Medical advertising and trust in late Georgian England

Abstract

ABSTRACT:This article explores the nature of trust in the fast growing and rapidly changing urban environments of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England through an examination of medical advertisements published in newspapers in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield between 1760 and 1820. The ways in which medicines were promoted suggest not just a belief that the market in medicines operated both rationally and fairly, but also a conception that a trustworthy ‘public’ existed that was not limited to the social elite but was instead constituted of a more socially diverse range of individuals.

Review of Periodical Literature and Occasional Publications

“…Wilson has used literary remains to present a picture of the 3rd Earl of Carlisle in a broader contemporary context than politics (236). Barker has used northern examples in an assessment of eighteenth-century newspaper advertising (215), and in a later period Milton has demonstrated the importance of children's columns to the prosperity of the popular Press on Tyneside (189). McDonald has described the history and work of the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society, and the main contribution to educational history is Walsh's exploration of the opinions, arguments, motives and actions which led to the foundation of universities in the North, throwing into relief the varied assumptions, ambitions and calculations of Victorians (182).…”

Review of periodical literature published in 2009

“…Her findings chart the difficulties Europeans faced in spreading cowpox, as a prophylaxis, and details the new tools, methods, and organization required to put cowpox in new places. Barker (in Urban History ) explores the world of medical advertising in the cities of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Liverpool during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In this ‘age of pills and potions’, where many of the cures offered for sale might have had very little beneficial effect on the health of the purchaser, she considers why and how successful products were able to attract customers.…”

“…In this ‘age of pills and potions’, where many of the cures offered for sale might have had very little beneficial effect on the health of the purchaser, she considers why and how successful products were able to attract customers. Barker finds that purchasers did rely on recommendations from family and friends but also, in an increasingly depersonalized and urbanized environment, gave attention to the claims made in medical advertisements. Advertisers, in turn, sought to imitate the trust created by personal recommendations through the use of branding and testimonials.…”

Cambios sociales y comunicativos a través de la publicidad médica y farmacéutica en la prensa histórica de Bilbao, 1885-1936

“…Para el caso de Inglaterra, véase el trabajo deBarker (2009), en el que la autora analiza el boom de la publicidad médica en los diarios de Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds y Sheffield entre 1760 y 1820, en el contexto de crecimiento urbano del periodo, y en relación a la noción de "confianza", para explicar el desarrollo de nuevos patrones de consumo. 3 La obra de referencia para el estudio de la prensa española en este periodo es el completo estudio de Seone y Saiz (1996), donde pueden consultarse los datos sobre fundación, filiación, tiradas y lectores de las cabeceras en circulación en estos años, incluyendo las que sirven de base a este trabajo, a excepción de El Nervión.…”