Pabst Health Darts Pamphlet

Publication

-

Marvin Samson Museum for the History of Pharmacy

Name/Title

Pabst "Health Darts" Pamphlet

Entry/Object ID

PCP.2016.1.20

Description

Small, multi-page promotion booklet for Pabst products. Color printing and artwork, stapled spine.

Context

Promoting Pabst products as health remedies by means of text and artwork. Similar work seen in other advertisements for Pabst Extract, such as a 1910 calendar. According to that later advert, the Extract is "A liquid preparation of malt and hops, combined with calcium hypophosphate and iron pyrophosphate." The product was approved for use by a fledgling FDA.

Collection

Dr. John A. 'Jack' Hargleroad II Collection

Category

advertisements

Acquisition

Accession

PCP.2016.1

Source or Donor

Estate of John A. Hargleroad II, M.D.

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of the Estate of John A. Hargleroad II, M.D., 2016

Publication Details

Publication Type

Booklet

Illustrator

C.W. Henning

Date Published

1908

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Width

3-3/8 in

Length

10-1/4 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Following the death of Dr. John A. 'Jack' Hargleroad II in May, 2015, his heirs contacted the Museum to see if there was interest in items related to the doctor's career. The items in this case represent the bulk of the miscellany of objects we subsequently received. Dr. Hargleroad received his M.D. degree from Temple University Medical School in 1946, and several years later he opened a solo medical practice in Shippensburg, PA. He was a General Practitioner and a country doctor who treated all ages, made house calls, and assisted in surgery. During his career he delivered over 2,000 babies. In 1964, he and his family moved to State College, PA, where he was a physician and faculty member of Penn State University until his retirement in 1985. One of the most amusing items is the 1908 pamphlet titled Health Darts, which is an extended advertisement for the cure-all "Pabst Extract - The 'Best' Tonic". On consecutive pages of the pamphlet, the tonic is touted as being helpful for: the convalescent; the overworked; the nervous; the dyspeptic (i.e. someone who is irritable due to depression or indigestion) [page opening displayed]; insomnia; mother and baby; the anemic; and old age.