AIHP Parke Davis Ink Blotter Collection

Title

AIHP Parke Davis Ink Blotter Collection

Description

The collectible ink blotters in the AIHP collection were produced by Parke, Davis & Company in the 1930s and 1940s to advertise pharmaceutical products; they measure 7 by 3 1/2 inches. They carry eye-catching visual images and pack a lot of information into a small space: the key ingredients in a drug or medicine, the health complaints it addressed, and recommended dosages. William Helfand donated this collection of ink blotters to the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy.

The ink blotter, a device to help blot out leaks and smears from fountain pens, took many forms over the years. At one time, ink blotters were made into small cards made of absorbent paper, and because they were so widely used, they became popular surfaces on which to advertise products and services. With the advent of the ballpoint pen after World War II, the use of fountain pens declined, and ink blotters were no longer necessary.

Please contact AIHP (aihp@aihp.org) for high-quality images of material in this collection, for permission to republish images from the digital collection, or for more information about this collection.

Collection Items

Capsules Viderol Provide High Potency Vitamin D, Tocopherols and Whole Bile, For Treatment of Chronic Arthritis and Conditions Associated with Primary Fibrositis.
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Capsules Viderol. The advertisement states that the product is supplied in bottles of 100 and 500. Ingredients list and dosage are provided. The Parke Davis identifier is bl-125-1.

Vitamin B Complex Kapseals Combex
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Vitamin B Complex, Kapseals Combex. These Kapseals contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, Nicotinic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, and other components of the vitamin B complex derived from the liver. The…

Standardized Vitamin Products
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Standardized Vitamin Products, inlcuding Natola "for infants," Irradol-A "for children," and Abdec "for adults." Each provides a different combination of vitamins. There are images of…

Vitamin B Extract Standardized A Palatable Extract of Wheat Germ
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Vitamin B Extract. The advertisement desrcibes the product as "a palatable wheat germ fortified with thiamin chloride (crystalline vitamin B1)." It is indicated in "prevention and…

Viderol
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Viderol. The advertisement states that use of the product "in rheumatoid arthritis is based on numerous reports concerning high dosage vitamin D, promising results with tocopherols in…

Viderol
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Viderol. The advertisement states that use of the product "in rheumatoid arthritis is based on numerous reports concerning high dosage vitamin D, promising results with tocopherols in…

When You Prescribe Viderol for Rheumatoid Arthritis Your Patients Get All Three
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Viderol. The advertisment states that the product provides "high dosage vitamin D 50,000 units, mixed tocopherols 50mg, [and] desicated whale bile 150mg." It is supplied in bottles of 100…

Capsules Viderol
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Capsules Viderol. The advertisement describes the product as "high potency vitamin D, tocopherols, and whole bile, for treatment of chronic arthritis and conditions associated with…

Kapseals Ventrex
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. The advertisement states that the product contains "stomach tissue," "ferrous sulfate," and "vitamins B1 and B2." Ingredients list and dosage are provided. There is an…

Kapseals Ventrex With Iron and Vitamin B
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. The advertisement describes the product as "factors essential for maximum response to antianemic therapy" including ventrex, which is "stomach tissue concentrate…

Kapseals Ventrex With Iron and Vitamin B
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. The advertisement states that the prodcut "accelerate[s] red blood cell production and hemoglobin formation." It is supplied with iron and vitamin B in bottles of 100,…

Kapseals Ventrex Wiith Iron and Vitamin B
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. The advertisement states that the product "provide[s] three factors useful in the treatment of secondary anemias," including "specific antianemic factor," "iron," and…

Kapseals Ventrex With Iron and Vitamin B for The Treatment of Secondary Anemia
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. The advertisement describes the product as "an effective dosage of the antianemia factor of stomach tissue concentrate, together with a well tolerated iron salt and…

Kapseals Ventrex With Iron and Vitamin B
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. Ingredients include ventrex for "restoring erythrocyte levels," iron to "promote regeneration of hemoglobin," and vitamin B complex for "gastrointestinal function, in…

Kapseals Ventrex With Iron and Vitamin B Comprehensive Antianemic Therapy
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Kapseals Ventrex. Ingredients include ventrex for "restoring erythrocyte levels," iron to "promote regeneration of hemoglobin," and vitamin B complex for "gastrointestinal function, in…

Ventriculin Specific in Pernicious Anemia
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Ventriculin. The advertisement describes the product as "an unusually effective erythropoietic stimulant," as well as being "valuable in the management of gastro-intestinal disturbances…

Ventriculin With Iron For The Treatment of Secondary Anemias
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Ventriculin. The advertisement states that the product "represents the anti-anemic principle of stomach tissue, which stimulates blood regeneration and the maturation of red blood cells,"…

Tyrothricin
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Tyrothricin. The advertisement describes the product as "a bacterial agent for topical use" indicated in "ulcers, abscesses, osteomyelitis, certain infections of the eye, [and] infections…

Tyrothricin
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Tyrothricin. The advertisement describes the product as "a bacterial agent for topical use" indicated in "ulcers, abscesses, osteomyelitis, certain infections of the eye, [and] infections…

Mixed Tocopherols, Natural Vitamin E
Parke Davis collectible ink blotter from the 1940s advertising Mixed Tocopherols. The advertisement states that the product can be useful in "habitual and threatened abortion, muscular dystrophies, [and] amyotrophic lateral sclerosis." Dosage is…
View all 236 items