Cabinets eased selection of medicine

Homeopathic medicine is an idea that developed around 200 years ago. One of the famous 19th-century homeopathic companies was Dr. Munyon’s. His medicine was sold in drugstores from a decorated metal cabinet picturing the stern doctor. The quote beneath his picture reads, “I would rather preserve the health of the nation than be its ruler.”

It was easy for a shopper to choose the right medicine. The back of the cabinet had small drawers, each labeled with a health problem. Cold remedies were kept in drawer 5; general debility was cured from drawer 7. The medicine was in tubes or in small cardboard packages.

Munyon’s medicines were sold internationally.

Q: I have a pocket watch with the name A.H. Furstnow inscribed as the maker. I can only find a Furstnow who was a saddlemaker. Any information you can give me will be appreciated.

A: A.H. Furstnow and his brother Herman made pocket watches in Fond du Lac, Wis., about 100 years ago. Their father, Charles, was a saddlemaker. The name A.H. Furstnow was a private label on some Longines railroad watches.

Q: My daughter collects old teapots. Please help us identify one she bought at a flea market on the Jersey shore. It’s marked in brown with a man holding a sign that reads “Woods, Burslem, England.” Above that mark are the words “Enoch 1754, Hyde, Ralph 1750.”

A: Your daughter’s teapot was made in the early 1930s by Wood & Sons Ltd. of Burslem, Staffordshire, England. The names Enoch and Ralph in the mark refer to two famous 18th-century Staffordshire potters whose last name was Wood. They were cousins. The “Hyde” in the mark is the pattern name.

Her teapot is worth $100 to $150.

Ralph and Terry Kovel’s column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.