Cycling! Endorsed by all physicians.

Advertisement found on page 21 of the 1890 edition of the Polk’s medical register and directory of North America.

Advertisement found on page 21 of the 1890 edition of the Polk’s medical register and directory of North America.

The Osler Library of the History of Medicine has 12 volumes of the registries covering from 1890 to 1917 in their reference collection. The bookplate indicates it was no. 1898 in the Library of the Faculty of Medicine collection and received in 1896.

Not only a great resource for researching medical professionals most pages feature small banner advertisement in it’s header making it filled with odd medical endorsements. You can view the full set online.

Comic strips and the history of medicine

Cartoons were typically printed as colour lithographs, or as hand-coloured wood engravings and used to promote over-the-counter medications directly to the public or advertise pharmacies. Often the comics would have an advertisement on the back. When we digitized the collection we were careful to preserve the relationship of the front and back items for context and study.

To find more comic strips you can search Osler’s collection of 2,500 digitized prints by the subject Cartoons & Comics . To see the real things visit the Osler Library of the History of Medicine and make an appointment.

French advertisement on the verso of a cartoon entitled "Couche-Huit-Heures".

French advertisement on the verso of a cartoon entitled “Couche-Huit-Heures”. Advertisement for Pétrole Hahn, a product to fight hair loss.

Full-page comic strip with advertisement on verso.

Full-page comic strip with advertisement on verso