Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 26, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Twentieth Century, Skulls, Bones and Skeletons
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
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 07, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil
When he finally came home for good at the end of the war, Kelly Chamandy was bald as an egg. Taking the advice of his Cree friends, he began massaging rendered bear fat into his scalp and, lo and behold, his hair began to grow back! The state of his pate, his Syrian peddler heritage, and his wilderness experience gave him a brilliant idea which led to his entrance into an ancient, unconventional, and all-but-forgotten industry: the bear grease market.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 28, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, North America, Twentieth Century, Hair and Hairstyling, Head
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 23, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 10, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century, Genitals
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 15, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Hostetter's "Celebrated" Bitters was a nostrum developed by Dr. Jacob Hostetter of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His son, David Hostetter, put the formula into large scale production in 1853 and it soon became a national best-seller. During the Civil War, Dr. J. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters was sold to soldiers as "a positive protective against the fatal maladies of the Southern swamps, and the poisonous tendency of the impure rivers and bayous." The original formula was about 47% alcohol -- 94 Proof! The amount of alcohol was so high that it was served in Alaskan saloons by the glass. Hostetter sweetened the alcohol with sugar to which he added a few aromatic oils (anise, coriander, etc.) and vegetable bitters (cinchona, gentian, etc.) to give it a medicinal flavor. From 1954 to 1958, when it was no longer marketed, the product was known as Hostetter Tonic.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 21, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Antiques, Anachronisms and Throwbacks, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Alcohol
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 13, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Body, Pregnancy, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Babies and Toddlers, Nineteenth Century
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 25, 2018 -
Comments (6)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1920s
Who We Are |
---|
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 |