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Article: Patent medicine makers claimed to cure all
- Article from:
- The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL
- Article date:
- November 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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What if one single miracle medicine could cure a fantastical
range of ailments, including rheumatism, back pain, sprains,
bruises, burns, frostbite, chilblains, ear and toothaches, cholera,
cramps, congestive chills and even tumors? Such was the promise of
Instant Relief, a concocted cure-all courtesy of Bloomington patent
medicine manufacturer Henry S. Woodard.
Bloomington was once a regional center for patent medicine, and
the intertwined partnerships between Woodard and two of his peers,
Zera Waters and Bliss S. Howe, illustrate the nature of this curious
industry.
Aggressively marketed patent medicines, offering supposed cures
for anything and everything, from bowel complaints to ...