Dr. Batty's Asthma Cigarettes

[Shotgun Steve]

In the late 1800's there was an explosion of advertisements for various substances produced for pharmaceutical purposes. This is a vintage advertisement for Dr. Batty's Asthma Cigarettes. These cigarettes possess unknown contents and claim to provide relief for everything from asthma, to colds, canker sores, and bad breath. Of course, now we view this advertisement as invalid and possibly even comical. It is easy now to see the obvious irony of this particular product. Sadly, this is one of a multitude of products concocted during this era that promised to provide relief and cures to anything from chronic coughs to serious illnesses.

[Delmonico]

There was a lot of different ingredients used in making those.  Some of the types lasted into the 1960's, I had a great Aunt with asthma that used one of the types into the middle 1960's.

Some used marijuana, some used cloves, some used Belladonna, later synthetic alkaloids were used in them.

[Texas Lawdog]

I can remember my grandparents using those cigarettes in the early 50s.

[Deadeye Dick]

In the late 50's I had a friend whose parents let him smoke those cigarettes for asthma. He now lives in Arizona and is crippled up with emphysema. I guess my point is, I think the use of the asthma cigs may have lead him into smoking.
 
Shotgun Steve, thanks for posting. I've always enjoyed your pictures and input.
Deadeye Dick

[Don Nix]

I remenber my uncle smoking those. The first time
I smelled marijuana it reminded me of those cigarettes.  I always rhought they contained a little hemp.

[Delmonico]

Before those inhalers that was what one had to do to stop an attack.  Also back in my miss-spent youth I knew a couple folks with asthma that smoked pot because it relived their asthma better than their inhalers.  I tend to believe them because they only smoked a little of it and only when they were having asthma problems.