Pepsi-Cola being used as a medical cure for stomach illnesses in Morocco 1940s

Going through a batch of Hebrew Documents from Morocco from a recent collection I acquired, I came across this entertaining letter. The writer, is writing of his reminiscences of a childhood friend with whom he grew up with in Ben-Ahmed, a small town in Morocco in the 1930s and 1940s.

Here is a portion of the 4 page letter: (the spelling mistakes in original have been corrected)
אני גם זוכר שרצה ללמוד לנהוג ברכב. היה לנו אוטו רנו מודל 1935 היה נוסע בו קדימה ואחורה, עד שיום אחד נכנץ בעץ ונבהל נורא, הכחשנו את המקרה מאבא ז"ל
"I also recall how he wanted to learn to drive an automobile. We had a Renault 1935 Model, he was able to go forwards and backwards, until one day he drove in to a tree and was frightened greatly. We denied this occurrence from our father, may he rest in peace."
היה סובל מהקיבה, לגבי תרופות רק מספרי הרמב"ם. העדיף לשתות פפסי-קולה הטיב לו לקיבה. רבים פנו אליו בשאלות רפואיות ולכולם היה לו תשובה...
"He suffered from stomach pains, and used only medicines brought down in the works of Maimonides. He preferred to drink Pepsi-Cola and this helped his stomach. Many people approached him with medical questions and for all he had an answer.........."

 

1935 Model Renault