Title
Paskola – A Flesh Forming Food
Author
The Pre-Digested Food Company, New York
Image
Description
Paskola was a late nineteenth-century nutritional preparation marketed as a “Flesh Forming Food” for individuals suffering from thinness, malnutrition, digestive weakness, and chronic wasting diseases. Advertisements claimed the product was “artificially digested,” allowing weakened patients to absorb nourishment with little digestive effort. The preparation was promoted as superior to cod liver oil and was intended for invalids, convalescents, tuberculosis sufferers, and those unable to maintain weight.
This example is an exceptional survivor, retaining its original foil seal, substantial portions of the original paper label, neck directions label, embossed pineapple trademark, embossed company name, and apparent original contents. The bottle is embossed “Paskola” and “The Pre-Digested Food Co.” and represents an important example of Victorian nutritional therapeutics during the era when physicians and patent medicine manufacturers alike sought ways to combat wasting diseases through concentrated nourishment.
Condition
Original amber embossed bottle retaining original foil seal, partial front label, neck directions label fragments, and apparent original contents. Label exhibits expected losses, edge wear, and deterioration from age. Embossing remains sharp and highly legible. No major chips or cracks visible. Outstanding display value due to survival of original labels and seal, which are seldom encountered together.
Gallery
Historical context
During the late nineteenth century, weight loss and “wasting diseases” were major medical concerns. Tuberculosis, chronic infections, digestive disorders, and malnutrition frequently left patients weak and emaciated. Products such as Paskola were developed to provide concentrated nutrition that was supposedly easier to digest than ordinary food. The product was advertised as an artificially digested preparation that could help build flesh and restore strength without taxing the digestive system. Such remedies occupied the blurred boundary between legitimate nutritional science and patent medicine marketing during the Victorian era.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
- Paskola was advertised as “superseding cod liver oil,” one of the most common nutritional remedies of the nineteenth century.
- The embossed pineapple served as the company’s trademark and likely referenced digestive enzymes associated with pineapple.
- The bottle directions instructed users to mix the preparation with water and consume it with meals.
- The company emphasized that patients could “eat anything the stomach craves,” reflecting contemporary beliefs about predigested foods.
- Original sealed examples with surviving labels are significantly scarcer than empty embossed bottles.
- Products such as Paskola anticipated the later development of liquid nutritional supplements and medical foods.
Excerpt
“Paskola – A Flesh Forming Food (Artificially Digested) for Thin, Pale People and All Wasting Diseases. Superseding Cod Liver Oil.”
Why it is in the Cabinet
This bottle represents the fascinating intersection of nutrition, digestive science, tuberculosis treatment, and patent medicine advertising during the Victorian period. The survival of the original seal, contents, label, and embossed glass transforms it from a simple medicine bottle into a remarkably complete artifact that demonstrates how late nineteenth-century Americans attempted to address malnutrition and chronic illness. It is an excellent example of the era’s belief that scientific food preparations could rebuild the body and restore health.
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