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• Spirit of Jacksonian Democracy inspires more respect for the intelligence of the common people, less need for then to depend on upper class, including doctors.
• Religious Revivals proclaim that salvation can be achieved by reading the Bible, less need for trained intermediaries to lead the way.
• Cholera Epidemic of 1849 in Providence, Davis claims his Pain Killer can cure it (“Outrageous,” says Connors), historians of the time give him credit for doing so.
• Civil War stimulates sales of all patent and proprietary medicines. Government takes over production and distribution of Pain Killer, funnels profits to the Davis company.
• An age of national advertising ensues as newspapers proliferate and population becomes more literate. Newspapers prosper from ads for medicine. Davis is clever advertiser.
• Legal protection: Davis trademarks the name “Pain Killer.” Supreme Court upholds case when another company calls their product Pain Killer.
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