1857 The beginnings of Canada’s biggest patent medicine company

George Horace Gooderham’s father-in law was Henry Stephen Northrop. Henry Northrop was a travelling sales man who joined a retail pharmacy which became known by 1857 as Northrop and Moses. When John Lyman joined Northrop and Lyman was born.

Henry Stephen Northrop 1820-1893

They hired a druggist and their store is still a pharmacy today in Newcastle Ontario. Henry and his wife Mary’s home still exists today as a private residence. For insurance purposes they used a brick building at the rear of their house to make their Canadian Pain Destroyer, Eclectric Oil, Graves Worm Exterminator and their Vegetable Discovery and Dyspeptic Cure.

They became agents for other patent medicine manufactures then transitioned from retail pharmacy to patent medicines alone and moved the business to Toronto in 1874 first locating at 40 Scott St., then 21 Front Street-West. In 1917, they moved into their own building at 462 Wellington, Street-West.

By the late 1870’s they had become one of the largest dealers of patent medicines in the country. A large part of their success was due to acquiring the formula to sell Dr. Thomas’ Eclectric Oil. It continued to be made into the 1960’s! 

Excerpts from Canada's Largest Patent Medicine Company - The Northrop and Lyman Story by Glen Moorhouse for a display at the Four Seasons Bottle Collectors, April 23, 2023 Show and Sale