Tiny Booklet Chichester's Diamond Brand Pills Menstrual Problems c.1907

Description

This tiny little booklet measures just 1 3/4 by 1 7/8 inches. It's an ad for Chichester's Diamond Brand Pills made by the Chichester Chemical Company of Philadelphia. It has 16 pages, not counting the inside covers.  The pills were to prevent women suffering from Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, painful or scanty and delayed menstruation. When the pills were first made in the 1880's they were called English Pennyroyal Diamond Brand. Pennyroyal is an herb that was used in folk medicine  to cause abortions, and it also was and is considered toxic and potentially deadly. These pills were likely used for this purpose, though the instructions, of course, never spelled it out. By the time the  1906 Pure Food and Drug went into effect in 1907, the company had dropped "English Pennyroyal" from the name and when the pills were tested it was not among the ingredients. A 1920's court ruled that the drug's advertised claims were not accurate, but a 1931 case overturned that decision. The booklet is not dated, but Pennyroyal is not in the name, and the latest testimonial is dated 1906. The cover has a few nicks on the edges, and the pages are lightly toned. The pills were sold in attractive red tins popular with collectors today.