Ca. 1930s? (tin). Warner-Chilcott Laboratories, located in Morris Plains NJ, manufactured these suppositories. (Special Collections, George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences) |
| This tin of hemorrhoidal suppositories was produced by pharmaceutical company Warner-Chilcott, of Morris Plains, NJ. The product Anusol is still produced today in Great Britain.
Hemorrhoids and suppositories are not the most pleasant subjects to discuss, nor the most thrilling. And yet, the company that produced this product was involved in an unusual episode of Cold War diplomacy. The Chairman of Warner-Chilcott from 1958 to 1968 was Dr. Leonard A. Scheele, who served as the 7th US Surgeon General during the previous decade. In 1962, Scheele played a small but critical role in the release of over 1000 CIA-backed Cuban exiles captured by Castro’s forces during during the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco. In exchange for these prisoners, Cuban leader Fidel Castro demanded tens of millions of dollars in specifically requested food, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. John B. Donovan, a US attorney who handled negotiations with Cuba (and was portrayed by Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg’s movie “Bridge of Spies”) needed an expert to explain to Castro and Cuban physicians that “certain substitutions in the drug list were for good and proper cause.” Donovan turned to Scheele, who traveled to Havana and successfully persuaded Castro to accept this unusual form of ransom. Merck & Co., the Rahway, NJ based pharmaceutical company, also played a role in the Bay of Pigs prisoner release. Among some 60 companies making contributions, Merck & Co. donated $2.5 million dollars of medical supplies. Whether or not Castro requested Anusol suppositories in the ransom is unknown, but President Kennedy certainly sought fast relief from the Bay of Pigs disaster. Indeed, after the ransom was paid and the prisoners returned to American soil, Kennedy was probably quite pleased to have this irritating episode well behind him.
Resources:Leonard A. Scheele’s New York Times Obituary. Life Magazine account of Leonard A. Scheele’s role in Bay Of Pigs. Merck & Co.’s role in Bay of Pigs A 2007 corporate history of Warner Chilcott. Donovan Speeds Liberation Efforts: Scheele Is Consultant (Sarasota Herald-Tribune 1962) Ransom Deal Awaits O.K. From Castro: (The Spokesman-Review 1962) |