Pluto Water
Pluto Water was a trademark for a strongly laxative natural water product which was marketed in the United States in the early 20th century. The water's laxative properties were from its high native content of mineral salts, with the active ingredient listed as sodium and magnesium sulfate, which are known as natural laxatives. The water's high native content of mineral salts generally made it effective within one hour of ingestion, a fact the company emphasized in their promotional literature. Company advertisements stated the laxative was effective from a half-hour to two hours after ingestion. In 1919, it took 450 railroad cars to transport the bottler’s output.<ref name="hoosier">Yaël Ksander, "[1]," Moments of Indiana History (accessed May. 8, 2013)</ref>
DistributionEdit
The water was bottled at the French Lick Springs, in French Lick, Indiana, a location with natural mineral springs that was also the source of the competing Sprudel Water.
Laxative propertiesEdit
The water's high native content of mineral salts generally made it effective as a laxative within one hour of ingestion, a point emphasized in the company's promotional literature. Company advertisements stated the laxative was effective from a half-hour to two hours after ingestion. The active ingredient of Pluto water was listed as sodium and magnesium sulfate, which are known as natural laxatives. The water also contains a number of other minerals, most notably lithium salts. The sale of Pluto water was halted in 1971 when lithium became a controlled substance.<ref name="hoosier" />
AdvertisingEdit
Advertised as "America's Laxative", Pluto Water used the slogan "When Nature Won't, PLUTO Will". The bottle and many advertisements featured an image of Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld, reflecting the water's underground origin.
Popular cultureEdit
- Charles Butterworth's character in the 1931 movie Illicit, mentions Pluto Water, when making a "Toast to water" then listing different waters.
- Pluto Water was the main subject of the novel So Cold the River (2010) by Michael Koryta.<ref>Janet Maslin, "A Hoosier Haunting: There’s Something in the Water That’s Very Strange," New York Times, June 30, 2010 (accessed Nov 13, 2011)</ref>
- In Sanford and Son season 3, episode 7, Grady (Whitman Mayo) mentions Pluto Water to Julio (Gregory Sierra). Also in season 1 Fred mentions Pluto Water to Lamont.
- Louis Armstrong writes about his mother giving him Pluto Water to help cure lockjaw in the first chapter of his autobiography, "Satchmo, My Life in New Orleans".
- Kurt Vonnegut references Pluto water in his first novel, “Player Piano,” in chapter 28, while setting the scene of the dystopian tavern ‘The Dutch,’ where: “in almost every hand was the drink fashionable that season, benedictine and Pluto water, with a sprig of mint.”
GalleryEdit
- PlutoSpring1903.jpg
"Pluto Spring", French Lick, 1903
- HoudiniPlutoIndiana.jpg
Escape artist Harry Houdini (left) posing near Pluto Spring poster, c.1907
- Pluto Water newspaper ad 1918.tif
Newspaper advertisement, 1918
- Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 (William P. Gottlieb 00231) - Cropped.jpg
Louis Armstrong in his dressing room, a bottle of Pluto Water at left, 1946
- World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 03.jpg
"America's Greatest Laxative"
- Grand-stand baseball (graphic) - Pluto Water. America’s greatest physic for constipation, stomach and kidney, liver troubles. 15 (cents). 35 (cents). All drug stores. Ask your doctor. c.1895 (6857386768).jpg
Grand-stand baseball (graphic) - Pluto Water. America’s greatest physic for constipation, stomach and kidney, liver troubles. 15 (cents). 35 (cents). All drug stores. Ask your doctor. c.1895
- "PLUTO FOR SPANISH INFLUENZA" "Guard against this dread epidemic" "Pluto water, America's physic, is influenza's natural foe" detail, from- Pluto Water 1918 For Spanish Influenza (cropped).jpg
"PLUTO FOR SPANISH INFLUENZA" "Guard against this dread epidemic" "Pluto water, America's physic, is influenza's natural foe" detail, from- Pluto Water 1918 For Spanish Flu
- Pluto Water ad detail, from- Clinical medicine (1894) (14804442613) (cropped).jpg
Pluto Water ad detail in 1894
- Pluto Concentrated Water label, French Lick, Indiana, 1901.jpg
Pluto Concentrated Water label, French Lick, Indiana, 1901