Pain and Profits : The History of the Headache and Its Remedies in America

Pain and Profits tells the story of how a common ailment—the headache—became the center of a multibillion dollar pharmaceutical industry in the United States. Despite the increasing authority of the medical profession in the twentieth century, treatment of this condition has remained largely in the hands of the public. Using the headache as a case study, and advertising as a significant source of information, Jan McTavish traces the beginnings of the modern over-the-counter industry. The American pharmaceutical industry developed from nineteenth-century suppliers of plant-derived drugs for both professional and home care. Two branches of the industry evolved over time—the ethical branch, which sold products only with prescriptions, and the nostrum branch, which was noted for its energetic marketing techniques. At the end of the century, they were joined by German companies that combined a strong commitment to science with aggressive salesmanship. Since German drugs were both highly effective in treating headaches and commonly available, sufferers wanting quick relief could easily obtain them. The result was a new kind of “legitimate” pharmaceutical industry that targeted consumers directly. Historians of medicine as well as more general readers interested in the history of the headache will enjoy this fascinating account of the creation of the modern pharmaceutical industry. Annotation Pain and Profits tells the story of how a common ailment--the headache--became the center of a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry in the United States. Despite the increasing authority of the medical profession in the twentieth century, treatment of this condition has remained largely in the hands of the public. Using the headache as a case study, and advertising as a significant source of information, Jan McTavish traces the beginnings of the modern over-the-counter industry. The American pharmaceutical industry developed from nineteenth-century suppliers of plant-derived drugs for both professional and home care. Two branches of the industry evolved over time--the ethical branch, which sold products only with prescriptions, and the nostrum branch, which was noted for its energetic marketing techniques. At the end of the century, they were joined by German companies that combined a strong commitment to science with aggressive salesmanship. Since German drugs were both highly effective in treating headaches and commonly available, suffers wanting quick relief could easily obtain them. The result was a new kind of "legitimate" pharmaceutical industry that targeted consumers directly. Historians of medicine as well as more general readers interested in the history of the headache will enjoy this fascinating account of the creation of the modern pharmaceutical industry Acknowledgements......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 1 The Headache and Its Treatment in the Nineteenth Century......Page 19 2 Drug Supply in Nineteenth-Century America......Page 38 3 Doctors and the Drug Trade......Page 54 4 The Remarkable Synthetic Drugs......Page 75 5 Druggists, Doctors, and the Law......Page 97 6 The Bayer Company: Drugs as Big Business......Page 123 7 Did the Headache Finally Meet Its Match?......Page 145 8 The Headache in the Twentieth Century......Page 170 Notes......Page 186 Index......Page 244 Tells the story of how a common ailment (the headache) became the center of a multibillion dollar pharmaceutical industry in the United States. Despite the increasing authority of the medical profession in the twentieth century, treatment of this condition has remained largely in the hands of the public. Using the headache as a case study, and advertising as a significant source of information, the author traces the beginnings of the modern over-the-counter industry. The headache and its treatment in the nineteenth century Free choice and free enterprise in nineteenth century American drug supply Doctors and the drug trade The remarkable synthetic drugs Druggists, doctors and the law The Bayer Company: drugs as big business Did the headache finally meet its match? The headache in the twentieth century. On the sunny spring morning of 9 April 1865, a few miles west of the small Virginia town of Appomattox court House, General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union forces, was in no mood to admire the weather.