NO. 666

New York, New York; New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida: Monticello Drug Co, 1910. Small broadside (5 1/2" x 8"), printed on the recto only. Two small punctures to the left margin, with a pair of faint horizontal creases; otherwise very good.

An advertisement for Monticello Drug Co.'s No. 666 preparation, this leaflet describes the uses of the patent medicine (malaria, chills and fever, colds, constipation, as well as a preventative), its pricing, and its miraculous qualities. The drug company was founded by Tharp Spencer Roberts, a registered pharmacist, and incorporated in 1908. The "devilish" name of No. 666 was actually derived (truncated) from the prescription pad number on which Roberts had written the new formula while, purportedly, treating a rural preacher with a severe case of malaria. (Inventory #: 78626)