TREATING THE ORGAN SYSTEM, NOT THE DISEASE
Very few of the companies that advertised on trade cards claimed that their product treated one disease. Instead, they more often claimed that it was good for a whole range of problems, from the minor to the usually fatal, that affected one organ, system, or part of the body.
The wording on the card below even suggests that neglected coughs and colds may develop into more serious lung diseases such as tuberculosis (consumption).
These advertisements were aimed at the general public, which clearly thought of illnesses in terms of having "a bad heart" or "a weak chest" or "women's complaints", and wanted a medicine or tonic that would strengthen the afflicted part or system. This view reflects an understanding of illness that was rapidly becoming obsolete among medical professionals. By the time most of these cards were produced, doctors were embracing germ theory, and identifying the microscopic organisms that cause many diseases.
See more cards that advertise cures for a specific organ or system: heart, kidney
