January
13
/ 2019
In the late 19th century, microscopes enabled scientists to observe the microbial effectivity of medicines in the treatment of ailments and these new skills finally dislodged many traditional ‘magical’ medieval medicines and treatments. This was not the case, however, in China, where still today thousands of tons of scorpions, freeze-dried millipedes, tiger penises, and rhino bones are consumed as medicines. Unfortunately, tied into this ancient matrix of hocus-pocus Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) is a singular animal product that has been proven to work, even though it has become a term synonymous with quack cures - “snake oil”. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"56347","attributes":{"alt":"Advertisement for “Clar Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment.” Clark Stanley was born around 1854 in Abilene, Texas, and was the self-styled “Rattlesnake King” who
