The Patent Medicines Industry in Georgian England

Reveals that patent medicines constituted a national industry in Georgian England, challenging accounts of dishonest quackery described later by doctors and historians Offers insight into the workings of a national market for Georgian consumer goods, beyond studies of individual companies or wholesalers Opens up a new area of research for print historians, investigating the effect of the printed word on human health

Alan Mackintosh is Research Fellow in the Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds, UK. He is a former Consultant Cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and of the European Society of Cardiology.

1. Introduction.- 2. The Status of Patent Medicines.- 3. Constructing the Industry.- 4. Connecting the Country.- 5. Supplying the Consumer.- 6. Persuading the Poorly.- 7. Utilising the Imagination as Therapy.- 8. Harnessing the Potency of Print.- 9. The Legacy of the Patent Medicines Industry.