Hello brackba-ga,
According to two advertisements for Vino-Kolafra, the product was sold
by Brunswick Pharmacal Co., selling agents of Johnson & Johnson. It
was indeed marketed as an athletic performance enhancer.
One ad, from 1896, states that Vino-Kolafra has "life and strength in
every drop. Yet nothing intoxicating or harmful. Good, and good
only. Power and suppleness for the muscles, Warmth and richness for
the Blood, steadiness for the Nerves, and clearness for the Head,
follow the use of that wondrous product of Afric's sun and soil ...".
(Presumably, the name of the product was intended to lead a reader to
believe that it contained components from wine, the kola nut, and
maybe some other mysterious substances from Africa. Perhaps the
original versions of this and the other ad – as opposed to the less
clear copies on eBay – contain further information about the supposed
ingredients.)
"1896 Full Page VINO Ad", offered by the-nelsons (Mar-21-03)
eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3215473478&category=4069
The second ad proclaims that Vino-Kolafra "helped win the
Yale-Cambridge games" as well as "many other Athletic Contests". It
was also "used in another form, as a marching ration by the French and
German armies." This product gave "marvelous sustaining power" and
"buil[t] up invalids". It was available not only in liquid form but
as "Kolafra Blocks", for athletes who needed a "portable and
convenient" form.
"Vino-Kolafra Ad Yale-Cambridge Games", offered by jamesiii
(Mar-15-03)
eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3214458114&category=13597
An ad for Vino-Kolafra is listed for "The Review of Reviews" in August
1896.
"The Review of Reviews - August 1896", offered by wepaddle (Mar-12-03)
eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3506761018&category=280
Another ad apparently appeared in a publication in July 1896. (I
tried to find more about this ad on the web site where it was offered,
rubylane.com, without success.)
"2 unique top-ten pages selected from 2 matching results [for 'vino
kolafra'] - Displaying top results originating from rubylane.com"
Ixquick
http://s4.ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?cmd=process_search&language=english&qid=LALKOSNTMSTM&cat=web&query=%22vino+kolafra%22&rl=NONE&fromsite=http%3A%2F%2Frubylane.com%2F
I hope that this information is helpful.
- justaskscott-ga
Searched on Google, Ixquick, and eBay for:
"vino kolafra"
kolafra |
Request for Answer Clarification by
brackba-ga
on
23 Mar 2003 15:56 PST
Thank you for the research, however, that is as far as I got - finding
the advertisements for the product. In particular I was looking for
what it was particularly made of (scientific makeup if known) and what
happened to the product. While it appears there are no advertisements
into the 1900's, I can find no information on why the product was no
longer sold (ineffective, unpopular, side-effects, etc...)
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Clarification of Answer by
justaskscott-ga
on
24 Mar 2003 04:13 PST
I think that the simple answer is that it was a "quack" or "cureall"
medicine. (As indicated by the short description of the second link
on Ixquick, this is how Ruby Lane characterized an advertistement for
Vino-Kolafra.)
If a product really had that many magical, beneficial properties,
wouldn't it have been a fabulous success, instead of being sold only
for a short time (perhaps one year) in the 1890s?
My guess is that this product was mainly trying to cash in on the
popularity of Coca Cola -- which was invented in 1886 and became
popular in the 1890s -- and specifically one of its primary
ingredients. Coca Cola, at that time, was marketed as a "tonic" and
contained extracts of cocaine "as well as the caffeine rich kola nut".
"The History of Coca Cola: John Pemberton", by Mary Bellis
About.com: Inventors
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcocacola.htm
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