Pills and profits : the selling of medicines since 1870 : an exhibition at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine / Ken Arnold, Tilli Tansey.
- Arnold, Ken, 1960-
- Date:
- 1994
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: Pills and profits : the selling of medicines since 1870 : an exhibition at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine / Ken Arnold, Tilli Tansey. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![11.10 Chemist and Druggist, 29 March 1890, p.26 The quarter-page advertisement for Sequah medicines carries three of the company's standard marketing images: an Indian on horseback, another standing and some flowers. Their central importance can be judged by the minimal text that accompa- nies them. Despite claims for their exotic composition, it is likely that Sequah medi- cines were made from such common materials as turpentine, camphor, alcohol, weak alkali and vegetable extract. Modern Medicine Collection ser QV1/030 11.11 Sequah Ltd letter, dated 29 May 1890 This letter was sent from Sequah Ltd headquarters to James Kasper in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. He was one of the 23 men operating as Sequah in England at the time. The reprimanding tone of its contents reveals how tightly finances were handled. Kasper was advised not to burden the company with the expenses of telegrams or transport of samples by passenger train. CMAC GC/69/1/C 11.12 Sequah receipt, dated 1 October 1890; Weekly expenses for week ending 5 April 1890; and Mr O'Reilly's receipt, dated 13 March 1890 The Sequah receipt bearing two trademarks of an Indian brave and some 'Prairie Flowers' is for 500 Sequah products costing £1/0/10. It was issued in Stroud, Gloucestershire. The receipt for £6/0/0 issued by Mr O'Reilly is for two weeks' rental of a field in which James Kasper sold Sequah products. The weekly expenses from Carlisle and Penrith include such items as telegrams, rentals, lodgings, horse feed and 2 shillings for advertisements. CMAC GC/69/1/D & 1/B 11.13 Sample bottles of Sequah's 'Prairie Flower'; English, [189-?] 'Indian Oil' and 'Prairie Flower' were the two basic Sequah products. Though recom- mended for many ailments, the former was mainly for 'outward application' and the latter was basically a laxative. Four shillings bought a bottle of each and a box of tooth powder. In 1890 the company claimed to have sold 1.46 million bottles of medicine. Sequah came under the scrutiny of the Inland Revenue, who were due a stamp duty on the sale of proprietary medicines in Great Britain. These legal prob- lems contributed to the closing of Sequah in 1909. Kindly loaned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain of Great Britain](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20456517_0038.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
