19th Century Antique Wm. Radam's "MICROBE KILLER" No. 1 Stoneware Jug. 11" tall, 6 1/4" bottom diameter.  

Radam's Microbe Killer History "As told by the author in his book, The Microbe Killer, Radam, as a sufferer of tuberculosis himself, grew disillusioned with the false promises of doctors and advertisements alike.

By observing the contents of his stomach, he determined that there was only one type of microbe which caused all diseases. He became obsessed with finding a way to kill the microbes. To this end, he developed a product that he called the Microbe Killer, which he believed had cured him and would cure anyone who used it.

The growing public interest in microbes as the cause of disease allowed his claims about causes and cures to appear consistent with scientific advances. Radam offered the best of both worlds to consumers appearing as both one of them and also as a sort of expert due to his usage of scientific language and scientific methods.

In the end, Radam's extraordinary success in marketing this product not only made him rich, it also made his product an early target of efforts to monitor food and drugs. In April 1910 twelve cases of Radam's Microbe Killer were seized, on the grounds of false, exaggerated, and misleading labels, and the contents were destroyed."

For further information on this interesting story, check out the NIH website.

See photos for condition. The most obvious flaw is the chip on the exterior edge of the spout. It has various spots of dirt on the lip of the spout and a few other spots. The bottom is concave and the edge of it also has a chip. There is craquelure throughout the glazed surface of the body. There are unglazed spots near the bottom edge from the manufacturing process. (Note: reflective hint of turquoise in photos is an artifact of the photography).