122. Daniels House: The Doctor

Photograph of Dr. Daniels' drigstore and medical office
Dr. Daniels' drugstore and medical office in Naperville, 1876
Powdered alum and white honey for croup; borax, rosewater and honey for canker sores, even hair dye… the tinctures and toiletries sold here by Dr. Daniels were the magical potions that many people living in Naperville swore by in the last half of the nineteenth century. After his death, Dr. Daniels' sons published a catalogue of his medicines, legitimizing the scientific basis of the prescriptions, at a time when medical practitioners were scrutinizing patent medicines in favor of regulated treatments. In the catalog preface, they wrote, “It is a recognized fact that in well defined ailments, the remedies prescribed by practitioners of the same school of medicine are practically alike, repeated tests having proven their potency, making them specific remedies and the healing art a positive science.”