Dr Kilmer Bottles

Dr S. Andral Kilmer was the inventor of one of the best known quack medicine product lines of the 19th century.
DR. S. ANDRAL KILMER Image from 1888
Dr Kilmer had treatments for all parts of the body		Dr Kilmer's Dispensary and Lab in Binghamton NY

Swamp-Root - This was the flagship product of the Kilmer medicine empire.
		Dr Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney Liver Bladder Cure
Dr Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney Liver Bladder Remedy The early large bottles had a kidney shaped recess on the front.
Uncommon ring neck Swamp Root bottle
One of the successful methods of marketing Dr Kilmer used was sending samples via mail. The photos below show how one of his Swamp-Root samples was shipped in a small wooden tube.


A 1915 ad for Swamp-Root		Coupon for getting a Swamp-Root Sample.

Kilmer Swamp Root London E.C. Bottles For sale in Europe

Dr Kilmer's Cough Cure Consumption Oil
The large bottle has lung shaped recessed panels. This is a rare Kilmer specific. Few of these seemed to be made and it was probably superseded by the Kilmer Indian Cough medicines		Kilmer didn't seem to be a big proponent of large newspaper ads like some patent medicine proprietors. Above is an 1886 ad for his Consumption Oil.
An Indian Cough Cure bottle.
The product name and labeling was changed on the medicine to try to comply, at least superficially, with the Food & Drug Act of 1906. From Nostrums and Quackery Vol I
A later Indian Cough Remedy Bottle		Ring Neck Version

DR KILMER'S OCEAN-WEED HEART REMEDY There was apparently never a Heart Cure as there was with some of the other Kilmer products.
The Heart Remedy has a heart shaped panel on the front.
A later Ocean Weed Heart Remedy

Dr Kilmer's Female Remedy This was a medicine targeted at all the special medical problems specific to women. Considering most of women's problems had to do with their husbands and children, the remedy couldn't do much more for them except get them a bit tipsy for a while.
This Kilmer's Female Remedy bottle has cathedral panels. Fancier bottle designs were often employed for women's products.
A labeled bottle from the Smithsonian collection http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/ object.cfm?key=35&objkey=237		A female remedy with plain rectangular panels.
Dr Kilmer Female Remedy sample bottles exist but are very rare.

Dr Kilmer's Meadow Plant U&O Anointment
The ointment product started out in a small corked bottle and later was packaged in a screw capped jar. The early jars were hand blown and had a ground lip.


Dr Kilmer's Prompt Parilla Liver Pills These pills were sold in boxes and were for digestion problems and other complaints.


DR KILMER'S AUTUMN LEAF EXT FOR UTERINE INJECTION


DR. T. J. KILMER SCHOHARIE N.Y. S. Andral Kilmer's brother T J also dabbled with his own medicine products with apparently not much success. Due to the limited production these tend to be rare bottles.
DR. T.J. KILMER'S SPECIAL REMEDIES ARE PREPARED & PUT UP BY DR. T. J. KILMER & CO. SCHOHARIE N.Y. Ring neck version		DR. T.J. KILMER'S SPECIAL REMEDIES ARE PREPARED & PUT UP BY DR. T. J. KILMER & CO. SCHOHARIE N.Y. Made by W.T.& CO.
DR. T.J. KILMER'S COUGH CURE SCHOHARIE N.Y. Ring neck version.		DR. T.J. KILMER'S COUGH CURE SCHOHARIE N.Y.

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