Dr. E. F. Townsend was a physician at 331 Westminister Street in Providence circa 1874. By 1878 he had moved to 122 High Street and had created the Dr. Townsend's Oxygenated Air, a mist that was used with an atomizer. It would cure catarrh, bronchitis, asthma, consumption, dyspepsia, liver and kidney complaints, scrofula, and other impurities of the blood. He was concerned that his patients buy only the "genuine article" which would be known by the embossing on the bottle and the paper label on each bottle which would bear his portrait.

He also claimed to be very successful in treating paralysis. He consulted his clients by letter and sent treatments to all parts of the world by express, only after first receiving stamps from his patients which he used in his illustrated paper on the subject.