Overview George W. Merchant, a druggist, began manufacturing his Gargling Oil in Lockport, NY, in 1833. Merchant’s Gargling Oil was not meant to be gargled, as the name suggests, but used as a liniment. Like many 19th-century patent medicines, it was advertised to effectively treat numerous ailments, including rheumatism, burns and scalds, flesh wounds, toothaches, cracked heels, hemorrhoids, and sprains and bruises.Around 1855, Merchant sold the business to M. H. Tucker, who continued...