Monday, March 19, 2012

The Good Ol' Days!

Ever wondered why our great-grandparents had such fond memories of their youth? The answer was in their medicine cabinets!
Maybe there was a bottle of Bayer's Heroin. Between 1890-1910, heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. It was also used to treat children suffering with a strong cough.
Metcalf's Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines on the market containing cocaine. Everybody used to say it would make you happy and also work as a medicinal treatment.
Vin Mariani or Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous coca wine of it's time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry a bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) a Vatican gold medal for his God-given product.
Maltine was produced by the Maltine Mfg.Co. of New York. It was suggested adults take a full glass with every meal: children should only take half a glass.
Here's a paperweight from Boehringer and Soehne (of Mannheim, Germany), proud to be the world's biggest producers of products containing quinine and cocaine. Then there was opium for asthma: at 40% alcohol plus 3 grams of opium per tablet, it didn't cure you, but you didn't care...
Cocaine tablets (1900) were used by stage actors, singers, teachers and preachers, to give them a top performance.Great to smooth the voice!
Cocaine toothache drops: very popular for children in 1885, I'm sure! Not only did they relieve the pain, they made the children very happy!
Opium for new-borns: this made them sleep well (not only the opium, but also 46% alcohol)!
From the cradle to the grave...everyone was stoned! No wonder they were called The Good Ol' Days!

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