Le Bookiniste

More precious than Rubies [Cover title]

[Anonymous] [Medicine] [Quackery]

New York: Gallia Laboratories, Inc., 1926.

24mo (5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches; 138 x 107 mm), 8 pages, in stapled wrappers. 

Promotional pamphlet for Kola Astier, a product possessing "remarkable curative and stimulative properties quite unknown to any other preparation." According to the manufacturer, Gallia Laboratories, Kola Astier builds muscular strength, fights fatigue, relieves depression and "melancholia," stimulates the heart, and helps in combatting bronchitis, pneumonia, and "senile debility." It also acts, we're told, as a "remarkable regenerator" for "tired, overworked men and women." 

Where did this cure for every ailment come from? According to the company, Dr. P. Astier recognized the amazing properties of the kola nut. "Long before the white man traversed the midnight jungles and the wild plains of mysterious Africa, the natives were using the fruit of the Kola Tree to increase their physical stamina and powers of endurance. Finally, when the first white explorers forced their way into the heart of the Dark Continent, they, too, soon recognized the value of this gift of the Gods." 

This text is accompanied by an illustration of spear-wielding African warriors. Other illustrations depict runners, an apparently sick office worker, and an exhausted home maker. 

Unfortunately for the company, the U.S. Agriculture Department determined that Kola Astier contained no ingredients capable of producing any therapeutic or curative effects claimed by the company.In March 1933, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey sought the seizure of 199 bottles of Kola Astier Granulated, charging misbranding in violation of federal rules. Analysis by the U.S. Agriculture Department showed that the product consisted essentially of sugar (97.3%) and small proportions of plant material, including kola. A federal district court ordered that the 199 bottles be destroyed. 

That judgment didn't stop Gallia Laboratories from promoting its miracle cure. In June 1943 the Federal Trade Commission charged the company with making false, misleading, and deceptive statements about its products. It ordered the company to stop claiming that Kola Astier had any therapeutic value in the treatment of any disorder. 

This pamphlet is rare. OCLC shows no institutional holdings. None in commerce. 

CONDITION: Some staining, soiling, and a few small nicks to wrappers as well as rusting to staples. But the pages are clean, bright, and unmarked. A Very Good copy. Item #2327

Price: $150.00