Notorious Narratives

Medicine has a strange history. In the 19th century medical practices were questionable at best and often did not offer immediate relief of the patient's symptoms. This left the door open for a burgeoning industry that would provide quick fixes in brightly colored bottles that promised cures for anything from balding to cancer. These cures utilized a variety of ingredients from the useless to the deadly. In this episode, Jen tells us the story of the Patent Medicine industry.