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Bottle Vitals
| Date | Color | Shape | Size (Height x Diameter) | Value* | |
| Dr D Jayne's Tonic Vermifuge | 1880s | Aqua | Rectangular | 5.5" x 2" x 1" | $10.00 |
Bottle Views (click to enlarge):
| Front | Back | Side | Side | Bottom |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Dr D Jayne's Tonic Vermifuge 242 Chest St Phila |
Dr. David Jayne got his start as a rural family medical doctor in New Jersey in 1822. By 1830 he was making his own patent medicines, and by the mid 1830s, had moved to Philadelphia and opened a drug store. By the 1840's, he had eight different medicines available, and one of them would have been in this bottle. The Tonic Vermifuge was touted as a remedy for worms, as well as a general tonic for improving energy. It was advertised as early as 1838. Here's an ad from 1840 -- click to enlarge.
The business grew, and so did the advertising. The advertising went worldwide -- and no wonder. If you believe the hype, it was without equal, and impossible to keep house without it. Here are some ads from the US and Australia. Click to enlarge:
But things really took off in 1843 when Dr Jayne became one of the first companies in the US to publish an almanac. The almanac, Jayne's Medical Almanac and Guide to Health, was a huge success and was published every year for almost a century, with the last one being printed in 1940. All together, there were nearly half a billion (yes, billion) of these almanacs printed over the years. Here's the 1872 version, featuring their giant factory in Philadelphia on the cover. Click to enlarge.
Back in the day, the would have had a paper label on one side, and would have been in a box, something like this (click to enlarge):
Here is the before and after cleaning on this one. Just soap and water and brushes on this one.
* Value is based on sold eBay listing as of the date of posting, and varies with condition.
