"Rock Stars and Rural Remedies" - Snake Oil Salesmen in Reconstruction America
Working Over Time
English - June 26, 2020 15:32 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBHistory Education archaeology workplaces employers economy industry trades ancient history craftsmanship contemporary society technology Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
(recorded over zoom) 19th-century “medicine shows” marketed cure-alls in a moveable feast of showmanship that compelled rural pain sufferers to exchange hard-earned cash for “miracle” elixirs, tonics, and liniments. Most of these treatments were dubious at best, dangerous at worst. But these shows were more than just a particularly vivid chapter in America’s long history of rewarding savvy hustlers peddling questionable products. The medicine show was also a vitally important social phenomenon, providing unique social and economic mobility for people who had talent, but were otherwise shut out from the opportunities of post-Reconstruction America. Join Dr. Karen Bellinger as she speaks with writer and historian Deb Hunter about the role of Snake Oil Salesmen in the early days of the pharmaceutical industry.