Lane's Emulsion

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image of advertisement for Lane's Emulsion
1927 advertisement for Lane's Emulsion by Stanley Davis

Lane's Emulsion was a patent medicine manufactured in New Zealand.

Image of Lane's Emulsion factory.
Lane's Emulsion factory, Oamaru

The emulsion, which had a strong fishy smell owing to its high cod liver oil content, was invented by Edward Lane,[1][2] a chemist from Oamaru, in 1898. In 1908 the company opened a new factory in the town's Harbour Street[3] (now part of the Oamaru Historic Precinct) in a building which still bears the product's slogan "It's famous because it's good". The original recipe contained cod liver oil, beechwood creosote, mineral lime, soda, brandy, vitamins, fresh egg yolk and some secret ingredients.[4]

Sold in clear glass bottles, the thick cream-coloured liquid was fed to generations of New Zealand children and was also sold overseas. A branch factory was opened in Melbourne in the 1920s.[5][6][7] Originally claiming to be "a reliable remedy for pulmonary ailments", the product was still in production until 1984.[8] Oamaru company Crombie and Price, which bought Lane's Medicine in 1971, still holds the rights and recipe to the product.

An ice cream based on the flavour of Lane's Emulsion was launched in 2014.[9]

References

  1. ^ Bruce, D., "Tonic's recipe nectar of goodness", Otago Daily Times, 9 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Obituary". Otago Daily Times. 25 July 1947. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Paperspast.
  3. ^ "A Local Industry, Flourishing and Extending". Otago Daily Times. 16 April 1908. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Paperspast.
  4. ^ Bruce, D., "Not a whiff of a Lane's entry yet", Oamaru Mail, 24 May 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Firm's Half-Century of Progress". Otago Daily Times. 20 August 1948. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Paperspast.
  6. ^ "Pioneers of Industry". NZ Truth. 17 June 1926. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Paperspast.
  7. ^ "A mother's praise". Geelong Advertiser. 16 June 1923. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Victorian Heritage Celebrations and the story of Lane's Emulsion | Culture Waitaki". culturewaitaki.org.nz. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. ^ "New Lane's icecream is just the tonic". Stuff. Retrieved 1 September 2019.


10. Lane's emulsion -otherwise referred to as Lane's revulsion - was manufactured by PSM Holdings. The formula contained chloroform which was no longer permitted as an ingredient by the late 1980's. Reformulation attempts to replace the chloroform with alcohol and preservative were unsuccessful as the bacteria grew on the egg yolks and the final batch did not pass microbiology tests and was sold aa bird feed..