The 'Specialists' of First Avenue
A predatory medical institute promises secret cures for 'youthful indiscretions' and 'lost vitality' from their downtown Seattle office.
The State Medical Institute, located in the Safe Deposit and Trust Company's Building at 701 First Avenue, advertises itself as the oldest and most reliable specialist in the Northwest for the cure of chronic, nervous, and private diseases. They claim to treat men suffering from the effects of youthful indiscretion, later excesses, recent exposure, nervous debility, varicocele, unnatural discharges, lost vitality, failing memory, and unfitness to marry. The institute guarantees all cures or money back, offering consultation in strict confidence and promising to send medicines secretly to those out of the city.
“Thousands cured by correspondence and medicines sent secretly.”
This advertisement is a classic example of the 'quack' medical industry that flourished in early 20th-century Seattle, preying on men's anxieties about sexual health and social standing. Today, the site at 701 First Avenue is part of the historic Pioneer Square district, a far cry from the days when such 'specialists' operated in the shadows of the city's commercial core.
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