Will Pearson
The Medical Background of Dr. Brown, Dr. Scholl, Dr. Martens and Dr Pepper
by Will Pearson - January 10, 2007 - 9:30 AM

Before you turn to any doc, it’s good to know his/her credentials. Here’s the scoop on a few: 

 drsoda_1926_35319624.jpg Dr. Brown’s
A staple of any good Jewish deli, the famous soda line started in 1869 with Dr. Brown’s Celery Tonic, a seltzer fortified with sugar and celery seed extract. Early in the 20th century, other sodas weren’t yet kosher, earning Doc Brown’s line a permanent niche in places that served knishes.

  0001101791699_LG.jpgDr. Scholl’s
William Mathias Scholl was still a medical student when he invented the “Foot-Eazer” to correct arch problems. After becoming a podiatrist in 1904, he started his own company, which now markets everything from insoles to wart removers to medicated foot powder.

  foto2_1.jpgDr. Martens
Sidelined by a skiing injury in 1945, German physician Dr. Klaus Maertens made himself air-cushioned shoe soles that allowed him to work despite his injured foot. Figuring he was on to something, he teamed up with Dr. Herbert Funck to mass-produce what started as a workingman’s boot. The shoe’s utilitarian purpose faded in the 1970s, though, when punk and goth musicians commandeered the brand and changed its image.

  pepper.jpgDr Pepper
Invented in 1885, just one year before Coca-Cola, Pepper was the brainchild of Waco, TX pharmacist Charles Alderton. But it was Alderton’s boss at the drugstore who got to name the drink, reportedly christening it after the father of a girl he fancied.

 

By the way, I stole this info from our Jan/Feb issue, on stands now.

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Comments (9)

  1. “…he teamed up with Dr. Herbert Funck…”

    Thank God they went with Dr. Marten!

    “War removers”? hehehe

    posted by Sheldon Siegel on 1-10-2007 at 9:53 am

  2. Good catch, Sheldon.

    posted by Will on 1-10-2007 at 9:57 am

  3. Very interesting. Half of them are frauds. No medical degree! Dr. Brown’s is a favorite of mine as I remember it from my childhood. Not that I liked the celery soda. I didn’t, but my parents did.

    posted by Rhea on 1-10-2007 at 10:07 am

  4. I was think Dr. Maerten was Funck’s sole brother

    posted by Emily Jane on 1-10-2007 at 11:45 am

  5. Okay, but was there a Dr. Brown behind the sodas or was it just a name they picked?

    posted by Dan on 1-2-2008 at 5:27 am

  6. Emily Jane is right on. Check it out now, Dr. Marten’s Funck sole brother. Right about now, the Funck sole brother.

    posted by Mark on 1-2-2008 at 11:23 am

  7. Is it just me or did this article fail to include the actual “medical background” of each proposed doctor? I guess the title of the story doesn’t always represent what will be included in the article …

    posted by Alice on 1-2-2008 at 12:48 pm

  8. It did Alice, just not in very much detail. Dr. Scholl was a podiatrist, Dr. Marten was a “physician” of some sort, and Dr. Pepper aka Dr. Alderton was a pharmacist. Although I guess a pharmacist doesn’t actually hold an MD, its close enough I suppose.

    posted by Burt on 1-2-2008 at 5:59 pm

  9. According to the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, TX:

    Dr Pepper Company is the oldest major manufacturer of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the United States. It is America’s unique flavor and was made and sold in 1885 in the Central Texas town of Waco.

    Dr Pepper is a “native Texan,” originating at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store. It is the oldest of the major brand soft drinks in America. Like its flavor, the origin of Dr Pepper is out-of-the-ordinary. Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist working at Morrison’s store, also served carbonated drinks at the soda fountain. He had noted that the customers soon tired of drinking the same old fruit flavors. After numerous experiments he finally hit upon one he liked.

    To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, Alderton was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. They liked it as well. Other patrons at Morrison’s soda fountain soon learned of Alderton’s new drink and began ordering it by asking him to shoot them a “Waco.”

    Morrison is credited with naming the drink “Dr. Pepper” (the period was dropped in the 1950s). Unfortunately, the origin for the name is unclear. The Museum has collected over a dozen different stories on how the drink became known as Dr Pepper.

    Dr. Pepper gained such widespread consumer favor that other soda fountain operators in Waco began buying the syrup from Morrison and serving it. This soon presented a problem for Alderton and Morrison. They could no longer produce enough at their fountain to supply the demand.

    Robert S. Lazenby, a young beverage chemist, had also tasted the new drink and was favorably impressed. Alderton, the originator, was primarily interested in pharmacy work and had no designs on the drink. He suggested that Morrison and Lazenby develop it further.

    Morrison and Lazenby were impressed with the growth of Dr Pepper. In 1891, they formed a new firm, the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company, which later became Dr Pepper Company. Lazenby and his son-in-law, J.B. O’Hara moved the company from Waco to Dallas in 1923.

    In 1904, Lazenby and O’Hara, introduced Dr Pepper to almost 20 million people attending the 1904 World’s Fair Exposition in St. Louis. The exposition was the setting for more than one major product debut. Hamburgers and hot dogs were first served on buns at the exposition, and the ice cream cone was introduced.

    posted by khm on 1-3-2008 at 3:55 pm

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