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Article: "Doctoring" The Truth: "Snake Oil" & Other Cure-Alls.(history of patent medicines and their influence on society)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Doctors today are respected members of society. Why, then, does "doctoring" the truth mean telling a lie? The answer rests in the history of European medicine and pharmaceuticals.
A Long Tradition of Quackery
Even in ancient Rome, some people tried to profit from the pain and misery of others. These "quacks" falsely claimed to have cures for untreatable diseases. Archaeologists have found ancient stone stamps used to advertise the supposedly "unbeatable ointment of Vindaius," among others. Such self-advertisement and overstatement were typical of medical frauds, who gave sincere doctors a bad name.
Alchemists -- people who mistakenly believed in ...