1880 HENRY WARD BEECHER. Henry Ward Beecher Recommended Hay Fever & Allergy Cure.

A fascinating little item from my own collection. It was formerly in my second office, which I no longer have. 

This little gem is recorded as one of the first in-print celebrity endorsements in American history. It was 1880 and Henry Ward Beecher was at the height of his preaching fame. Suffering from a case of hay fever that was deeply impacting his ability to preach, Beecher found help in Dr. M. M. Townsend's Remedy for Hay Fever, Asthma and Catarrh [post-nasal drainage].

After the remedy's apparent success, he sent Dr. Townsend two separate letters praising the medicine and also telling him that he was 'at liberty to make such use of this letter as may secure the relief of all hay fever patients. Dr. Townsend used the full text of both the letters in a variety of advertisements, print materials, and, as here, on the actual bottle itself. 

It seems the most important actual active ingredient in Townsend's "remedy" was caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the body's natural defense system which begins to turn off when a person is worn out or tired. This is why a person feels worse before bed. The body is turning off its defenses and begins to lose to whatever bug a person has or whatever allergic reaction is happening. So, Beecher may well have received some minor, albeit temporary, relief. 

Measures 3.25 wide by 7.75 inches high. Chip out of flared lip and two losses to lithographed label as shown.