Crowds would gather when the snake oil salesman came around.1 His magical elixir could cure many ailments, from headaches to kidney problems.2 Before anyone realized that the cure-all was nothing more than mineral oil, the peddler was long gone with their money.3, 4 One of the more famous snake oil salesmen, Clark Stanley, made quite a name for himself in the early 20th century – enough to attract the government’s attention.5 In 1917, federal investigators seized his product, and upon finding that it was not what it claimed to be, Stanley was fined under the Pure Food and Drug Act.6 When the government exercised this FDA-precursor’s power, snake oil sales likely took a turn for the worse.7
The FDA is still cracking down on what it deems to be “snake oil salesmen” in the modern day. Most recently, the FDA has brought this charge … Read the rest