vintage toronto world ad of the day

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Vintage Ad #1,110: Squeezing Pimples

Long before innocent victims of zits were urged to Oxycute them, sufferers of acne, boils and other facial skin eruptions were urged to try quack medicines like Stuart's Calcium Wafers. Besides working their magic on pimples, these wafers were also touted as a remedy for constipation, liver problems, nerve damage, "and all disorders and symptoms arising from impure blood."

One group who took issue with the product's claims of "scientifically" treating pimples were health authorities. The "Propaganda for Reform" column (PDF) of the June 1, 1918 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association determined that not only were the manufacturer's claims about the wafers being safe for children and containing no poisonous ingredients were "false and misleading," but that the remedy "did contain a poisonous ingredient, to wit, strychnin."

Source: The Toronto World, March 25, 1910 - JB

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