Charles Henry Phillips

Charles Henry Phillips (1822–1888) was an English pharmacist, known for his invention Phillips' Milk of Magnesia.^[1][2]

Bottle used for Phillips' Leche de Magnesia (Milk of Magnesia) in the Amber Museum, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Early days

He moved from England to an estate at 666 Glenbrook Rd. in Glenbrook, a section of Stamford, Connecticut and established the Phillips Camphor and Wax Company there.

The antacid concept

In Stamford he concocted and received a patent in 1873^[3] for hydrate of magnesia mixed with water which he called Milk of Magnesia.

Final days, achievements and legacy

Phillips produced milk of magnesia and other pharmaceuticals at his Glenbrook firm, which incorporated in 1885 as the Charles H. Phillips Company. After Phillips' death of apoplexy in New York on 29 October 1888,^[4] his four sons ran the corporation until 1923, when it was acquired by Sterling Drug, Inc. Phillips' Milk of Magnesia is still manufactured today. The final blue bottle was filled in 1976, when production at the Glenbrook plant was phased out. Sterling, and its Phillips' Milk of Magnesia, was purchased by Bayer in 1994.

References

1. Lockhart, Bill, Shriever, Beau, and Serr, Carol. "The Bottles of Phillips Milk of Magnesia", Society for Historical Archaeology, April 23, 2018. https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/MilkOfMagnesia.pdf
2. Goldstein, Malcolm A. "Sterling Products Inc. (V.2) - The Charles H. Phillips Chemical Co.", January 24, 2019. https://onbeyondholcombe.wordpress.com/2019/01/24/sterling-products-inc-v-2-the-charles-h-phillps-chemical-co/
3. U.S. Patent No. 138,282. https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=00138282
4. Obituaries. The New York Times, October 31, 1888; The Sun, October 31, 1888; Chicago Tribune, November 3, 1888.

• "Made In Stamford - A History of Stamford as a Manufacturing Center". Made In Stamford. Archived from the original on 25 October 2005. Retrieved 6 September 2005.