Pluto Water was a

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from ot ...

for a strongly

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

natural water product which was marketed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in the early 20th century. The water's laxative properties were from its high native content of mineral salts, with the active ingredient listed as

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...

and

magnesium sulfate Magnesium sulfate or magnesium sulphate (in English-speaking countries other than the US) is a chemical compound, a salt with the formula , consisting of magnesium cations (20.19% by mass) and sulfate anions . It is a white crystalline solid, ...

, which are known as natural laxatives. The water's high native content of mineral salts generally made it effective within one hour of ingestion, a fact the company emphasized in their promotional literature. Company advertisements stated the laxative was effective from a half-hour to two hours after ingestion. In 1919, it took 450 railroad cars to transport the bottler’s output.Yaël Ksander,

" ''Moments of Indiana History'' (accessed May. 8, 2013)

Distribution

The water was bottled at the French Lick Springs Hotel, French Lick Springs, in

French Lick, Indiana French Lick is a town in French Lick Township, Orange County, Indiana. The population was 1,807 at the time of the 2010 census. In November 2006, the French Lick Resort Casino, the state's tenth casino in the modern legalized era, opened, drawing ...

, a location with natural

mineral springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

that was also the source of the competing Sprudel Water.

Laxative properties

The water's high native content of mineral salts generally made it effective as a laxative within one hour of ingestion, a point emphasized in the company's promotional literature. Company advertisements stated the laxative was effective from a half-hour to two hours after ingestion. The active ingredient of Pluto water was listed as

and

, which are known as natural laxatives. The water also contains a number of other minerals, most notably

lithium Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense soli ...

salts. The sale of Pluto water was halted in 1971 when lithium became a

controlled substance A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single ...

Advertising

Advertised as "America's Laxative", Pluto Water used the slogan "When Nature Won't, PLUTO Will". The bottle and many advertisements featured an image of

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

, the Roman god of the underworld, reflecting the water's underground origin.

Popular culture

* Charles Butterworth's character in the 1931 movie '' Illicit'', mentions Pluto Water, when making a "Toast to water" then listing different waters. *Pluto Water was the main subject of the novel ''So Cold the River'' (2010) by

Michael Koryta Michael Koryta (pronounced ) (born September 20, 1982) is an American author of contemporary crime and supernatural fiction. His novels have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, and have won or been nominated for prizes and awa ...

.Janet Maslin,
A Hoosier Haunting: There’s Something in the Water That’s Very Strange
" ''New York Times,'' June 30, 2010 (accessed Nov 13, 2011) *In ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the Unit ...

'' season 3, episode 7, Grady (

Whitman Mayo Whitman Blount Mayo Jr. (November 15, 1930 – May 22, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role as Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom ''Sanford and Son''. Biography Early years Whitman Blount Mayo, Jr. was born in New Yor ...

) mentions Pluto Water to Julio (

Gregory Sierra Gregory Joseph Sierra (January 25, 1937 – January 4, 2021) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amengual on ''Barney Miller'', Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on ''Sanford and Son'' ...

). Also in season 1 Fred mentions Pluto Water to Lamont. *

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

writes about his mother giving him Pluto Water to help cure lockjaw in the first chapter of his autobiography, "Satchmo, My Life in New Orleans". *

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

references Pluto water in his first novel, “Player Piano,” in chapter 28, while setting the scene of the dystopian tavern ‘The Dutch,’ where: “in almost every hand was the drink fashionable that season,

benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

and Pluto water, with a sprig of mint.”

Gallery

File:PlutoSpring1903.jpg, "Pluto Spring", French Lick, 1903 File:HoudiniPlutoIndiana.jpg, Escape artist

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American Escapology, escape artist, Magic (illusion), magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his Escapology, escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to ...

(left) posing near Pluto Spring poster, c.1907 File:Pluto Water newspaper ad 1918.tif, Newspaper advertisement, 1918 File:Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 (William P. Gottlieb 00231) - Cropped.jpg, Louis Armstrong in his dressing room, a bottle of Pluto Water at left, 1946 File:World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 03.jpg, "America's Greatest Laxative" File:Grand-stand baseball (graphic) - Pluto Water. America’s greatest physic for constipation, stomach and kidney, liver troubles. 15 (cents). 35 (cents). All drug stores. Ask your doctor. c.1895 (6857386768) (cropped).jpg, Grand-stand baseball (graphic) - Pluto Water. America’s greatest physic for constipation, stomach and kidney, liver troubles. 15 (cents). 35 (cents). All drug stores. Ask your doctor. c.1895 File:"PLUTO FOR SPANISH INFLUENZA" "Guard against this dread epidemic" "Pluto water, America's physic, is influenza's natural foe" detail, from- Pluto Water 1918 For Spanish Influenza (cropped).jpg, "PLUTO FOR SPANISH INFLUENZA" "Guard against this dread epidemic" "Pluto water, America's physic, is influenza's natural foe" detail, from- Pluto Water 1918 For Spanish Flu File:Pluto Water ad detail, from- Clinical medicine (1894) (14804442613) (cropped).jpg, Pluto Water ad detail in 1894 File:Pluto Concentrated Water label, French Lick, Indiana, 1901.jpg, Pluto Concentrated Water label, French Lick, Indiana, 1901

References