Pharmacy - the mother of invention?

James Crossley Eno (1827-1915)

Eno's fruit salt was spread to the four corners of the globe by sailors and sea-captains

James Crossley Eno's is certainly a rags to riches tale: he began selling the preparation in the 1850s as one of many at his pharmacy in Groat Market, Newcastle-upon Tyne. By 1876, sales of his fruit salt had grown to such an extent that he opened a factory at New Cross in London.

So how did Eno's Fruit Salt become one of the most well known proprietary medicines of the late 1800s and early 1900s?

Eno served his apprenticeship at Sandhill, Newcastle and from there moved on to work as dispenser at the Newcastle Infirmary on Forth Banks. On leaving the Infirmary he succeeded to the business of John Burrell in the Groat Market, Newcastle.

It was from this pharmacy that he began to sell the preparation that later became known as Eno's Fruit Salt.

The location of his pharmacy in Newcastle, a busy seaport, was an advantage to Eno. Both sea-captains and sailors purchased his preparation as a safeguard "against sea-sickness, fever, and change of climate" for their journeys abroad. Demands for supplies were gradually received from other retailers and wholesalers, both from surrounding counties and abroad. Demand grew to the extent that a small factory was established in Newcastle - and then the capacity of this was also exceeded.

In 1878 Eno chose a site in New Cross, south east London to build a new larger factory in replacement. The factory was built with room for expansion - still operating from the same site in the 1920s, showing the faith that he had in his product.

An article written in 1921 provides a romantic description of the factory as clean and spacious, well-lit and as comfortable as possible for staff. In departments ranging from bottle washing and drying to the laboratory and offices, tasks were broken down to increase speed and where possible machinery was used in order to "eliminate unnecessary fatigue". Use of machinery meant that the product was never touched by hand.

Great weight is given in writings about the company, to the fact that staff of J.C. Eno Ltd were well looked after. There was a Works Committee on which members of management and staff sat on an equal basis. There was also a staff recreation club in which all staff were encouraged to participate.

It was estimated that in the 1920s three out of four ships sailing from London had a consignment of Eno's Fruit Salt aboard. It was said that every known method had carried them, from sleighs in the arctic to caravans in the east! Two of the more remote places that Eno's was shipped to at this time were Thursday and Easter Islands. At this time Easter Island only received mail once every nine months!

Eno worked practically single-handedly developing the business and heavily relied on advertising. It is said that he wrote most of the adverts himself. His great interest in literature and philosophy is reflected in the adverts' high moral tone. He also hoped they would educate, including quotations from writers and philosophers as well as events of the time. Eno's were one of the first suppliers to have full-page adverts in the press. His form of advertising was new and well received.

Eno fought hard to retain the sole right to the trade mark 'Fruit Salt' when it was questioned whether this term was valid under the 1875 Trade Marks Act. Eventually the House of Lords ruled that the words 'Fruit Salt' were so closely linked to Eno that no-one else could use them unless there was no chance that the public would associate them with Eno's.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB)

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