Pinkham, Lydia

Lydia Pinkham (Ur. Estes; February 9, 1819 - May 17, 1883) is an American entrepreneur of the 19th century, creator and owner of the patent for the famous "female tonic", which supposedly relieved pain during menstruation and menopause . He is also considered the founder of the world's first specialized women's consultation .

Born in Lynn , Mass. In a wealthy Quaker family; received a good education at the Lynn Academy and before getting married in 1843, she worked as a school teacher for a shoe dealer. She was distinguished by advanced views for her time, supported the idea of ​​abolishing slavery and granting civil rights to women and the black population. Also, Lydia was interested in herbal medicine and for the sake of interest she tried to make various potions from plants. One of them, consisting of a mixture of extracts of certain plants and alcohol, she believed, relieved women of menstrual pain, and she willingly shared it with her neighbors.

The stock market crash of 1873 led to the bankruptcy of her husband, and Pinkham, on the advice of one of her sons, decided in 1875 to sell her money for a dollar a bottle, and her sons acted as advertisers and distributors of leaflets. In 1876, the product was patented . In 1879, Lydia decided to put her picture on advertisements, which, she believed, would strengthen the confidence of potential customers in her. In the advertising campaign, the tonic especially emphasized the fact that it was made by a woman for women and at home.

There have never been any medical studies of Pinkham tincture by professional physicians, but the drug has become quite popular in America, and Pinkham, which was already able to afford to create a whole laboratory for its production, began to earn more than 300 thousand dollars a year. Soon, Lydia began to offer women leaflets to contact her for health advice and set up a private institution with female staff, which led and hosted a huge number of visitors. After the death of Pinkham, her sons continued her work, and her remedy continued to be popular until the 1920s.