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Article: The patent Medicine era. (Snake Oil!).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Skeptic (Altadena, CA)
- Article date:
- September 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine. 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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A "snake oil salesman" is someone who makes false promises in order to sell a harmful or useless product. The term comes from the late 1800s when traveling salesmen roamed the countryside selling bottled "medicine" they claimed could cure any and all ills.
These products known as "patent medicine" appeared at a time when most people relied on home cures for medical problems and only called in a doctor when they feared the patient might die. Some patent medicines contained traditional herbal cures and may have done some small amount of good. Others used ...