Many column inches are given over to those in the business of herbal and general medicines, surgical appliances and do-it yourself Quack Doctor type cures.
This could be a reflection of the high cost of medical advice and attention which would only be within the budgets of the Middle and Upper Classes of Victorian Society.
The majority of products were available nationally and with a number of Hull based Apothecaries, Druggists and Chemists acting as official stockists and agents.
Most prominent of the local outlets were Ross and Burton of Lowgate, Thomas Walker in Whitefriargate, Mr Kenningham of Beverley and a few others including Messrs Hammonds, Bell, Weir, Ryder and Reinhardt.
So what was on offer to alleviate the symptoms and ailments most commonly afflicting the good people of Kingston upon Hull in 1845?
Natural based remedies were very prominent.
Senna, as a fluid extract was advertised as an efficient and easy Purgative with one or two teaspoons as the dose guaranteeing no sickness or gripe but yet helping with the torpid action of the stomach and bowels. The extract, prepared in vacuo, was for sale in bottles for 2s6d, 5 shillings or 10 shillings.
Brand names did form a strong pedigree in a market where there will have been many imitations of lesser quality and diligence in production and provenance.
Simco's Essence of Linseed was directed at parents and guardians for the treatment of influenza and coughs in children.
Ginger based substances were also widely available being sourced from the Colonial Empire. Williamsons were the makers of a highly concentrated essence of Jamaican root ginger. Its special properties have been known to ancient civilisations over the millenia and in particular for stomach and digestive tract complaints. The Victorian diet of the wealthier and privileged in society and lifestyle certainly promoted conditions for which ginger could help with such as gout, palsy, rheumatism, flatulence and what is described as hysterical affections.
For the teetotal amongst the Hull population extract of ginger was marketed as a viable substitute when taken as a cordial to replace intoxicating spirits.
A few herbal remedies have names straight out of folk lore.
One of these is Foss's Pectoral Balsam of Horehound. It's target market was those suffering from coughs, cold, flue and pulmonary conditions.
Some claims of products seem a bit basic, for example the property of Dennis's Family Pills to promote the secretion of bile to alleviate the effects of indigestion, headache and spasms.
All of the Brand Names dedicate parts of their paid for advertisement space to warnings of spurious and ineffective imitations being hawked around.
Rowlands appear to have been a prolific manufacturer of preparations for a wider market. Unique tonics and substances were offered for hair, skin and teeth. Macassar Oil was a popular scalp and hair application, hence the need for protective covers on furniture to prevent absorption and staining. Kalydor is a name associated with the treatment of pimples, freckles and chilblains being championed as a botanical. Gentlemen were urged to use it as an after shave lotion.
Of course there were the mainstays of every family medicine chest such as Cod Liver Oil to boost the immune systems where diet alone could not provide adequate nourishment.
It was not just internally taken treatments on offer.
The use of hand drawn diagrams such as of an adult leg, unisex, showed the wearing of elastic laced stockings on knees and ankles (spelt ancles), as well as Ladies Belts and Baileys Trusses. Obesity is not obviously a solely 21st Century problem.
Two intriguing products were Dr Davis's Medicated Flannel which may have been a poultice and Pastilles de Belloc for the purification of blood.
The Victorian Era did see a dramatic improvement in Medical Science and Surgery for the populus and so gradually the reliance on self-treatment using those products aimed at the domestic market will have diminished over time.
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