Americans were worried about a new disease caused by the new demands of face-paced urban life in the late nineteenth century – neurasthenia. White-collar men, “brain workers,” were especially susceptible.
In this magazine ad, a testimonial from a politician and an offer for additional information was used to convince readers they needed to buy Sanatogen, a tonic to assist nature in revitalizing the body.
Advertisement McClure’s Magazine , December 1909
For more about the main ingredient, phosphorus, see Alan Dronsfield and Pete Ellis, “Phosphorus – Food for Thought,” November 1, 2009, Education in Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry.
Image featured in Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries: Modern Lessons from Historical Themes by Cynthia Resor