Let's buy: Some Cordial Balm of Gilead (John Johnson Collection guest post)

Bodleian Libraries (John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera) blog essay by the Oxford historian of English Lynda Mugglestone, drawing on the collection's Solomon advertising material. Facts copied from the fetched page: Solomon's dates given as 'Samuel Solomon (c.1768-1819)', who 'from c.1796' marketed the balm; the Cordial Balm was 'undoubtedly expensive' but 'promoted as a bargain at half a guinea a bottle'; and the deflationary verdict on its contents, quoting the medical-ephemera historian William Helfand that the balm was 'in reality, probably a composite of "a few herbs and spices dissolved in a substantial percentage of old French brandy"'. The essay also notes Solomon's appropriation of the 'M.D.' style and of the biblical Balm of Gilead. Byline (Lynda Mugglestone), publication (John Johnson Collection blog, Bodleian Libraries), and date (3 February 2021) read directly from the page; the site post is attributed on its byline line to the collection editor (julieannelambert) with Mugglestone named as the guest author in the title and text. Cited for the half-guinea price, the c.1768-1819 dating, and the Helfand brandy-and-herbs characterization.