Born and raised in Ohio, Theodore Ricksecker (1846 to 1919) moved to Manhattan and began working in 1863 as a drugstore clerk before partnering with a seasoned druggist. Moving on as a solo businessman in 1876 to William Street, Ricksecker confined his wares to perfumes, toiletries, and Capsicum Drafts that he began advertising as “French’s” (above) and rapidly renamed as “Ricksecker’s.” The Capsicum Drafts were dry pads impregnated with chili pepper extract (capsaicin) that chemically warmed up once sprinkled with water. By applying this counterirritant near a painful site, the Drafts became a “warm friend in time of need.” Unfortunately, Ricksecker overexpanded his business and even Capsicum Drafts could not rescue him in 1896 from the pain of bankruptcy. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
Born and raised in Ohio, Theodore Ricksecker (1846 to 1919) moved to Manhattan and began working in 1863 as a drugstore clerk before partnering with a seasoned druggist. Moving on as a solo businessman in 1876 to William Street, Ricksecker confined his wares to perfumes, toiletries, and Capsicum Drafts that he began advertising as “French’s” (above) and rapidly renamed as “Ricksecker’s.” The Capsicum Drafts were dry pads impregnated with chili pepper extract (capsaicin) that chemically warmed up once sprinkled with water. By applying this counterirritant near a painful site, the Drafts became a “warm friend in time of need.” Unfortunately, Ricksecker overexpanded his business and even Capsicum Drafts could not rescue him in 1896 from the pain of bankruptcy. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.
