Clark Stanley Snake Oil Liniment (1880-1900)

This is exactly where the famous American term "Snake Oil" comes from!

During this wild period in medical history, "Patent Medicine" was a massive trend where people cooked up unregulated, unverified "miracle cures." Clark Stanley—The Rattlesnake King—and his Snake Oil Liniment were the absolute icons of this era.

Stanley claimed his liniment could cure everything from severe joint pain to rheumatism, even boasting it could help paralyzed people walk again. He claimed the formula was derived from actual snakes, but upon further testing by federal chemists in 1916, it was revealed that his product contained zero snake oil. Instead, it was nothing more than:

• Mineral oil and beef fat.

• Capsicum (the heat compound found in peppers, used to create a temporary warming sensation on the skin).

• Turpentine and camphor.

I strongly recommend reading the original, bizarre Clark Stanley pamphlets online if you want a laugh. It is the ultimate snapshot of American medical fraud.