Bromo-Seltzer

Bromo-Seltzer (acetaminophen, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid), was a brand of antacid to relieve pain occurring together with heartburn, upset stomach, or acid indigestion. First produced by inventor Isaac E. Emerson's drug company of Baltimore, Maryland, in 1888, Bromo-Seltzer was sold in the United States in the form of effervescent granules which were to be mixed with water before ingestion.[1]

Bromo-Seltzer newspaper ad (1908)
A horse drawn Bromo-Seltzer wagon

History

The product took its name from a component of the original formula, sodium bromide. Each dose contained 3.2 mEq/teaspoon of this active ingredient. Bromides are a class of tranquilizers that were withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1975 due to their toxicity. Their sedative effect probably accounted for Bromo-Seltzer's popularity as a remedy for hangovers. Early formulas also used acetanilide as the analgesic ingredient, which is now known to be a poisonous substance.[2]

Bromo-Seltzer's main offices and main factory were located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, at the corner of West Lombard and South Eutaw Streets.[3] The factory's most notable feature was the clock tower, built in 1911, which featured "BROMOSELTZER" in place of the numerals on all four clock faces. The tower was patterned on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tower originally held a 51-foot (16m) Bromo-Seltzer bottle on top, glowing blue and rotating. The sign weighed 20 tons (18.1 tonnes), included 314 incandescent light bulbs, and was topped with a crown. The sign was removed in 1936 because of structural concerns.[1]

The product is mentioned in the song 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' by Ella Fitzgerald in the line 'Like a daisy, I'm awake/With no Bromo-Seltzer handy/I don't even shake'. It is also mentioned in season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel when it is offered to Susie Myerson to calm her upset stomach on a flight to Las Vegas

References
  1. Kelly, Jacques (June 2, 2011). "Bromo Seltzer Tower Marks 100 Years". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  2. Adams, Samuel Hopkins (1906). The Great American Fraud. P.F. Colier & Son. pp. 35–37. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  3. Location of Bromo-Seltzer Tower in Baltimore, Maryland
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