How ‘Rattlesnake King’ Clark Stanley Became King of Snake Oil Sales

How ‘Rattlesnake King’ Clark Stanley Became K...

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Madame Yale Made a Fortune as America’s 19th-century ‘Wellness Guru’

When Maude Mayberg was 38 years old, this was back in 1890, she 'discovered' an elixir that transformed her life. It was called Fruitcura, she said, and it cured her ailments when medical doctors could not. Two years later, she was a patent medicine entrepreneur and saleswoman go ...  Show more

How Perkins Tractors Taught Us the Placebo Effect

Today, if you’re asked to think of a tractor, most of us probably imagine farm equipment. But in the late 18th century, a physician named Elisha Perkins made and sold a different kind of tractor – a device consisting of small metal rods that could cure what ails you simply throug ...  Show more

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