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A Serious Start
Today, we think of how Pepto-Bismol soothes the digestive system after we've overindulged at a meal or eaten unfamiliar foods while traveling. But in its early days, Pepto-Bismol did more than comfort; it actually helped treat a very serious illness.
The medicine we now call Pepto-Bismol was originally developed at the start of the 20th century, when high standards of hygiene and sanitation weren't as widespread as today. Looking to cure a frightening disease called "cholera infantum," which struck infants suddenly, causing severe diarrhea and vomiting and sometimes death, a doctor concocted a formula in his home that proved effective against these symptoms. The formula was made from pepsin, bismuth salicylate, zinc salts, salol, and oil of wintergreen, along with a colorant to make it pink, and he called it Mixture Cholera Infantum. (Researchers would later learn that cholera infantum was caused by a bacterial infection, treatable with antibiotics.)
Sharing with the World
The invention of what we now know as Pepto-Bismol coincided with other health advances, such as milk pasteurization and public campaigns advocating hand washing. These advances knocked infant diarrhea out of the top spot on the list of causes of death for infants in the United States.
The early success of Pepto-Bismol presented a production crisis for its inventor, who couldn't make enough product in his home to satisfy demand. He brought his formula to what was then called the Norwich Pharmacal Company in Norwich, New York. Norwich Pharmacal had a way to increase Pepto-Bismol production dramatically—by manufacturing it in 20-gallon tubs.
Norwich added the remedy to its catalog for medical professionals, with the product name "Bismosal: Mixture Cholera Infantum." Norwich tinkered with the doctor's formula a bit and advertised the improved product as an "elegant, pleasantly flavored" mixture suitable for children because it contained no opiates.
Pepto-Bismol Today
Over the years, studies found that bismuth subsalicylate is the ingredient that makes Pepto-Bismol work, and that is listed as the active ingredient today.
Bismosal's name was changed in 1919 to Pepto-Bismol. The name change made it easier for Norwich to promote the product for use by adults. As Pepto-Bismol, the product became Norwich's leading nonprescription drug.
Pepto-Bismol came to the Procter & Gamble Company as part of the Company's acquisition of Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals in 1982. It's now sold in several countries around the world.
 
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