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Cann's Kidney Cure Company records
Biomed.0488  
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Description
This collection contains patent medicine recipes or formulas beginning in 1873, affidavits, testimonials, advertisements, and other materials about the kidney cure and sciatic liniment made and sold by Cann's Kidney Cure Company in Philadelphia. According to the ephemera dealer aGatherin' (2013), the materials were "kept by the widow [Mrs. Mary L. Cann] to Doctor John W. Cann, to establish her right to the formulae and interest in the business of selling these two patent medicines. The first dated document to specify Mrs. Cann rather than her husband is 1901. Both the kidney cure and the liniment are well-known to bottle collectors--the glass being embossed with the date of origination of the business, 1876. The record here covers the period to 1908, although the business was active until World War I, and Mrs. Cann was alive to sign a note here in 1928." The collection contains formulas and ingredient prices for Cann's Kidney Cure from 1873 through 1906 and for Cann's Sciatic Liniment from 1880 to 1908. Letters received in 1906 vouching for the formula and that the product is not adulterated support the company's compliance with the Pure Food and Drugs Act. Testimonials include 29 letters from 1880 through 1897; most are from 1880-1883. Some, along with others, generated printed testimonials used in editorials, advertisements, and business cards. Notes, with customer addresses, kept by Dr. Cann suggest there was a campaign to connect with customers directly.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical objects belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.