This Victorian-era "meat juice" tonic, called "Valentine's Meat Juice", was created by a man trying to save his dying wife. Although meat juice isn't everyone's idea of romance, the story behind its creation is undeniably sweet. The reputation of the meat juice took a turn for the worse when it became entangled in one of the most sensational murder trials of the 1880s.
As explained in Chemistry World, the product gained popularity as a patent medicine, but its true significance emerged during the infamous Maybrick murder case. Florence Maybrick was convicted of killing her husband, James, by allegedly adding arsenic to his bottle of Valentine's Meat Juice. The meat juice may have played a role in his death, but for entirely different reasons.
The scientific journal Food and Sanitation found the arsenic levels were "not sufficient to poison a child." James Maybrick was also known to regularly consume arsenic products – a common practice in Victorian times. The journal suggested his death may have actually resulted from malnutrition, as Valentine's Meat Juice actually provided little nutritional value despite its marketing claims.
"Instead of feeding their patients with beef tea, they were starving them," Food and Sanitation reported. Florence Maybrick served 15 years in prison before her release, but questions about her guilt remain unresolved. I think the real criminal here was the Valentine's Meat Juice, and yes, I'm suspicious of it based on its name alone.
See also: My first attempt at smoking meat on a compact bullet smoker
