Vintage 1940s Similac Baby Formula Tin M&R Dietetic Labs Columbus Ohio 1lb Empty For Sale

Description:

An original Similac infant formula tin from M&R Dietetic Laboratories, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio — the company that became Ross Laboratories and, later, part of Abbott. A wonderful piece of infant feeding history in that unmistakable seafoam-green litho.

The front panel carries the ornate M&R shield logo above the SIMILAC banner, with the period marketing line "A FOOD FOR INFANTS DURING THE ALL IMPORTANT FIRST YEAR" and the American Medical Association Council on Foods and Nutrition acceptance seal. Net weight one pound / 453 grams.

The reverse panel is the real treasure for collectors and educators — a full ingredient and analysis panel describing a powdered modified milk product made from tuberculin-tested cows' milk (casein modified), with butterfat partly removed and lactose, olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cocoa butter, and fish liver oil concentrate added. The approximate analysis lists fat, carbohydrate, protein, ash, and moisture percentages, calories per ounce, calcium and phosphorus, and vitamin A, B1, C, and D values. There's even a period disclosure that all milk is deficient in iron and that additional iron and vitamin C should be supplied as prescribed by the physician.

Dating information is printed right on the can: patented April 3, 1923 – December 1, 1925, with revised label adopted July 1, 1947. Canco maker's mark at the lower right of the back panel.

A superb display piece for anyone collecting pharmacy and medical advertising, dairy and nutrition history, or infant feeding artifacts. Also a genuinely useful teaching object for lactation educators, nursing programs, and museum displays on the history of artificial feeding.

(AI assisted description)