barossa history
Homeopathics in the chemist trade
words by
luke rothe
European settlement of the Barossa saw the establishment of a vital business – The Chemist & Druggist, however remedies and ointments dispensed by Barossa pharmacists had a uniquely German influence.
Homeopathic remedies are a natural medical alternative, developed in Germany by Dr Samuel Hahnemann in 1796 and brought to the Barossa by Prussian settlers from the 1840s.
Moritz Heuzenroeder’s Deutsche Apotheke (German Pharmacy) was established at Tanunda in 1850. Heuzenroeder’s German remedies included Kron Essenz (Altona Drops), Lebensgeist (Spirit of Life) and even veterinary homeopathics – Lungen Pulver (Lung Power) and Berg Oil for horses and cattle. Heuzenroeder products became well known across Australia.
Heuzenroeder’s long running business continued with successive generations until being sold to Martin V John in the late 1930s. The purchase included Heuzenroeder’s original recipes and product names – a winning formula for Martin’s newly acquired business.
‘Dr Schwabe’s Genuine Homeopathic Medicines’ were imported from Germany and sold locally. The small glass medicine bottles were usually numbered to correspond with a content chart and presented in a wooden box. Base names such as Belladonna, Arsenicum and Opium may sound alarming, but they were extremely diluted to form a tincture before use.
The Maywald cabinetmaking family of Nuriootpa made their own wooden homeopathic medicine box. They filled it using individual bottles bought from local chemists.
Homeopathic remedies were made in most local towns including Reusch’s Nuriootpa Pharmacy, Hardy’s Angaston Pharmacy, Scholz’s Willows Hospital at Light Pass and Appelt’s Chemist of Eudunda. Swann’s General Store at Angaston sold ‘Homeopathic & Patent Medicines’ as a retail item.
Dr R Morett & Co advertised their Angaston Dietetic Coffee Factory for a short time in the 1880s. The establishment featured a homeopathic pharmacy and a ‘Hydro-therapeutic’ facility offering hot air, steam and electro baths. The business was based on health, wellness and nutrition.
Similarly, Christian Hage of Greenock advertised ‘Dietetic Coffee & Cocoa’ for which he won a Merit Award at the 1887 Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition. A small 1880s Schwabe medicine box is marked with Hage’s factory stamp inside the lid, but Christian also made his own remedies.
Herman Brauer’s Tanunda pharmacy started in 1929 and became well known for its German remedies and homeopathics.
“HA Brauer – Homeopathic Teething Powders – For Children’s Teething Troubles and Derangements Incidental to Infancy.”
In the 1930s Brauer’s gave out promotional board games using a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ principal. Clever use was made of the Brauer’s brand. Landing on ‘Took Inferior Medicine’ set you back a whopping 32 spaces, while landing on ‘Brauer’s Genuine German Medicines’ meant advancing five spaces.
Brauer’s expanded by purchasing Martin John’s Tanunda chemist in the 1960s, which was operated by Don Farley from 1969. The acquisition included Heuzenroeder remedies, with the continued production of Heuzenroeder’s Berg Oil by Brauer Laboratories. The second location closed and became a Natural Health store in 1974, known today as Go Vita Tanunda.
In 1984, Brauer’s established a new manufacturing and laboratory facility in Tanunda. The Barossa’s tradition of homeopathy continues through both Go Vita, and Brauer – now an internationally recognised brand in natural medicine.
