The Victorian Needle

I’ve always been a fan of odd medical facts. Growing up I’d watch medical shows whenever possible, and I ended up with someone who works in the medical field! I never considered a career in the field, but I’m fascinated by the various illnesses and strange happenings that even modern medicine can’t understand. And eventually, I ended up in a relationship with someone in medicine, and of course, I read a bunch of his books/magazines...

In one of my ELA classes, my students and I discuss sources and claims. I like to take it back a step further, illustrating my point with much older examples of people making outlandish statements, and that is common when it comes to quack medicine. Plus, there are some interesting illustrations to go with the lesson. This is just one more reason I don’t think I’d actually like to live in the time period(s) that I study! Bless our modern medicine...

A particularly interesting source that I’ve recently come across is a citation from Godey’s Lady’s Book, dating from September to November 1888. There’s a beautiful illustration of a woman and the promises of health that only a conman can offer:

Bright's Disease, the Uric Acid Diathesis, Gout, Rheumatic Gout, Rheumatism, Nervous Dyspepsia, &c, &c.

Dr. Wm. A. Hammond, of New York, Surgeon-General of U.U. Army (Retired), Professor of Diseases of the Mind and, Nervous System in the University of New York, &c.

"I have for some time made use of the BUFFALO LITHIA WATER in cases of affections of the NERVOUS SYSTEM complicated with BRIGHT'S DISEASE OF THE KIDNEYS, or with a GOUTY DIATHESIS. The results have been eminently satisfactory. Lithia has for many years been a favorite remedy with me in like cases , but the Buffalo Water certainly acts better than any extemporaneous solution of the Lithia Salts, and is, moreover, better borne by the Stomach. I also often prescribe it in those cases of CEREBRAL HYPEREMIA, resulting from overmental wort —in which the condition called NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA exists— and generally with marked benefit. "

Dr. Tliomas H. Buckler, of Paris, France, Suggester of Lithia as a Solvent for Uric Acid.

"Nothing I could say would add to the well-known reputation of the BUFFALO LITHIA WATER. I have frequently used it with good results in URIC ACID DIATHESIS, RHEUMATISM and GOUT, and with this object I have ordered it to Europe from Coleman & Rogers, of Baltimore. Lithia is in no form so valuable as where it exists in the Carbonate , Nature's mode of solution and division in water which has passed through Lepedolite and Spondumine mineral formations.

Dr. Alfred L. Loomis, Professor of Pathology and Practical Medicine in the Medical Department of the University of the City of New York, &c.

"For the past four years I have used the BUFFALO LITHIA WATER in the treatment of Chronic INTERSTITIAL NEPHRITIS [ third stage of BRIGHT'S DISEASE] occurring in GOUTY and RHEUMATIC subjects, with marked benifit. In all GOUTY and RHEUMATIC AFFECTIONS, I regard it as highly efficacious. "

Water in Cases of One Dozen Half-Gallon Bottles, $5 per Case at the Springs .

THOMAS F. GOODE, Proprietor, BUFFALO LITHIA SPRINGS , VIRGINIA.

Some Observations/History

There’s just so much to unpack here. There’s the retired Surgeon General of the Army whose name is plastered at the top. Or the incredible claims of healing that made me giggle. Or what about those testimonials from doctors and patients alike, who tout it as “highly efficacious”?

Today we would probably laugh at such claims and regard this as a joke. To be honest, after my recent interactions with anti-mask, anti-science people, I might have to rescind that. If you’re an idiot person, please don’t go run out and get lithia water to heal your gout. I know you’re an idiot, but please don’t do the idiot thing. This is the disclaimer that I advised you against your own idiocy. Good luck?

In any case, I started digging into the history of Buffalo Lithia Water, and it’s quite interesting. In 1728, a surveying team that included William Byrd passed through the area. His journal noted the nearby springs, and eventually, a tavern and spa/resort popped up to take advantage of the “healing waters.”

In the latter part of the 19th century, someone had the clever idea to bottle the mineral water from Buffalo Springs, Virginia. By that point, mineral water was a bit of a craze in the United States, and people traveled all over the country to sample it. Of course, they could also purchase it from a very entrepreneurial salesman, thus the business boomed.

Tourism became a major industry in the area, and much like today, businesses sprang up to take advantage of the financial gain. There were all the amenities a 19th-century traveler could hope for, like cabins, a tennis court, games, restaurants, and even a post office. It was touted as a way to get healthy AND have fun.

Eventually, the good times would come to an end. Remember all those claims from the Buffalo Lithia Water company? You know, the ones that basically make lithia water an all-healing medicine? Back in the day, it wasn’t necessary to actually prove that your medicine did what you claimed it could do. People tend to get angry about spending money on a product that doesn’t work. So in 1906, the U.S. government passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, which targeted practices that could endanger people, including “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs or medicines, and liquors.”

Unfortunately, Buffalo Lithia Water had made some pretty outrageous claims, technically falling under the “misbranded” category. After some legal wrangling, the federal government finally made the company change its name, as well as edit its claims about its medicinal properties. The original creator of the company died in 1905, and the tourism industry slowly died after that. Locals still used the water, but by 1949 the company closed. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers went on to obtain the property, and it was flooded during the creation of Kerr Lake.

Looking back, it is interesting to note that Buffalo Lithia Water was advertised in Godey’s Lady’s Book. It was at the height of the company’s popularity, and the ad would have been popular with women looking for a vacation. It’s also important to note that the ads only ran for three months. Was it too expensive? Did the company find it didn’t have a financial impact? I’m curious as to the short time frame considering the springs were popular for much longer.

In Conclusion...

If you're especially interested in the mineral water craze, there were other places across the country that shared a similar fate. There's even a spot not far from where I live here in Michigan that boasted about their "healing waters." It's fascinating to realize that history is sometimes just a short car ride away!

There are many examples of Buffalo Lithia Water bottles online, especially eBay, if you'd like to add to your collection. I'm not much of a bottle collector, but they're pretty, and now that I know the history a little better, perhaps I'll snag one just for show. They range from $35-100+, so maybe in the future.