Hamlin's Wizard Oil was an American

patent medicine A patent medicine (sometimes called a proprietary medicine) is a non-prescription medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name, and claimed to be effective against minor disorders a ...

sold as a

cure-all A panacea () is any supposed wiktionary:remedy, remedy that is claimed (for example) to cure all diseases and Immortality, prolong life indefinitely. Named after the Greek goddess of universal remedy Panacea, it was in the past sought by alchemy, ...

under the slogan "There is no Sore it will Not Heal, No Pain it will not Subdue."

History

First produced in 1861 in Chicago by former magician John Austin Hamlin and his brother Lysander Butler Hamlin, it was primarily sold and used as a

liniment Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, Anointing, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; s ...

for rheumatic pain and sore muscles, but was advertised as a treatment for pneumonia, cancer, diphtheria, earache, toothache, headache, and hydrophobia. It was made of 50–70% alcohol containing

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...

, sassafras, cloves, and

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

, and was said to be usable both internally and topically. Traveling performance troupes advertised the product in

medicine show Medicine shows were touring acts (traveling by truck, horse, or wagon teams) that peddled "miracle cure" patent medicines and other products between various entertainments. They developed from European Charlatan, mountebank shows and were common ...

s across the Midwest, with runs as long as six weeks in a town. They used horse-drawn wagons and dressed in silk top hats,

frock coat A frock coat is a formal wear, formal men's coat (clothing), coat characterised by a knee-length skirt cut all around the base just above the knee, popular during the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian era, Edwardian periods (1830s–1910s). ...

s, pinstriped trousers, and patent leather shoes—with spats. They distributed song books at the shows and in

pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

. Performers included

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

, singer and composer Paul Dresser from Indiana, and southern gospel music progenitor Charles Davis Tillman. At these gatherings, John Austin Hamlin delivered lectures replete with humor borrowed from the writings of Robert Jones Burdette.

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

research points out that the Hamlins claimed efficacy for Wizard Oil on not only human beings but also horses and cattle, one poster displaying an elephant drinking the product by lifting the bottle with its trunk. Bottles came in 35¢ and 75¢ sizes. Carl Sandburg inserted two versions of lyrics titled "Wizard Oil" together with a tune into his ''American Songbag'' (1927). John Austin Hamlin would use the profits of Hamlin's Wizard Oil to found and manage Chicago's Grand Opera House. "Grand Opera House Founder is Dead," Chicago Tribune, May 21, 1908
/ref> In 1916, Lysander's son Lawrence B. Hamlin of Elgin, by then manager of the firm, was fined $200 under the 1906

Pure Food and Drug Act The s:Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, also known as the Wiley Act and Harvey Washington Wiley, Dr. Wiley's Law, was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws enacted by the United States Con ...

for advertising that Hamlin's Wizard Oil could "check the growth and permanently kill cancer."

References

External links

Website tribute to Hamlin's Wizard Oil
{{Alcoholic drinks Alternative cancer treatments Alcoholic drink brands Defunct retail companies of the United States Elgin, Illinois Health fraud products 1861 establishments in the United States Patent medicines 1861 introductions

History

See also

References

External links