An illustration of Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup for teething and colicky babies. The product like many of the era was laced with a dangerous product. Mrs. Winslow’s syrup contained morphine that killed many infants.

In 1912, the U.S. Congress enacted the Sherley Amendment which prohibited labeling medicines with false therapeutic claims intended to defraud the purchaser, a standard difficult to prove.