"Ayer's Ague Cure Is Warranted To Cure All Malarial Disorders". Advertising card for malarial disorders, attributed to a miasmatic poison, can be cured through proper use of Ayer's Ague Cure. Visual motif: Swamp scene showing log cabin, a boat, and two frogs offering Ayer's Ague Cure to an alligator. James Cook Ayer (May 5, 1818 - July 3. 1878) was the wealthiest patent medicine businessman of his day. He studied medicine and graduated from the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania. He never practiced medicine, but devoted his principal attention to pharmaceutical chemistry and the compounding of medicines. Much of his success was due to his advertising, and he published annually an almanac, 5,000,000 copies of which were gratuitously distributed each year. He died in an asylum in 1878 at the age of 60.