Phenacetin – One Story of It

His name was Bernie and everyone loved him. He was a man of Christian faith and a faithful Sunday School teacher – there was no problem there. He was a family man with a loving wife and well-raised children – there was no problem there. He ran a small business, practiced honesty, worked hard, and made a living – there was no problem there.

But he had frequent headaches and took a great number of Goody’s Headache Powders. There was  a problem there.

Bernie was literally addicted to those headache powders. Even in church, I saw him lean his head back and pour the powder along his tongue, then frown as the stuff took effect. Everyone who knew Bernie was conscious of his havit, but it went largely unspoken about.

Sometimes he would say something first, like “I’ve got to take something for this headache.” People would look the other way and say nothing. I can remember thinking someone should say something to Bernie. But I was in my 20’s and he was in his 40’s, so I thought an older person should do it. I believe many people wished something could be done, but by someone else.

Bernie ran his “Bernie’s Produce” market right on Main Street and he and his family lived in the back of it. He was devoted to his business. I went with him once on his morning trip to Knoxville to shop at a large farm market. I marveled at how he selected produce and negotiated prices and how everyone seemed to know and respect him. He was not an unhappy man, but he must have lived in near constant pain. He did not live to an old age.

This was the 1950’s in eastern Tennessee, and the main ingredient in Goody’s Headache Powder then was Phenacetin. The powder did indeed relieve a headache. But it also created a headache cycle. The relieved headache created a new one to take its place, and this called for another powder which relieved that headache but then called for another, and so on and on. Addicted users were recorded taking 40-50 doses in a day, and one doctor claimed to have documented a man taking 100.

Phenacetin was synthesized in Germany by the Bayer company in 1887 and used in various products until banned in the U.S. in 1983, much too late to help Bernie. It was banned as a health risk with proven associations to severe kidney problems and cancer. Goody’s initially disputed these claims, but then removed the Phenacetin and replaced it with Tylenol. At the same time they obtained a sponsorship with NASCAR’s Richard Petty, and this helped them remain in business. The powder is still sold today and without the Phenacetin it is as safe as any other pain product.

The man responsible for the powder in the first place was Martin “Goody” Goodman, a pharmacist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He developed it to sell in his local pharmacy in 1932. In 1936 a local tobacco and candy wholesaler named A. Thad Lewallen bought rights to the formula and began mass production. Lewallen was a shrewd marketer, and one of his targets was factory workers.

Before vending machines existed, Southern textile mills and tobacco factories had rolling refreshment carts that traveled around the floors. These were called “dope wagons.” They sold sandwiches, snacks, and dopes. (In case you aren’t familiar, “dope” is an old Southern term for Coca-Cola.)

Because the mills were incredibly hot, loud, and dusty, workers constantly suffered from headaches. The dope wagons began stocking Goody’s right alongside the Cokes. Workers called them “production powders.“ The combination of Aspirin, Phenacetin, and Caffeine worked so quickly that a worker could take one right on the factory line and get the boost they needed to hit their production quota for the day.

After the ban, Phenacetin found new life in the criminal underworld. Today it is one of the most popular “cutting agents” used to dilute cocaine and increase the profit. It looks like cocaine and gives a stimulating effect of its own. Compared to cocaine it is very cheap. A 50% mix is common for street sales.

And remember, this Phenacetin is the very same substance Bernie used to take as we sang together in church.

What got me to remembering Bernie? And thinking and writing about all this?

My young lifeguard friend at the pool was out with a headache yesterday. Today I asked her what she did about it. She said she took some Goody’s Headache Powder from the Walmart, and it worked just fine.

About the Illustrations

I created the illustrations for this article (and many others) using an Artificial Intelligence application.

Some might question the statement “I created” and insist that AI created them instead. My claim is that they came from me, from my head, and that AI was the tool I used to produce the images based on how I conceived them.

An artist uses tools like canvas, brushes, paints, models, drawings, scenes, and “still life” objects to produce a painting. But ultimately the painting has come from the mind of the artist, not the tools themselves. I know this explanation sounds defensive and that’s fine. AI is a wonderful tool and it certainly makes things easier than what an artist does with brushes and canvas. But I feel that the principle is the same.

I don’t just ask AI to “please illustrate this article for me.” I carefully describe each illustration I want and then go through an often lengthy process of correcting and improving the images through successive iterations. AI is amazing, but not perfect. Sometimes we just can’t get it right and I give up and turn to something else.

The rapid advancement of AI’s image creating abilities is mind boggling. I can’t wait to see what comes next.