There’s a great origin story behind snake oil salesmen, and it has to do with just one guy who singlehandedly gave it a bad name.
AI Summary
Josh and Chuck dive into the surprising origin story of "snake oil" and reveal how this now-synonymous term for fraud actually started as legitimate medicine in ancient China. They trace the fascinating journey from Chinese water snake oil (which was genuinely effective due to high omega-3 content) to how one cowboy-turned-con artist named Clark Stanley single-handedly ruined snake oil's reputation in 19th century America. The episode explores patent medicines, early FDA regulations, and how a legitimate remedy became the ultimate symbol of quackery.
Movies Discussed
The Iceman Cometh
"Then also in 1956, it was in the very famous play, The Iceman cometh from Eugene O'Neill — Chuck mentions this Eugene O'Neill play as containing an early reference to snake oil as a derogatory term."
— Chuck
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