“Dr. Sheldon’s Magnetic Liniment”, Kyobashi Restaurant and Sapporo Beer Hall, Kyobashi, Tokyo, c. 1905. (Colorized)

See also:
Bijin & Elixir, c. 1910.
Kyobashi (Capital Bridge), c. 1910.

“‘Dr. Sheldon’s Magnetic Liniment’ was a patent medicine produced by the Sheldon Drug Co. of Sydney, Australia. Established in 1904, it was a company of manufacturing chemists who produced numerous cosmetic and toilet preparations.

Dr. Sheldon’t Magnetic Liniment bottle and label, c. 1900.

“According to Dr. Sheldon’s’ label, when it comes to things like ‘rheumatism, lumbago, stings, insect bites, sore throats, swellings and sprains, Dr Sheldon’s banishes all pain!’

“‘Magnetic’ balms, oils, and other products – so-named because their active ingredient was magnesium – were common during the nineteenth century, with the implication that the medicine’s magnetic properties had a similar effect to mesmerism, drawing symptoms away and out of the body. Magnetic influences were thought to be powerful and effective against a wide range of ailments.

“When tighter regulation on drug production was introduced many of these remedies were found to not contain any particular healing agent and so by the early twentieth century they began to disappear from production.”