Thermogene heat padding advert. This padding, applied to the chest, was described as a 'counter-irritant calorific cotton wadding impregnated with vegetable essences'. Intended to generate warmth, it was stated to cure conditions such as rheumatism, coughs, sore throats, and influenza. Advertisements for unproven proprietary or patent medicines and treatments were common before the introduction of food and medical legislation. The Thermogene Company in the UK existed until 1954. This lithograph, published in 1909, in Paris, France, is by the Italian poster art designer Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942).