Budwell's Emulsion No. 1 Cod Liver Oil

White cardboard box with black print. Box contains one brown glass bottle with cork stopper and blue and white paper label. Small red and white paper label around neck of bottle. Bottle is embossed on the back: BUDWELL'S / EMULSION / OF / NORWEGIAN / COD LIVER OIL / PREPARED BY / BUDWELL PHARMACAL CO. / LYNCHBURG / VA. Price $1.00.

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: Tonic, Alterative, Digestive and Nutritive. For all Lung Diseases, Scrofula, Rheumatism, Rheumatic Gout, Glandular Swellings and especially indicated in all diseases characterized by emaciation or wasting. It exerts a special alterative influence over Skin and Uterine affections.

Dose. For adults, from half to one tablespoonful alone or mixed with an equal quantity of water or milk. The addition of a small quantity of whiskey renders it more palatable.

Budwell & Christian Wholesale Druggists of Roanoke, Virginia, introduced Budwell’s Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil in about 1887. The emulsion bore the name of Walter Budwell (about 1859 – 1891) who in 1884 established a partnership with J. Fleming Christian. In 1891 the partners founded the Budwell Pharmacal Company to meet the growing demand for their popular cod liver oil emulsion. Cod liver oil products were widely employed as nutritive tonics during the late 19th century. They were used to restore flesh and strength in “wasting diseases” particularly consumption (tuberculous). “Try it. It will make you Fat” announced one 1896 Budwell’s advertisement. By the early 20th century, the firm had moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, and had established two emulsion formulas. Emulsion No. 1, represented here, included the iodides of arsenic, manganese, and calcium, which were considered to enhance the tonic and body-building properties of the emulsion. However, by 1915 the emulsion had fallen out of favor of the medical profession and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) pronounced Budwell’s Emulsion “unscientific,” its therapeutic claims exaggerated, and its use “inimical to the best interests of the profession and the public.” Budwell’s Emulsion was still being sold in 1967, offered by Churchill Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Richmond, Virginia.

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