Title
Blackburn’s Cadomene Tablets – Dayton, Ohio
Author
N/A
Image
Description
This package once contained 36 Cadomene Tablets, produced by The Blackburn Products Co. of Dayton, Ohio. Priced at $1.00, these tablets were marketed as a tonic and claimed to be “scientifically compounded” after the formula of a registered physician.
Each tablet reportedly contained:
Potassium Sulphate
Extract Sabul (Sabal serrulata, or saw palmetto)
Iron Glycero-Phosphate
Avenline
Nux Vomica (source of strychnine)
Powdered Arsenious Acid (arsenic trioxide)
Calcium Phosphide
The inclusion of both strychnine and arsenic in what was sold as a restorative tonic highlights the dangerous line between medicine and poison in the early 1900s.
Condition
Cylindrical paper roll with original printed wrapper intact, though yellowed and brittle with age. Top and bottom edges worn; tablets not present.
Gallery
Historical context
Cadomene Tablets belong to a class of patent medicines heavily advertised in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such tonics often promised to restore energy, improve “male vigor,” or treat nervous exhaustion. The name “Cadomene” suggests association with “cadomene,” a supposed chemical compound linked to nerve stimulation, though in reality it was a marketing invention.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
The formula combined botanical ingredients (saw palmetto, golden seal) with toxic chemicals (arsenic, strychnine).
Arsenic tonics were once believed to improve complexion and vitality.
Strychnine, in small doses, was marketed as a stimulant and athletic performance enhancer well into the 20th century.
Excerpt
“Cadomene Tablets may be taken for Chlorosis or General Sickliness, and also conditions occasioned by impoverished and deficient nutrition of the blood.”
Why it is in the Cabinet
This package demonstrates the unregulated world of early patent medicines, where even arsenic and strychnine could be marketed as health restoratives. It is a prime example of how far “tonics” were willing to go in their promises — and their dangers.
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