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\\nI\\u2019m sure you have heard the term \\u201csnake oil salesman.\\u201d However, have you ever stopped to wonder how that term came to be? Snake oil salesmen got their name from Clark Stanley\\u2019s Snake Oil Liniment. It was mineral oil that had been mixed with various herbs and compounds. It was marketed as a cure for a variety of joint and back pain. For good measure Stanley thought he\\u2019d pitch his snake oil as providing instant relief from frostbite, bruises, sore throat, and bug and animal bites. A well known ad for the product said, \\u201cGood for everything a liniment ought to be good for.\\u201d
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\\nWith claims like these it is no wonder that Clark Stanley had a successful venture on his hands. He wasn\\u2019t the first, and he wasn\\u2019t the last. However, his snake oil became a common term for medication that boasted outlandish and fraudulent claims. While doing little, if anything, of real benefit to the recipient.
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\\nSnake Oil Salesmen Go to Court
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\\nIn 1916, Stanley\\u2019s Snake Oil Liniment was tested by the government\\u2019s Bureau of Chemistry. This was a government agency that was a precursor to the Food and Drug Administration. It provided limited value for its cost. It contained mineral oil, 1% fatty oil, capsaicin from chili peppers, turpentine and camphor. 
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\\nStanley faced federal prosecution for distributing mineral oil in a fraudulent manner as snake oil. There was nothing involving snakes in his oil. Stanley pleaded no contest to the charges. The judge accepted his plea and he fined him $20. In today\\u2019s money that would be around $470. He basically got off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. 
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\\nSnake oil is a prime example of a patent medicine. This was a concoction that was put together and had claims of tremendous benefit to those who would take it. This is a topic that has come up again and again as I\\u2019ve researched other episodes. A lot of soda that we know and love today started as a patent medicine. Coca Cola, Dr Pepper, Pepsi, 7 Up and Root Beer all have roots in promising tremendous health benefits for nothing more than a sip of the product. 
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\\nThe First Patent Medicines
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\\nPatent medicine originated in England. The name originates from the letters of patent that were granted by the English Crown. After patent medicine came to America, few producers actually sought patents. As time went on, the term \\u201cpatent medicine\\u201d began to describe any medicine sold over the counter. 
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\\nEarly colonial life proved that no one could escape the reach and popularity of these early patent medicines. Turlington\\u2019s Balsam of Life, Bateman\\u2019s Pectoral Drops and Hooper\\u2019s Female Pills were very successful in early America. Some, like Bateman\\u2019s Pectoral Drops maintained popularity well into the 1900s. The original patent for these drops was granted by King George I in 1726. 
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\\nOf course, it didn\\u2019t take long for Americans to understand the vast potential and financial success that could come with development of patent medicines. Successful inventors enlisted the help of savvy marketers to get their products noticed by the public.
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\\nPatent medicines were one of the first major product categories that the advertising industry promoted. Advertising often promoted these medications as a cure to multiple ailments. They emphasized exotic ingredients and were often endorsed by experts or well known celebrities. This influx of medication showed that no disease was beyond a possible cure. 
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\\nSo how did this craze start? The very first letters of patent given to an inventor of a secret remedy was issued during the late 17th century. The patent ensured that the medicine maker had a monopoly over his particular formula.'