation
Hobo Medicine Company Inc., “Medicine Bottles & Nicotine Sulfate,” Hobo Archive, accessed June 26, 2024, https://hoboarchive.lib.uiowa.edu/items/show/331.