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fixed factual inaccuracy in accordance to https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen , and changed the approx. worth of $20 to what it would be now from 1917 instead of 1916 Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit iOS app edit App select source |
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{{short description|American fraudster who marketed snake oil as a patent medicine}} |
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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Clark Stanley |
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| image = Clark_Stanley.jpg |
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| birth_date = {{circa|1854}} |
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| birth_place = [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]], [[Texas]], [[United States]] |
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| known_for = Source of the term "[[snake oil|snake oil salesman]]" |
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}} |
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'''Clark Stanley''' (b. {{circa|1854}} in [[Abilene, Texas]], according to himself; the town was founded in 1881) was an American herbalist and [[Quackery|quack doctor]] who marketed a "[[snake oil]]" as a [[patent medicine]], styling himself the "Rattlesnake King" until his fraudulent products were exposed in 1916, popularizing the pejorative title of the "snake oil salesman". |
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'''Clark Stanley''' (b. c. 1854 in [[Abilene, Texas]],) better known as "The Rattlesnake King," is a late [[19th century]] and early [[20th century]] [[Americans|American]] [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]], [[merchant]], [[author]], [[Healer (alternative medicine)|healer]], and apparent [[Philanthropy|philanthropist]] who [[Marketing|marketed]], [[Production (economics)|produced]], and [[Sales|sold]] an [[original]] [[brand]] of [[snake oil]] [[liniment]], or [[rubefacient]], specifically [[Patent|patented]] and [[Brand|branded]] as ''''Clark Stanley'''<nowiki/>'s Snake Oil Liniment.' The [[Recorded history|historical account]] of '''Clark Stanley''' leads to a present-day [[Culture of the United States|American cultural]] [[Association (psychology)|association]] for [[snake oil]] that forms a broader [[concept]] within its attribution to [[popular belief]]. There is a wide ranging [[conceptual framework]] for [[snake oil]] found in [[popular culture]] that may be traced to a [[United States district court|US District Court]] [[indictment]] against '''Clark Stanley'''. Most ideas of [[snake oil]] lie in a [[superstition]] that (specifically '''Clark Stanley'''<nowiki/>'s) [[snake oil]] epitomizes [[patent medicine|patent medicines]] typical of the [[era]] in [[History of the United States|American history]]. Thus, it is continually held in contingents of [[Modern history|modern]] [[mass culture]] that 'The Rattlesnake King' is both the quintessential [[United States|American]] [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]] and [[businessperson]] as well as the quintessential American [[trickster]] and [[Confidence trick|confidence]] [[artist]]. |
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[[File:Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment.png|thumb|An advertisement for Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment.]] |
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Stanley claimed that, starting in 1879, after eleven years working as a cowboy, he studied for more than two years with a [[Hopi]] medicine man at [[Walpi, Arizona]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aiw-KntGPrgC&q=hopi+indians+clark+stanley&pg=PA75 |title = Rattlesnakes|isbn = 9780292770232|last1 = Frank Dobie|first1 = J.|year = 1982| publisher=University of Texas Press }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen|title=A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'|website=NPR.org|date=26 August 2013 |last1=Gandhi |first1=Lakshmi }}</ref> This supposedly included learning the "secrets of snake oil". With the help of a Boston druggist he began marketing his product at Western [[medicine show]]s. In 1893 he and his rattlesnakes gained attention at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen,|title=A History of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'|website=NPR |date=26 August 2013 |last1=Gandhi |first1=Lakshmi }}</ref> Later he went on to establish production facilities in [[Beverly, Massachusetts]] and [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. |
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In 1917, subsequent to the passage of the [[Pure Food and Drug Act]] in 1906, Stanley's concoction was examined and found to be of no value. It was found to contain [[mineral oil]], a fatty compound thought to be from [[beef]], [[capsaicin]] from chili peppers, and [[turpentine]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&q=%22snake+oil%22&pg=PA592|title=Service and Regulatory Announcements|last=Chemistry|first=United States Bureau of|date=1917|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref> He was fined $20 (approximately $490 in 2024).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1917?amount=20 |title=Inflation Calculator |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 2024 |website=In2013dollars.com |access-date=28 September 2024}}</ref> The term "snake oil" would go on to become a popular [[euphemism]] for ineffective or fraudulent products, particularly those marketed as medicines or cures. |
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{{Reflist}} |
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| ⚫ | *{{cite web| url=http://www.enotalone.com/article/11597.html | title=The Rattlesnake King. Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry | author=Hurley, Dan | author-link=Dan Hurley (author) | year=2006 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709165111/http://www.enotalone.com/article/11597.html | archivedate=July 9, 2011 }} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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== History and Biography == |
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The [[History|historical]] account of Clark Stanley definitively embodies the least of (a great deal of) inherent [[fraud]] within American [[business ethics]], especially as it relates to his standing among more wealthy [[Pharmaceutical sales representative|medicine salespersons]] that prevailed in masking [[Addiction|addictive]] [[Drug|drugs]], often found in [[elixir]] containing [[Intoxication|intoxicating]] and/or [[Hazard|hazardous]] ingredients, as [[Medication|medicine]] during the late 19th, and early 20th centuries. |
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Most of Clark Stanley's [[life]] [[history]] is [[Recorded history|unrecorded]], and the only [[Birth certificate|account of his birth]] remains his own [[Main contention|contention]], while there is no known [[Death certificate|account of his death]]. There is also no known record of his [[patent]] for Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment. Additionally, there is no [[Public records|record]] of his [[existence]] outside of his own [[Image|pictured]] [[Advertising|advertisement]], [[Relic|relics]] of his [[Product (business)|merchandise]], [[Production (economics)|production]] [[Public records|records]], and his once business [[Building|facilities]], along with a short [[Public records|record]] of a [[Judgment (law)|judgment]] that condemned his [[brand]] of [[snake oil]] in [[Federal judiciary of the United States|federal court]]. Observers of Stanley's peculiar [[business]] [[career]] are only left to [[Guessing|guess]] what became of "The Rattlesnake King." |
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According to Stanley's own account, he was born in [[Texas]] in 1854, in the town of [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]], and began more than two years of [[Research|study]] with a [[Hopi]] [[medicine man]] at [[Walpi, Arizona]] in 1879, having spent the previous eleven years as a [[cowboy]].<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=Aiw-KntGPrgC&lpg=PA75&dq=hopi%20indians%20clark%20stanley&pg=PA75#v=onepage&q=hopi%20indians%20clark%20stanley&f=false</ref><ref>https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen</ref> He [[Allegation|alleged]] that his [[Education|study]] taught him the [[Secrecy|secrets]] of [[Extraction (chemistry)|extracting]] an [[oil]] contained in [[Rattlesnake|rattlesnakes]] that could be used [[Topical medication|topically]] in order to heal a wide array of common [[ailments]] as well as 'partial [[paralysis]],' and 'all [[pain]] and [[Physical disability|lameness]].'<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA592&dq=%22snake+oil%22&hl=en&ei=BLyeTtmEFero0QHfi52gCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=%22snake%20oil%22&f=false|title=Service and Regulatory Announcements|last=Chemistry|first=United States Bureau of|date=1917|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref> With the assistance of a [[Boston]] [[druggist]], Stanley used the [[knowledge]] he obtained in [[Arizona]] to formulate his own [[brand]] of [[Patent|patented]] [[snake oil]], and began [[marketing]] and [[Sales|selling]] his [[Production (economics)|product]] at [[Medicine show|medicine shows]] before it became widely available. However, his allegations of its [[effectiveness]], and its [[origin]] from [[Rattlesnake|rattlesnakes]] was later [[Judgement|judged]] to represent [[fraud]], with the [[legal case]] against Stanley setting a [[precedent]] in [[law]] that allowed for increased [[Bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] [[jurisdiction]] in regards to [[traditional medicine|traditional (American) medicine]]. |
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The acknowledgment of 'The Rattlesnake King' in [[history]] has been overwhelmingly [[Negativity bias|negative]], finding its place as a source of [[controversy]]. [[Revisionist historians|Revisionist]] accounts of Stanley's [[business]] [[career]] label him as a [[Confidence trick|confidence]] [[artist]], and [[snake oil]] (in general) as a [[placebo]]. [[Originality|Original]] accounts of 'The Rattlesnake King's' career contend that the condemnation of Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment pitted him at odds with [[Authority|authorities]] falling under an [[elite]] [[Social class|class]] of [[quackery]], acknowledging his [[businessperson]] [[prototype]] as [[bona fide]] [[evidence]] that Stanley represents a [[Victimology|victim]] of the [[bourgeoisie]]'s own [[scapegoating]]. |
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== Snake Oil == |
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''Main Article: [[Snake oil|Snake Oil]]'' |
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'''Snake oil''' is a [[Traditional Chinese medicine|Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)]] utilizing [[fat]] [[Extraction (chemistry)|extracted]] from the [[Chinese water snake|Chinese water snake (''Enhydris chinensis.'')]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mk8qwAU6w18C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q=enhydris%20chinensis&f=false|title=Animals in Traditional Folk Medicine: Implications for Conservation|last=Alves|first=Rômulo|last2=Rosa|first2=Ierecê Lucena|date=2012-09-19|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783642290251|language=en}}</ref> It is a [[rubefacient]] and/or [[ointment]], and is applied [[Topical medication|topically]] to relieve minor [[Physical body|physical]] [[pain]]. It has been used in [[Traditional Chinese medicine|TCM]] for many centuries, and is a relatively common [[medication]] [[Medical prescription|prescribed]] by [[Physician|doctors]] ascribing the [[Medicine|practice]] of [[Traditional Chinese medicine|TCM]]. Its [[effectiveness]] as [[medicine]] has been a [[History|historical]] source of [[controversy]] in the [[Western world]], where there is much [[confusion]] over its origin and constitution due to a [[United States district court|U.S. District Court]] [[Judgment (law)|judgment]] against [[Clark Stanley]]. |
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In [[Western culture]], '''snake oil''' is most commonly [[Association (psychology)|associated]] with a [[placebo]], [[Panacea (medicine)|panacea]] and/or [[deceptive marketing]]. Its association in Western culture lies in the fact that many [[19th century]] [[United States]] and [[18th-century London|18th century]] [[Europe|European]] [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneurs]] [[Advertising|advertised]] and [[Sales|sold]] [[mineral oil]] (often mixed with various [[Active ingredient|active]] and [[Inactive ingredient|inactive]] household [[Herb|herbs]], [[Spice|spices]], and [[Chemical compound|compounds]], but containing no properties of [[Snake|snakes]],) as ''''snake oil''' [[liniment]],' making frivolous claims about its [[efficacy]] as a [[Panacea (medicine)|panacea]]. [[Patent medicine|Patent medicines]] that claimed to be a 'cure-all' [[Panacea (medicine)|panacea]] were extremely common in [[medicine]] during the [[18th century|18th]], [[19th century|19th]], and [[20th century|20th centuries]], particularly among [[Vendor|vendors]] masking [[Addiction|addictive]] [[Drug|drugs]], such as [[amphetamine]], [[Alcoholic drink|alcohol]] and [[opium]] based [[Concoction|concoctions]], in '[[elixir]],' to be sold as [[medication]] and/or [[Product (business)|products]] promoting [[health]] at [[Medicine show|medicine shows]]. Contrary to [[superstition]] and [[popular belief]], '''snake oil''' has never been used for this purpose, and does not contain [[Intoxication|intoxicating]], [[Poison|poisonous]], or [[Hazard|hazardous]] [[Ingredient|ingredients]]. |
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Stanley was well received by the [[public]] for his [[Showmanship (performing)|showmanship]] in presenting live [[Rattlesnake|rattlesnakes]], and enacting a [[snake charming]] [[presentation]], supposedly revealing a [[Secrecy|secret]] process of 'snake oil [[Extraction (chemistry)|extraction]]' to the keen observer. He employed this show in order to [[Sales|sell]] a [[rubefacient]] that was [[False advertising|falsely advertised]] as [[snake oil]]. His [[sales]] appeal was launched to seemingly [[Animal magnetism|mesmerized]] crowds of potential [[Consumer|consumers]], although it is likely that Stanley's cowboy-[[Style (visual arts)|styled]] showmanship effectually [[Hypnosis|hypnotized]] his [[Audience|audiences]] by employing [[Trickster|trickery]]. Given the public's [[Trust (emotion)|trust]] in the [[integrity]] of the [[United States patent law|US patent process]], an apparent patent obtained for Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment worked to present his [[Production (economics)|product]] as worthwhile and [[Legitimacy (criminal law)|legitimate]], despite its questionable origin and lack of proven [[efficacy]] in curing many of the conditions purported in accordance with his advertising claims. Additionally, Stanley undoubtedly utilized a clever [[Theatre|theatrical]] element in his [[patent]] [[Medication|medicine]] [[exhibition]], which likely served as a means to boost [[Advertising|advertisement]], and [[Differentiation (economics)|differentiate]] Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment from other [[Patent medicine|patent medicines]]. |
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In 1893, Stanley employed his [[Actor|act]] utilizing live rattlesnakes to garner a significant degree of attention at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen,</ref> According to Stanley, this boosted the public's [[confidence]] in his snake oil's legitimacy, leading to him establishing production facilities in [[Beverly, Massachusetts]] and [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. Given his legacy as a self-purported cowboy, it is likely that Stanley's [[Theatre|theatrics]] stood out in comparison to his predominantly [[peasant]] counterparts frequenting medicine shows, and working as [[Cowboy|cowboys]]. In stark contrast to those he boasted to have common associations (cowboys and [[Peddler|peddlers]],) it can be said that Clark Stanley's moderate degree of [[popularity]] led to a reasonably notable amount of [[Social status|success]], which provided him with a [[Health|healthy]] [[Working class|working]] [[income]]. Consequently, it also led to increased scrutiny lying in his [[Production (economics)|product]] and [[Presentation|presentation's]] [[Exposure (magic)|exposure]]. |
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== Civil Proceedings: The U.S. vs. Clark Stanley == |
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In 1916, subsequent to the passage of the [[Pure Food and Drug Act]] in 1906, Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment was examined by the [[Bureau of Chemistry]], and found to be drastically [[overpriced]] and of limited [[Value-form|value]], containing no properties actually derived from rattlesnakes (it contained [[mineral oil]], a fatty compound thought to be [[tallow]], [[capsaicin]] from [[Chili pepper|chili peppers]], [[camphor]], and [[turpentine]].)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA592&dq=%22snake+oil%22&hl=en&ei=BLyeTtmEFero0QHfi52gCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=%22snake%20oil%22&f=false|title=Service and Regulatory Announcements|last=Chemistry|first=United States Bureau of|date=1917|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref><ref>[[:File:SnakeOilDecision.jpg]]</ref> This is similar in composition to modern-day [[Capsaicin#Research and pharmaceutical use|capsaicin]] and/or [[camphor]] based [[Chest rub|chest rubs]], similar in composition to [[Vicks VapoRub]] and [[RUB A535|RUBA535]]. As a result of its catastrophically high [[price]], claims of it being a [[Panacea (medicine)|panacea]], and the fact that it contained no properties of [[Rattlesnake|rattlesnakes]], Stanley faced [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] [[Prosecutor|prosecution]] for [[Peddler|peddling]] [[mineral oil]] in a fraudulent [[Manner of (art)|manner]] as [[snake oil]]. In his 1916 [[Civil law (common law)|civil]] hearing instigated by [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] [[Prosecutor|prosecutors]] in the [[United States district court|U.S. District Court]] for [[Rhode Island]], Stanley [[Pleading|plead]] [[No-contest|no contest]] to the [[Allegation|allegations]] against him, giving no [[Admission (law)|admission]] of [[Guilt (emotion)|guilt]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA592&dq=%22snake+oil%22&hl=en&ei=BLyeTtmEFero0QHfi52gCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=%22snake%20oil%22&f=false|title=Service and Regulatory Announcements|last=Chemistry|first=United States Bureau of|date=1917|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref> His plea of [[nolo contendere]] was accepted, and as a result, Stanley was fined $20.00.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA592&dq=%22snake+oil%22&hl=en&ei=BLyeTtmEFero0QHfi52gCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=%22snake%20oil%22&f=false|title=Service and Regulatory Announcements|last=Chemistry|first=United States Bureau of|date=1917|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref> This amount of money corresponds to roughly $457 in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.in2013dollars.com/1916-dollars-in-2018?amount=20|title=$20 in 1916 → 2018 {{!}} Inflation Calculator|website=www.in2013dollars.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-07}}</ref> |
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== Modern Implications == |
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[[Fraud|Fraudulent]] [[marketing]] techniques employed by [[Western world|Western]] [[Businessperson|businesspersons]] [[Production (economics)|producing]] '''snake oil''', namely those of Clark Stanley, are not dissimilar from most [[Advertising campaign|advertising campaigns]] employed in accordance with [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneurial]] [[Business ethics|business practices]] today. Such [[deception]] is prevalent in [[Storefront|storefronts]], among [[retail stores]], as well as among [[Peddler|peddlers]] who [[Sales|sell]] a wide array of [[Product (business)|products]], and is particularly common in [[services marketing]]. Examples of modern products [[Allegation|alleged]] to be marketed similarly to '''snake oil''' are products of [[herbalism]], [[Dietary supplement|dietary supplements]], and [[Religion|religious]] or [[Spirituality|spiritual]] items such as a [[crucifix]](used to ward away [[evil]],) a [[crystal]] (when used [[Spirituality|spiritually]] for the [[Christian]] [[crucifixion]] [[purpose]],) or a [[Tibetan Singing Bowl|Tibetan singing bowl]] (used for [[healing]].) Common [[Indictment|indictments]] of [[false advertising]] for these, and other products marketed similarly to '''snake oil''' often materialize in allegations of [[Advertising|dubious advertising]] claims that these products are [[Sacred|holy/sacred]], [[Science|scientific]], [[Health|healthy]], or [[Nature|natural]]. These products are listed in addition to the continual, and baseless popular reference for '''snake oil''' to represent [[Psychoactive drug|intoxicating]] [[Drug|drugs]] such as [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]], [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]], [[opium]], and [[Substituted amphetamine|amphetamines]]. |
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Quite unlike '''snake oil''' in [[Traditional Chinese medicine|Traditional Chinese Medicine]], there are quasi-justifiable means to codify '''snake oil''' in [[Western culture]] as a [[Fraud|fraudulent]] [[Panacea (medicine)|panacea]] given that there are no known accounts of '''snake oil''' [[Peddler|peddled]] in the United States or [[Europe]] containing any trace of actual [[snake]] [[Extraction (chemistry)|extract]]. Thus, it is generally assumed that any variety of '''snake oil''' is in line with most other [[patent medicine]] available in the [[18th century|18th]], and [[19th century]], though it is generally noted that '''snake oil''' is less dangerous than many other patent medicines containing [[Substance intoxication|intoxicating]], or [[Hazard|hazardous]] [[Ingredient|ingredients]]. Nonetheless, '''snake oil''' represents a [[concept]] for a particular type of [[fraud]] that may be extended to many of the same intoxicating drugs once sold by Stanley's competitors at medicine shows, which remain widely [[Prescription drug|prescribed]] and available today. Most of these drugs are now [[Manufacturing|manufactured]] by [[Pharmaceutical industry|pharmaceutical companies]], or fall under [[government]] [[Control (management)|control]] in some form or fashion. |
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== Legacy in American Popular Culture == |
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Since the condemnation of Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment in U.S. District Court, the term '[[snake oil]]' has been established in [[popular culture]] as a [[reference]] to any worthless [[concoction]] sold as medicine, and has been extended to describe a widely ranging degree of fraudulent [[goods]], [[Service (economics)|services]], [[Idea|ideas]], and [[Social actions|activities]] such as worthless [[rhetoric]] in [[politics]]. By further extension, a '''snake oil salesman''' is commonly used in [[English language|English]] to describe a con artist, [[Quackery|quack]], [[huckster]], or [[charlatan]]. It is also used in a [[de facto]] [[Ethics|manner]] to [[Description|describe]] the general [[nature]] of many modern [[Profession|professions]] such as a [[politician]] or [[Clergy|religious leader]], most especially [[Imam|Islamic Imams]] and [[Minister (Christianity)|Christian ministers]]. It is also commonly used in a [[quackery]] sense to describe many present day [[Physician|physicians]] and [[Doctor of Medicine|doctors]] associated with [[medical malpractice]], such as an [[Internal medicine|internist]], as well as [[Lawyer|attorneys]] filing [[Frivolous litigation|frivolous lawsuits]], and is often used as a broad term to describe anyone in the [[profession]] of [[sales]], most commonly [[Automobile salesperson|car salespeople]], and [[Pharmaceutical sales representative|pharmaceutical sales representatives.]] |
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The term, 'Stanley rattlesnake,' is also ascribed in certain contingents of US popular culture to describe an elaborate [[decoy]] shown by an 'official' businessperson, attorney, physician, politician, or religious leader obliging similar attributes as those embodied by Clark Stanley. These contingents contend that Mr. Stanley is perhaps the truest and most [[Honesty|honest]] embodiment of the independent American entrepreneur or businessperson today, representing the [[Face (sociological concept)|face]] of [[mercantilism]] throughout history. As opposed to the [[Historical revisionism|revisionist]] account identifying Stanley as a confidence artist, this view contends that Clark Stanley is the quintessential American entrepreneur. The exposure of the semantic whole in the prevailing viewpoints as it regards business practices exposed in the account of Clark Stanley allows for a systemic indictment of the capitalist system as a whole of the systematic implementation of fraud in defining business ethics. |
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| ⚫ | *{{cite web| url=http://www.enotalone.com/article/11597.html | title=The Rattlesnake King. Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry | author=Hurley, Dan | |
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Latest revision as of 22:24, 28 September 2024
Clark Stanley | |
|---|---|
 Stanley as depicted on the cover of his book The Life and Adventures of the American Cow-Boy. Life in the Far West by Clark Stanley, Better Known as the Rattle-Snake King | |
| Born | c. 1854 |
| Known for | Source of the term "snake oil salesman" |
Clark Stanley (b. c. 1854 in Abilene, Texas, according to himself; the town was founded in 1881) was an American herbalist and quack doctor who marketed a "snake oil" as a patent medicine, styling himself the "Rattlesnake King" until his fraudulent products were exposed in 1916, popularizing the pejorative title of the "snake oil salesman".
Career
[edit]
Stanley claimed that, starting in 1879, after eleven years working as a cowboy, he studied for more than two years with a Hopi medicine man at Walpi, Arizona.[1][2] This supposedly included learning the "secrets of snake oil". With the help of a Boston druggist he began marketing his product at Western medicine shows. In 1893 he and his rattlesnakes gained attention at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.[3] Later he went on to establish production facilities in Beverly, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.
In 1917, subsequent to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, Stanley's concoction was examined and found to be of no value. It was found to contain mineral oil, a fatty compound thought to be from beef, capsaicin from chili peppers, and turpentine.[4] He was fined $20 (approximately $490 in 2024).[5] The term "snake oil" would go on to become a popular euphemism for ineffective or fraudulent products, particularly those marketed as medicines or cures.
References
[edit]- ^ Frank Dobie, J. (1982). Rattlesnakes. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292770232.
- ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (26 August 2013). "A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'". NPR.org.
- ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (26 August 2013). "A History of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'". NPR.
- ^ Chemistry, United States Bureau of (1917). Service and Regulatory Announcements. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ "Inflation Calculator". In2013dollars.com. September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- Hurley, Dan (2006). "The Rattlesnake King. Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry". Archived from the original on July 9, 2011.
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