Whilst researching the year 1898, I noticed this advert in a local newspaper. It’s for ‘Trilene Tablets’ which promised to “cure fat people”. Now whilst a “cure for stoutness” is sceptical at best, it did show that remedies to assist weight loss were being pursued even 125 years ago.
However, it wasn’t the outdated terminology or tablets themselves which surprised me. It was a note in the testimonials and proof below the advert from people who tried this product. One such testimonial was from Miss B McKenzie of Greenhall, High Blantyre, who wrote, “I have been using these tablets for previous 2 months, eating sparsely and I have been completely cured, weight reducing 2 stone.”
