Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil
Merchant’s Gargling Oil
A small article here.
And another one here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 09, 2020 -
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Category: Animals, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
S.S.S. Tonic
Created by Charles Swift, this patent medicine is still for sale today. (Two separate links in that last sentence, if you're interested in following them!) And yet for some reason they make no claim about "purifying and invigorating polluted blood" or "inherited taints."
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 15, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Danderine Grows Hair
As far as I know, Jeanette Wallace's only claim to fame was appearing in an ad for Danderine Hair-Growing Remedy. The ad ran in numerous magazines and newspapers between 1906 and 1908.She claimed that Danderine made her hair "fairly crawl out of my scalp"... which sounds like it could be the premise for a horror story.
Incidentally, according to Google maps, her address in New York is now occupied by a noodle shop.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 08, 2020 -
Comments (8)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1900s, Hair and Hairstyling
Concentrated Ocean Water
A dubious medical cure-all from the early 1960s: bottles of briny water marketed as 'concentrated ocean water'.The sellers claimed it could prolong life, cure arthritis, cancer, Parkinson's disease, hardening of the arteries, etc.
The FDA, which shut down the companies selling it, called it "the great sea salt swindle."
I couldn't find anyone selling concentrated ocean water today. Though there are plenty of present-day products that are similar in spirit — such as those cans of Swiss Mountain Air I posted about recently.
Newport News Daily Press - Apr 21, 1961
Arizona Republic - Mar 26, 1961
Tampa Bay Times - Apr 24, 1961
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 03, 2020 -
Comments (6)
Category: Health, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1960s
California Vinegar Bitters
As Dave Barry might say, "'California Vinegar Bitters' would make an excellent name for a band."
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 23, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Messer’s Inhaling Tube
Essential again in 2020.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 18, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Family Feud
Source.More on the Dyotts, here and here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 27, 2020 -
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Category: Crime, Family, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
The Antikamnia Calendar
Not certain that skeletons were the best imagery for a patent medicine company.You can see a lot more calendar pages here, the results of Google Image Search.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 26, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Twentieth Century, Skulls, Bones and Skeletons
Glacier Rub
I guess you can't keep a good (?) idea down. Particularly poignant product name in an era of climate change.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 08, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Body, Head, Business, Advertising, Nature, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
HumanCharger
From the Finnish company Valkee comes the HumanCharger, aka ear lights. Ear buds shine bright lights into your ears, and this is supposed to stimulate “light sensing proteins” in your brain and make you feell more energized. Specifically, the manufacturer offers the gadget as a cure for jet lag.Many are skeptical. Back in 2015, a reviewer for the Guardian described them as “a very expensive flashlight.” (They retail for over $150). While the website earlightswindle.com has been trying to debunk them for years, noting:
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 07, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |