Letters to the Editor

to the Editor

A Clairvoyant Discovery

Editor’s note: The letter below was received by AB&GC Medicine Chest columnist Joe Widman.

Hello, Joe,

I enjoyed your article in the recent issue of the magazine. I, too, like odd names in medicines, but I have not really collected them. The two that I have are rather odd, as they both deal with clairvoyance.

One is a square, aqua 5 1/2 inches tall bottle embossed on three sides: DR. FITZGERALD’S / CLAIRVOYANT DISCOVERY / DEXTER MAINE. It’s early, maybe about 1880. I haven’t researched it much, so I can’t give you any info about it. This one I’ll sell. I just bought it a few years ago because of the word Clairvoyant on it.

The second I am much more familiar with because I researched the woman heavily and even put together a Powerpoint program about her.

Her clear bottles are usually embossed: MRS. J. H. R. MATTESON CLAIRVOYANT REMEDIES / BUFFALO, N.Y. There are variant embossings. Some say PSYCHIC REMEDIES on the side, also with her daughter’s name, NELLIE WHITCOMB, who sold the meds after her mother died. These are usually bimal bottles, later ABM ones.

Mrs. M sold the meds at Lily Dale, N.Y., the “World’s Center for the Study of Spiritualism.” Lily Dale is about twelve miles from my home in Chautauqua Co., N.Y. She would go into trance and commune with her Indian spirit guides who would help her with the proper ingredients. The woman was brilliant and awarded for helping the homeless and destitute in Buffalo. She was a very giving person, and a published author, too. I have about twelve different Clairvoyant Remedies bottles, four with labels showing Mrs. M’s photograph. The bottles are kind of scarce and highly collectible. I gave three different duplicates I had to the Lily Dale Museum. I think I have two or three more duplicates. I look for them everywhere I go to see how many variants there are. I also have her business card.

I’ll attach a picture of the bottles (at right and below). I didn’t take a pic of the Fitzgerald bottle yet, but I can send you one if you’d like to see it.

Mainly I collect New York State redware and stoneware. If you get the bottle mag, you’ll see me on the cover of the January, 2017 issue with the second half of that article in the February issue. Look at those and you’ll see what I have collected for fifty years. I was on the cover of the November, 2019 issue with my son, and I was holding a Pike’s Peak flask on top of Pike’s Peak. That was FUN!

Vince Martonis Gerry, New York

to the Editor

Seeking Info on a Rare Bottle

Hello Again, John Pastor, Not too long ago I sent a letter and a photo of Dr. Taft's Asthmalene of New York. I just want to thank you and the staff for your research and info on the bottle. I greatly appreciate it.

The other part of my letter pertains to another medicine bottle in its box called Grove's Chill Tonic. I was looking at the bottle recently and saw that the medicine treated malaria. Today we have a serious virus being treated with a medicine that was used for malaria years ago. Sometimes old remedies work better than the new stuff. Maybe they should make Grove's Chill Tonic again — just a thought, John.

Wish that you and the staff stay safe, keep the faith and keep well. Since I'm homebound, I'll see if I can dig up another story for you. Take care for now.

Sincerely,

Old dump digger, Roy Henry Uxbridge, Massachusetts

A Punny Letter from a Reader

Hi, John,

Thank you for providing yet another information-filled issue in the July edition. Seeing Ralph Finch’s penchant for puns, I share this one with you.

The article “Bottling Up History,” about buildings constructed of bottles, brought to mind a friend who was once collecting wine bottles to build a makeshift greenhouse. When chatting about it, he asked had I ever heard of the Wailing Wall? Of course, I responded. Well, he said, this will be the Wining Wall. D’oh!

Susanna Shepard-Karbowski Hudsonville, Michigan

A Potasafras Bottle Interesting Folk Art Bottle

To Medicine Chest columnists John Panella and Joe Widman:

I read with interest the article on the Potasafras bottle from Columbus, Ohio, in the June issue of AB&GC.

I remembered I have had one for probably thirty years, and it has a label. These are the differences I noted: No date on mine. No ounces embossed on this one.

My bottle is shown (below). The label is almost mint. Both sides read “For the blood / Potasafras Columbus Ohio.”

Any thoughts, John or Joe? Thought this might be of interest. Love the magazine!

Bob McMichael Wooster, Ohio Hi, John,

I thought you might enjoy this bottle (below). I found this at an antique store a while back. The artist gave it a 3-D effect by putting the trees in the center of the bottle on the back of the bottle. The artist also took advantage of the milky stains to resemble fog.

Jeff Drennan Virginia Beach, Virginia