Health Fraud Racket, The (ca. 1960s)

same old snake oil two is more professionally pack or a fake but impressive looking machine which claims to do miraculous things to the human body but it's still the same old snake today more than ever you I are all too often taken by the con man and his products devices with promises to cure all the ills that trouble us come out I need something to take care of the stiffness in this they want to operate but if there is anything that will dissolve this lump instead huh if I take this will I lose weight you say this will supply special nutrient to tone up sagging face you this nagging bagic of mine and help my kidney trouble you see these heart palpitations will really disappear I've got the answer right here ladies and gentlemen to everything that ails you now step right up will you come in closer please now I have here testimonials from people who have been cured I said cured of backache nervousness can manhood any number of dis ladies gentl I don't ask you to take my for but it's still the same old snake oil [Music] I've got a hang nail chronic btis and a nervous tick I suppose this is science's answer for all of them friend this has a secret ingredient which will absolutely Rel leave every single symptom of hang nail veritis tick all the ancient diseases that have plag mankind the cruel practice of making money on people's worries spear throughout the years as quackery the word comes from the Old Dutch quack salver one who quacks like a duck about his saves and remedies time has made a few changes but quackery today is still essentially built on misinformation Distortion mental suggestion fism and Hal truths wellbeing and it is still spread in an atmosphere of ignorance fear and Superstition wherever people have reason to worry about their health or good looks when the social historians write the story of our times they will surely record the fact that Midway through the 20th century Americans became concerned with their waistlines good gracious and their weight and with good reason excess weight can be a serious health problem and so quackery in one of its modern gues is part of this story too a big [Music] part sure you won't have one delicious no no I'm afraid I can't it's not on my diet that's old fashion you don't have to worry about DIY to take these pills they rearrange the calories biker today in one of its many forms floods the market with hundreds of products which claim a magic ability to do some such such ridiculous thing as rearrange calories or melt away fat or inhibit weight all of them are worthless it's true that there are certain legitimate products which can help curb the appetite but these medicines are safe only when prescribed and taken under a doctor's supervision here's the basic truth about overweight nothing yet has been discovered that takes the place of sensible dieting it's the all only sure safe way to control weight for in spite of rumors or claims to the contrary calories do count other forms of quackery lure victims in other ways fake devices for example which are supposed to eliminate the accumulated deposits of a full rich life and this kind of Swindle which operates on human vanity po potions and creams that promise to erase The Telltale marks of age and restore what time has taken away the benefits of Cosmetics of course have been reaped by both men and women for countless centuries just as the rewards of sensible exercise have also been recognized but quackery strikes well beyond these legitimate purposes by making claims that can never be fulfilled here are the sober facts on the aging process man has not yet discovered the legendary Fountain of Youth no product no device yet developed can grow hair on a bald head or erase the furls of age or restore the fresh Beauty and vigor of Youth any promises to perform these Miracles however tempting they sound are false medical and nutritional quackery too is big business today it robs the American people of hundreds of millions of dollars each year what is it nothing but oldfashioned quackery in modern dress but the phony practitioner is not as visible as he used to be and when we do see him he's no longer a Cy Fair Medicine Man today's Peddlers of Hokum get around in many different disguises for example you could encounter one at your front door any day many Americans have good afternoon Madam I represent the nutritional and biological Health Institute your name has been suggested to us as one of the intelligent farsighted members of your community interested in being informed about science's latest Discovery in the field of dietary arrangement I brought with me lots of material this afternoon that I'd like you to take a look door to-door pedling is one way of selling good honest products but this method is also used by phony promoters of Health frauds and swindles a Trea is written by Dr good the lecture hall is another favorite stomping ground for a different kind of con man the food quack ladies and gentlemen is indeed a great pleasure he operates by implying there's something wrong with America's food by arousing fear and suspicion about our regular daily food supply the constant depletion of our soil year by year is taking away more and more of the nourishing natural elements nature puts into food and what isn't destroyed that way certainly is by fertilizers pesticides and chemicals what do we buy at the market food stripped of Nature's vitamins food contaminated with chemicals and not only that modern methods of cooking and over processing claims destroy the nutritional value of food and we all wind up with aches pains that tired feeling and what the bunam artist calls subclinical deficiency diseases but don't despair the book will save us very often the book is clever convincing May extol the superior virtues of black strap molasses or royal jelly or honey and vinegar or whatever and the promoter of course just happens to have a supply of the product with him along with the book or magazine true the products themselves may not be dangerous but worthless products can harm the Sick by causing delay in getting proper treatment the answer to that but whatever the food fad happens to be the idea aidea Behind These phony promotions is one and indivisible to take money out of your pocket and transfer it to the pocket of the promoter here are the facts about food Americans today are better off nutritionally than any people in the history of [Music] man the laws of the land protect our food supply against any harmful residues or pesticides preservatives or other additives the food at our Corner groceries and supermarkets in our restaurants and in our homes contain all the vitamins minerals and quality factors needed for good nutrition natural nutritional quality is not only protected but sometimes even improved by modern processing methods and standards here's still another angle to health frauds and swindles the oldest and most dangerous game of all the Cure All drug this form hides in the shadows and fringes of Medical Science and thrives on misleading promises to cure serious illness and disease the oldtime medicine man could sell his snake oil by positively guaranteeing it would cure for any and every disease known to man and beast but the beginning of the end came for all that with the passage of the first Pure Food and Drug Laws back in 1906 over the years these laws have become Tighter and stronger today all new drugs must be proved safe and effective before they can be marketed in other words the medicine must be safe and must do what's claimed for it but there are always the handful that operate outside the law a few misguided promoters pedal cures for incurable diseases some of them honestly believe in the useless medication more however are bonam martist Without Pity or conscience willing to risk the lives of fellow human beings Aline their own Pockets fortunately this form of quackery in medicine is gradually being eliminated by Our Food and Drug Laws but there's still another form equally dangerous and far more difficult to control phony machines and devices which are supposed to diagnose and treat disease unlike new drugs therapeutic devices do not have to be proved either safe or effective before they are sold or used and so medical device crackery continues to thrive to feed off human weaknesses to capitalize on genuine scientific advances there are of course many valuable medical devices today which truly work medical Miracles like this heart lung machine people understandably of faith in them and the Wonders they perform but there are many fake devices equally impressive looking to the untrained eye it's easy for anyone but an expert to be fooled by a machine like this especially when the practitioner puts up in an impressive medical front may I have your hand now you won't feel anything you won't feel the current going through at all it will be current running through from here through this through the machine and there that way we will get the readings but you won't Fe it just hold your chin up how long is this going to take well I'm afraid the uh readings are not favorable findings show a high cellular waste exchange rate in the abdominal region well I'm going to have to take a few more readings to confirm the diagnosis crackery flourishes in an atmosphere of pain a threat of serious illness fear terrible anxiety in desperation almost all of us tend to grasp at straws at anything no matter how ridiculous the device or the claims made for it frankly it doesn't look too good yes let's face it it looks very much like [Music] cancer science fortunately has given us the equipment to fight and defeat this disease this machine which diagnosed your is one of science's greatest Marvels not only measures electrical currents in the body also can influence and cancer too is a matter of electrical current why this machine has been so highly effective in treating many forms of cancer without surgery or x-rays particularly the kind here is the brutal core of the charlatans crime the machine which diagnosed and is going to treat this is a total and complete fake he's being sold a false hope because of this if he really is suffering from a serious illness he's being deprived of his one chance to live a me and precious time is spping by pleas you wasted two months you must see Dr Thompson now today he wanted you to cover the hospital weeks ago I don't have to see Dr Thompson he's going to give me the same old answer oh we can't be sure we need more tests uh an exploratory operation I've heard heard all of that before besides I've got the real answer now and from a machine that can diagnose without surgery and let me tell you one other thing that machine is going to cure me that machine we don't know anything about that machine maybe you don't but I do and don't forget a lot of very important people have spoken out in favor of it people yes but no medical experts we have to have the best advice Medical Science can give us medical doctors you know them what have they got against it they use some pretty complicated gadgets themselves I was in Dr Thompson's office for my checkup he wired me and strapped me to a machine that was pretty wide oh George stop lying to yourself you know darn well that that was for an electrocardiogram now that machine has been around a long time in every doctor's office for hard checkups and things you must know there's a difference please let's talk it over with Dr T yes clear-headedness and reason have vanished the machine and the qu quick diagnosis hope of complete cure happy ending not all device quackery takes place in an impressive office with an impressive practitioner to set the scene I'm coming I'm coming who is it than for you Mr yes thank you I'm going package for you Mrs on the door pretty heavy you better be careful thank you very much thank you it's heavy who is that hey last good money for that going to be worth every penny I just know it is the article I read said it would help for sure and I need help you know I do there is no device no treatment no drug which can truthfully be called a cure for arthritis but that means nothing to the health fraud Peddler but a cure exists and to make them pay for it and they do pay heavily for a few hours a few days a few months of Hope and then bitter dissolu we try about everything let's hope this for work across the length and breadth of this land quackery fattens on the worries suffering and hopes of human beings in trouble how can we protect ourselves against quackery how can we recognize it how can we its victims tell the phony from the real know what is FAL salid well first of all dear it's the most MO system for drying up ulcers I heard about it from my sister and she had it straight from a friend who was absolutely cured of a heart when you hear something like this close your ears buckery who give Word of Mouth testimonials for that matter endorsements or testimonials from patients themselves are always questionable in matters of health and medicine if the pro is promoted with such testimonials be on guard and remember that a statement is not necessarily true just because you read it somewhere for rules to keep in mind too this secret product is so new ladies and gentlemen that the formula is known to only a very few the word secret is a danger signal if this claim is made for a health product or device you can be pretty sure it's it's a phony they everything there is to know about this product is effective for many conditions and diseases because scientifically it all depends you can be pretty sure it's worthless too if this kind of claim is made that it will treat or cure a wide variety of ailments especially the diseases for which Medical Science still has found no answer of course the medical doctors won't have anything good to say about High technique they're a closed Corporation I can't there's the man with the product or device claim that he's being persecuted by the medical profession stupidity or stubbornness if so watch out this is one of the shest signs that quackery is at work the most important thing of all to remember is this your family doctor is your closest Ally in matters relating to your health and well-being if he doesn't have the answer himself he'll send you to a specialist other federal agencies as well as the Food and Drug Administration are deeply involved in combating the quackery problem the justice department for example brings Court action on recommendations of FDA for seizing fake products like this and removing them from the market Department also prosecutes phony promoters of health and medical frauds and brings them to justice the department of the post office fits out mail frauds like this one but in order to set legal wheels turning there must be victims who are willing to register complaints and testify in court it's often difficult to locate these Witnesses personal pride and shattered vanity hold them back Federal Trade Commission FTC is responsible in the medical field for preventing false and misleading advertising in newspapers magazines radio and television commercials and so on in a case like this the FTC can take action to stop the false claims state and local licensing and law enforcement agencies also fight quackery not only worthless products but fake practitioners as well combined efforts of all of these government agencies and Congress and the American Medical Association and the voluntary health agencies science and law working together to protect you still aren't enough you must join the battle by protecting yourself and your family from Health frauds when you're in trouble that's not always easy but in the end being victimized can be far worse it can mean not only your money but your [Music] life [Music] I