Thomas Allcock was the inventor of a plaster for pain relief and the founder of the Allcock Manufacturing Company.

Early life

Allcock was born and educated in Birmingham, England. A age 15 he studied and practiced chemistry. Alcock emigrated to the United States in 1845, settled in New York and opened a drug store. In 1854 he invented a porous plaster for the relief of pain, and subsequently formed Alcock Manufacturing.

Military career

Alcock became connected with the New York State Militia, and was appointed Captain on 27 October 1856 with the Second Brigade, a post he held until he mustered with the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery as Major on 4 January 1862. With the outbreak of hostilities in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Allcock was made Assistant Adjutant General on 13 April 1861, headquartered in the New York Depot. He was engaged in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy, Hanover Court-House, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, first and second, Deep Bottom, Weldon Railroad, and Ream's Station. He was wounded while in command of the Third Battalion at the First Battle of Ream's Station

First Battle of Ream's Station

First Battle of Ream's Station was a battle fought June 29, 1864, during the Wilson-Kautz Raid of the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. William Mahone and Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee defeated Union cavalry raiding Confederate railroads south of Petersburg,...

 on 25 August 1864 and was on detached duty as an invalid from September 1864 to December, 1865 when he was discharged due to the end of the war.

Allcock returned to New York after the war and joined up with Benjamin Brandreth

Benjamin Brandreth

Benjamin Brandreth was a pioneer in the early use of mass advertising to build consumer awareness of his product, a purgative that allegedly cured many ills by purging toxins out of the blood...

 in the manufacturing and sale of popular patent medicine

Patent medicine

Patent medicine refers to medical compounds of questionable effectiveness sold under a variety of names and labels. The term "patent medicine" is somewhat of a misnomer because, in most cases, although many of the products were trademarked, they were never patented...

s.

He died on 27 December 1891 of a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

. He was buried at Dale Cemetery

Dale Cemetery

The Dale Cemetery located in Ossining, New York is a town-owned cemetery encompassing and has been operational since October 1851.-Description:...

 in Ossining

Ossining (town), New York

Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.