The sale of medications was not related prior to the early 20th century. Manufacturers created and sold medications directly to the consumer and were not required to reveal the ingredients. On the back of this trade card, Ayer’s Cathartic Pills were claimed to be “the safest physic to employ for children and weakened constitutions” and would “purify, invigorate and enrich the blood, stimulate it to healthy circulation, and, . . . keep the system in perfect order.
Cathartics and physics are laxatives.
Note that Ayer’s Pills are free of “calomel” – that’s mercury.
Here is the front side of this trade card.
Trade cards were a popular form of advertising between the 1870s and early 1900s. They came in packages of various products or were distributed free to customers. Collecting trade cards became a popular hobby and the cards often featured images that had little connection with the product advertised. Sets of trade cards featuring pictures of animals, birds, historical scenes, sites around the world, and other themes were issued to encourage collecting.
Ayers Cathartic Pills Trade Card, late 19th century. Courtesy of Digital Commonwealth Massachusetts Collections Online
To learn more see Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries, Modern Lessons from Historical Themes