Radium Radia (ca. 1905 to 1906)

Radium Radia was produced by the Radium Radia Company of Los Angeles and New York. I am guessing that this particular bottle was manufactured in 1905 or 1906, but it might have been produced as early as 1904 and as late as 1910. The testimonials on a sheet of paper inside the box are dated 1904 and 1905. The vast majority of the advertisements I have found for this product appeared in 1905 and 1906, but a few appeared later (one appeared in 1910). Although the consumer could be forgiven for imagining the product contained radium, it didn’t, and the company never even hinted that it did, if you ignore the name that is. The company described Radium Radia as “The World’s Premier Conqueror of Pain.”

The remarkable effectiveness of Radium Radia is indicated by the illustration on the bottle: a before and after picture of an infirm gentleman, old before his years, who turns into a sprightly and dapper man about town.

One of the three pamphlets that came with the product reads as follows:

DIRECTIONS FOR USE

SHAKE WELL THE BOTTLE EACH TIME BEFORE USING.

FOR RHEUMATISM, GOUT, LUMBAGO, SCIATICA, RHEUMATIC FEVER, INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATISM, SPRAINS, BACKACHE, STIFF JOINTS, AND OTHER BODILY PAINS. - Apply and rub well with hand the parts affected for ten to fifteen minutes, three times a day in severe cases, and twice a day in ligt cases, morning and evening.

HEADACHE AND NEURALGIA - Rub well forehead, temples, and behind the ears.

EARACHE - Put a few drops on cotton, wool or lint, and place in the ear.

TOOTHACHE - Apply and rub well cheek on outside, near where toothache.

COUGHS AND COLDS ON CHEST - Apply, and rub well chest with the hand twice a day, morning and evening.

SORE THROAT - Rub throat well three times a day.

CRAMPS AND INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS - Apply, and rub bowels well with the hand for ten to fifteen minutes.

SWELLINGS AND DISLOCATIONS - Rub well the parts affected, twice a day.

TO PREVENT COLDS DURING INCLEMENT AND COLD WEATHER - Rub chest well before exposure to the weather, and again in the evening.

FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY.

Care should be taken that the remedy does not come in contact with Abrasions or Cuts, or the Eyes.

RADIUM RADIA COMPANY

LOS ANGELES, CAL .

13 WEST 26TH ST., N.Y. CITY

The advertisement to the left appeared in the June 1, 1906 issue of the Washington Post.

The ad below (kindly provided by Bill Moose) appeared in the June 8, 1905 issue of the New York Evening Sun newspaper.