Items

Title

Facendo Il Libro: The Making of Fasciculus Medicinae, an Early Printed Anatomy

Description

The collection includes five editions of the Fasciculus Medicinae printed between the years of 1495 and 1522. The Fasciculus medicinae—literally, the “little bundle of medicine”—is a small group of independently-authored medical treatises and illustrations first printed in 1491. Remarkable as one of the earliest illustrated medical books to be printed, the Fasciculus was reprinted in dozens of different editions and translated into the major European vernacular languages into the 1520s. The Fasciculus also serves as an important witness to a dynamic period of change, reflecting both medieval medical ideas and new advances spurred by the humanistic surge associated with the Renaissance. This is perhaps best illustrated by the inclusion of the first printed scene of human dissection, an indication of the growing importance of empirical investigations of the interior. The images attached to the Fasciculus are a blend of diagrams copied from medieval manuscripts alongside newer, narrative-based scenes demonstrating the modern taste for classical styles in figures and interiors.

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Title: Compliments of John S. Shaffer & Co., Druggists, Dealers in Dr. C. McLean's Liver Pills and Vermifuge
Description: Trade card advertising Dr. C. McLane's Liver Pills and Vermifuge featuring a bunch of pansies tied together with a red string. The back contains a customer testimony.
Conditions Cured (LC): Helminths
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Bouquets, Bows, Flowers, Pansies, Ribbons
ID: WH297
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: If you feel irritable take Cas-car-ria [from verso]
Description: Trade card advertising Cas-car-ria featuring a young girl with a dog running devil-esque creatures, presumably representing the ailments listed next to their bodies, into the water. The girl is wearing a bright pink dress and holds a switch in her hand. The dog is large and brown and white. The back quotes a piece by Henry Ward Beecher.
Conditions Cured (LC): Asthenia, Rheumatism
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Animals, Children, Cliffs, Demonology, Devil, Dogs, Folklore, Grasslands, Mythology, Staffs (Sticks, Canes, Etc.), Trees, Water
ID: WH246
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Should Midsummer Urgency Be Met By Midsummer Appeal?
Description: Articles from the NY Times and the New York Press are reproduced on this 1911 postcard printed by the New York Milk Committee's Bureau of Municipal Research. "Asks $10,000 To Aid Babies," from the Times, highlights the efforts of Commissioner Lederle to increase city appropriations for the service of milk depots. "Why Milk Stations Are Worth While," from the NY Press, compares infant mortality statistics from 1911 to those of the previous year, noting the crucial role played by milk stations in the current year's reduction of deaths. A portrait of a healthy baby and a list of "Babies' Rights,"almost all of which deal with milk, are found on the postcard verso.
Subjects (LC): Milk, Health, Mortality, Law and legislation
ID: mk1e011
Geographic Subject: New York. New York City.
Collection: New York Milk Committee Ephemera Collection

Title: If you are Weak, Languid, Nervous or Suffer from Dyspepsia
Description: Trade card printed on two sides advertising Iron Bitters for the treatment of digestive ailments.
Subjects (LC): Care giving, Couples
Language: English
ID: WH281
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Hunnewell's Universal Cough Remedy
Description: Trade card printed on two sides advertising Hunnewell's Universal Cough Remedy — "will cure your cough."
Subjects (LC): Birdcages, Mothers and children
Manufacturer: Gilman Brothers (Boston (Mass.))
Language: English
ID: WH278
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: The Conclusion of the Matter [from verso]
Description: Trade card printed on two sides advertising compound oxygen, to be inhaled as a treatment for disease and debility.
Subjects (LC): Corsets, Interiors, Women
Manufacturer: Drs. Starkey and Palen (Philadelphia (Pa.))
Language: English
ID: WH250
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Naughty Puss!: Jayne's Tonic Vermifuge [from verso]
Description: Trade card advertising Dr. Jayne's Expectorant, Dr. Jayne's Liniment, and Dr. Jayne's Tonic Vermifuge featuring a young girl inspecting a scratch her cat, to her left, seemingly just gave her. She is wearing a blue, frilled dress. There is a ball on the floor by her right foot, and she is surrounded by ornate home decorations, such as a rug, tablecloth, and vase on a table filled with pink flowers. She has a blue bow in her hair, and the cat has a yellow ribbon around its neck. The back features the curative properties of the items advertised.
Conditions Cured (LC): Asthma, Bronchitis, Cold (Disease), Cough, Croup, Helminths, Indigestion, Pleurisy, Throat—Diseases, Tuberculosis, Whooping Cough
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Animals, Balls—Sporting Goods, Bouquets, Bows, Carpets, Cats, Children, Children's Clothing, Domestic Space, Dress And Clothing, Dwellings, Flower Vases, Flowers, Infants—Wounds And Injuries, Ribbons, Rugs, Skin—Wounds And Injuries, Textile Fabrics
Language: English
ID: WH166
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Saving Through Education: Will You Reprint This?
Description: A double-sided postcard promoting healty diets for inants and children aged 18 months to three years, including sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. The abilities of science and common sense to reduce infant mortality are also touted. On the back, photos depicting a plump, healthy baby and a guant, distressed baby are contrasted. "A Story" accompanies the images, as does the New York Milk Committee's address, where care givers can find more information to "make mother knowing."
Subjects (LC): Infants, Nutrition, Food, Menus, Poetry
ID: mk1e015
Geographic Subject: New York. New York City.
Collection: New York Milk Committee Ephemera Collection

Title: Ayer's Hair Vigor for the Toilet: Restores Gray Hair to its Natural Vitality and Color
Description: Trade card advertising Ayer's Hair Vigor featuring five mermaids, four of whom arein the forefront in various stages of using Ayer's Hair Vigor. The fifth is swimming off to a ship that seems to be capsizing in the background. The back has an image of an Ayer's Hair Vigor bottle and two brushes. It also lists the ailments Ayer's Hair Vigor helps combat.
Conditions Cured (LC): Baldness, Dandruff
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Boats And Boating, Bottles, Flowers, Hair, Hair—Care And Hygiene, Hairbrushes, Mermaids, Ocean, Ocean—Folklore, Ocean—Mythology, Plant-Water Relationships, Sailboats, Sailing Ships, Women
ID: WH125
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Hanson's Magic Corn Salve
Description: Trade card advertising Hanson's Magic Corn Salve featuring a man in a three-piece suit holding a bouquet of flowers. His mustache is pointed at the ends, and he is framed by flowers that resemble Morning Glories. The back warns customers against counterfeit products.
Conditions Cured (LC): Bunion
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Bouquets, Clothes And Dress, Costume, Eyeglasses, Flowers, Mustaches
ID: WH271
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title

William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Description

The William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards contains approximately 300 colorful pharmaceutical trade cards produced in the U.S. and France between 1875 and 1895 that were used to advertise a wide range of goods in the nineteenth century; although introduced (in the mid-eighteenth century) as an ephemeral form of advertisement, they soon became collectors' items and were mass-produced in collectible 'series' comparable to those produced by sports teams in the twentieth century. They are now regarded as some of the best source material for the study of advertising, technology and trade in the post-Civil War period.

The collection was donated to the Academy Library by Mr. Helfand (one of the nation's leading collectors of medical ephemera) in a series of individual gifts between 1986 and 1992. The collection includes a number of duplicates, some of which are useful for scholarly study (e.g. bearing the stamps of different distributing pharmacists).

Scope Note: A collection of approximately 300 trade cards, ca. 1875 - ca. 1925 (bulk ca. 1875 - ca. 1914). Almost all advertise patent medicines or herbal remedies; a few deal with cosmetics, chocolate, or veterinary products. The collection includes a small number of French, German, Italian and Spanish cards; however, the bulk of collection is from the United States. Some of the companies represented manufactured the medicines and products advertised on the cards; others are local pharmacies which had their names printed onto cards advertising products they distributed. Many of the medicines and remedies claim to cure almost any complaint, or to address generalized conditions such as weakness, nervousness and general debility. Others address specific conditions or groups of ailments. Only a few cards list the printer or lithographer responsible for producing the image; very few indicate a date of publication or copyright.

Historical Note: Trade cards are small illustrated advertisements that were distributed for free by manufacturers and retailers from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Following the Civil War, trade cards became enormously popular in the United States and were the most effective mass advertising medium until the end of the 19th century. Late 19th century American trade cards were typically small pasteboard cards printed with illustrations in multiple colors. These cards were either custom-produced for one firm or store, or issued as stock cards. Stock cards allowed a manufacturer or retailer to have printed or stamped their advertisement and/or name and address on the front or back of an existing illustrated card, thus avoiding the expense of having one specially made.

Helfand, William H. The William H. Helfand collection of pharmaceutical trade cards. United States & France, 1875-1925.

Title: Dr. Roger's Syrup
Description: Trade card printed on two sides advertising Dr. Roger's Syrup, a cough remedy.
Manufacturer: Manhattan Medicine Co. (New York (N.Y.))
Language: English
ID: WH338
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Vegetine: The Great Blood Purifier
Description: Trade card advertising Vegetine featuring two young children and a basket of animals. Within the basket are a lobster, who is pinching the left-most child's clothing, and a duck or goose. The right-most child is liftng the top off of the basket that contains the animals. The back has testimony from a satisfied customer.
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Animals, Baskets, Children, Children's Clothing, Children's Hats, Clothing And Dress, Costume, Ducks, Hats, Lobsters
ID: WH371
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Hunt's Remedy [from verso]
Description: Trade card printed on two sides advertising Hunt's remedy, "the best kidney and liver medicine."
Subjects (LC): Children
Manufacturer: Hunt's Remedy Co. (Providence (R.I.))
Language: English
ID: WH279
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Dr. Thomas' Eclectric Oil: Mary Anderson
Description: Trade card advertising Dr. Thomas' Eclectric Oil featuring a portrait of a young woman. She is formally dressed in a gown with long gloves. She is wearing a hat that reads: "Dr. Thomas' Eclectric Oil" and has a feather in it. The back lists the ailments the Oil has cured.
Conditions Cured (LC): Asthma, Backache, Bronchitis, Burns And Scalds, Catarrh, Cough, Croup, Deafness, Diphtheria, Earache, Edema, Frostbite, Neuralgia, Rheumatism, Throat—Diseases, Toothache
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Clothing And Dress, Costume, Ethnic Costume, Hats, Portraits, Women
ID: WH366
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Sapanule: Sold By All Druggists
Description: Trade card advertising Sapanule featuring three figures and a dog. Towards the left is a boy courting a girl with a flower. In his right hand is a discus-type object. Between them is a dog holding a flower in its mouth. Towards the right is a boy lying down reading a book. He is wearing glasses and a small hat with a decoration on top. On the far right side of the card is a wreath of flowers and leaves. To its left is a thermometer. The back lists the ailments Sapanule can cure.
Conditions Cured (LC): Diphtheria, Inflammation, Neuralgia, Pneumonia, Rheumatism, Throat—Diseases
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Animals, Books And Reading, Children, Children's Clothing, Children's Hats, Costume, Dogs, Dress And Clothing, Eyeglasses, Flowers, Flying Discs (Game), Hats, Thermometers
ID: WH340
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: 19. Execution : a full and true account of the last speech and dying declaration of William Burke, who was executed at Edinburgh this morning, for murder, and his body given for dissection; also of his conduct and behaviour since his condemnation, and on the scaffold
Description: Illustrated broadside. Cut and mounted.
Language: English
Collection: The Resurrectionists

Title: Ayer's Sarsaparilla
Description: Trade card advertising Ayer's Sarsaparilla featuring an image of a man in a dressing gown holding a bottle of Ayer's Sarsaparilla and reading a paper advertising the medicine. A woman wearing a bonnet and a dress with lace cuffs and collar reads over his shoulder and clasps his arm. The back explains the product's health benefits and has an image of an animal intertwined with the word "MIND."
Conditions Cured (LC): Asthenia, Body Fluids, Catarrh, Eczema, Furuncle, Indigestion, Lymph Node, Rheumatism, Tuberculosis
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Bottles, Clothing And Dress, Lace And Lacemaking, Men, Men's Clothing, Sarsaparilla, Women, Women's Clothing, Women's Hats
ID: WH111
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

Title: Vaseline Chesebrough Manfg Co.
Description: Trade card primarily advertising Pure Vaseline featuring a beach scene with two children playing in the foreground. They are both wearing yellow hats and playing in the sand with shovels and a single pail. Behind them stands a woman with a parasol. She is in formal dress, with an overcoat, ruffled skirt, and yellow bow on her hip. There are various people on the beach and in the ocean as well is what looks like a cruise ship in the far background. The back contains a poem titled The Elixir Vitae and lists prices for various vaseline products.
Conditions Cured (LC): Asthma, Burns And Scalds, Cold (Disease), Croup, Neuralgia, Rheumatism
Subjects (LC): Advertising—Medicine, Beaches, Boats And Boating, Bows, Children, Children's Hats, Clothing And Dress, Crabs, Hats, Parasols, Ribbons, Sand Pails, Sand Toys, Shovels, Water, Water Waves, Women's Hats
ID: WH369
Collection: William H. Helfand Collection of Pharmaceutical Trade Cards

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