Small, circular, cardboard container with a yellow and red label for Beecham's Patent Pills. Beecham's Pills were created by English chemist Thomas Beecham in 1842. They were marketed as a laxative but also claimed to cure such things as headache, dizziness, pain, stomach spasms, lowness of spirits, nervous affectations, pimples, bad legs, and menstrual derangements. These pills, composed of aloe, powdered soap, and powdered ginger, were actually effective laxatives and were very popular. Beecham's pharmaceutical company eventually merged with an American company, GlaxoSmithKline, who continues to use the Beecham's brand name to this day.