Etsy
I stayed home from work today with a cough and low-grade fever. I called my dad and he remembered when he was young his mom would run to the cabinet for Lee’s Save the Baby. So I was intrigued by his story and decided to investigate this brand. From entries in the 1962 The Medical Messiahs: A Social History of Medical Quackery in 20th Century America to medical journals as early as 1918, it is evident how a Federal agency was developed for the protection of the public from cure all brands like Lee’s Save The Baby.
The Pennsylvania Medical Journal, Volume 22 – December 1918
Etsy cropped
The Inside Story of Medicines: A Symposium – edited by Gregory Higby, Elaine Condouris Stroud – 1997
Old Fulton History – Tom Trysnicki
Worthpoint
Yet even as late as 1973, nostalgia for a product wins over efficacy.
Old Fulton History – Tom Trysnicki – Troy NY Times Record – January, 1973
Lee’s Save The Baby was a regional New York State brand that gained popularity as far a Massachusetts. Looking at the ingredients, how much different is it from let’s say a Tiger Balm or Vicks Vaporub except the substitute for lard with petroleum.
