Pharmacy - The traveling medicine show 1890
by Mike Savad
Title
Pharmacy - The traveling medicine show 1890
Artist
Mike Savad
Medium
Photograph - Colorized Photo
Description
Colorized photo from 1890
Original title: Traveling medicine show
Photographer: Unknown
Location: 299 M.L.K. Jr Rd Natchez, Mississippi
The FDA was created to prevent fake medicine getting out into human hands, it was created in 1906. But before then, anything goes. They sold all sorts of cures that did nothing. Anyone could make a medicine, claim a cure and make a buck. Tonics that cured the common cold, that helped your toothache, that could make you a better dancer and its a great furniture polish.
Carts like these would be set up in town, they would have a show, maybe they would sing, or have a plant in the audience to get a crowd together. This one used snakes. Probably because it had snake oil in it. But not really.
The first known product that did very, very well, making the person rich, was a product called Snake Oil. Said to cure everything, he sold a lot of it. When the FDA looked it over in 1916, they discovered it was nothing more than a mixture of mineral oil, tallow, capsaicin from chili peppers, turpentine and camphor. When discovered he had to pay a $20 fine (about $500 today). That's why we call it snake oil when its probably fake medicine. I hate to think what the story is behind a quack, I imagine that ducks are involved.
Uploaded
June 3rd, 2020
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Comments (3)
Murray Rudd
Congratulations Mike on being featured in the FAA Group 'Off the Beaten Path.' To ensure your feature remains available over time, post your featured image(s) in the Group's 'Thanks for the Feature / Image Archive.’ l/f/t. If you allow pinning, your image will be pinned to the Group’s features board (www.pinterest.ca/tendrelimages/off-the-beaten-path/)