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Prairie Fire looks at the history of Dr. Caldwell’s Syrup of Pepsin, a laxative manufactured in Monticello from the late 1800s to 1985. Dr. William Bur Caldwell, a country doctor, began making the tonic and giving it to patients, according to town lore. Later the tonic was sold by traveling medicine men and produced in a factory just off the town square in Monticello.
Prairie Fire host Alison Davis said historians aren’t sure whether Caldwell actually invented the syrup, or whether the inventors just put the well-respected physician’s picture and name on the bottle and box to make the remedy more credible. It was one of the few early tonics that survived into the era of regulated medicines. “It did actually work, so it continued to be made in Monticello until the 1980s,” Davis said.
Segment duration: 09:02
Producer: Alison Davis
Chief Camera - Segment: Jack Kelly
This segment is filed in these categories: History • Illinois Culture/History • Monticello
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